The Greatest Secret
by Nature9000
Summary: Sam and Freddie harbor a secret from those they know, they cannot tell for fear of being split apart. This follows the series.
1. Culture

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

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Chapter 1 (Culture)

A six year old girl was standing over a fountain inside the mall; she was holding a coin in her hand and gazing into the still blue water. The fountain had not been working, so it was off. She and her mother had recently moved closer to the area, and closer to her mom's childhood best friend. The girl was happy that her mom moved closer to her best friend, but she was sad because she didn't have a friend, and she wanted one so badly. She needed a friend, but thought she'd never get one, so she closed her eyes and decided to make a wish. _"Please give me a friend."_ With that, the girl tossed the coin into the fountain. She opened her eyes and saw a boy her age giving her an odd look.

"What are you doing?" The boy asked while stepping next to her. The girl rubbed her golden hair and looked toward the water.

"I'm making a wish. Daddy said that whenever you make a wish and toss a coin into the fountain, a wish will be granted," The girl replied. "He always said that you can never say what the wish was, because if you do, the wish won't be granted." The boy's eyes brightened and he quickly pulled a coin from his pocket.

"Mommy gave me a coin, so I'm going to toss it in the fountain." The girl smiled and watched as the boy stepped next to the fountain. His father had died some time ago, and when he died, it felt like he had no more friends left. It was only him, along with his mother. He loved his mom entirely, but she wasn't always fun to be around. She cared a lot about him, yet she wasn't ever able to do the things that he could do with another kid his age. _"More than anything, I want a best friend who I can grow up with."_

The girl smiled as the boy tossed the coin in the fountain and opened his eyes, he looked over at her and she merely blinked. "So what did you wish for?" The boy laughed lightly and shook his head.

"I can't tell you, it's a secret." The girl crossed her arms and huffed.

"Fine then, I don't want to know!"

"Yeah, and I don't want _you_ to know!" The boy stuck out his tongue, and the girl quickly stuck her tongue out. The boy laughed and looked toward the girl. "So what's your name?"

"My name is Samantha Puckett, but call me Sam, it sounds better!" The boy nodded and gave a grin.

"It's good to meet you, I'm Freddie Benson!" The girl recognized the last name as someone that her mom knew; it was amazing how small the world was in its large entirety.

"Cool, I think my mom knows your mom!" Freddie's mouth opened in a wide grin and he nearly jumped with happiness, it seemed that he might see the girl more often.

"So, do you want to be friends?"

"Yes!" With that, the two children hugged. Then, appearing to be almost a miracle, the broken fountain turned on and water sprinkled from the spout. Sam and Freddie both turned toward it and gazed with awe. "That's so cool!"

Two mothers were sitting on a bench near the fountain; they were watching Sam and Freddie play with each other. Sarah Puckett and Emily Benson were good friends, and had known each other for years. They had been friends in school, and had moved away from each other when they got out of college and married. Yet, they never lost contact with each other. About a week prior, Sarah moved closer to Emily, it was because her husband had died. Sarah smiled as Freddie and Sam hugged each other. "You know, I think they're going to be great friends," Sarah said in a quiet voice. Emily smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

"They seem like such good friends right now," Emily said while watching the two kids start laughing. "If this keeps up, who knows what'll happen." Sarah laughed and tapped her fingers on the bench, knowing full well what Emily was talking about.

"You know what's strange, you still hold fast to your family's culture, and it's rarely even practiced around here."

"Yeah, but it's still not that hard." Emily's family had come from India when her great grandfather immigrated to the United States back in the late 1800s. Ever since then, it was a tradition to practice their culture.

"I'm always fascinated with your culture, you know. Your culture and all the cultures of the world…one day I would love to see all the cultures of the world."

"Yeah, but I don't practice _all_ of my culture. It's kind of hard to do that because I don't know everything about my country back home. My dad left us when I was young, and my mom wasn't from India." Sarah figured how that might cause a lack of knowledge, but that wasn't usually a big problem. "You know, it's surprising how many people were always shocked to hear that my family originates from India…it's because of my pale skin, and Freddie's pretty pale as well. Come to think of it, even my great grandfather was pale."

"Yeah, so how will you choose for Freddie?" Emily made a humming sound as she watched Freddie run from Sam in a small game of tag, the two children made sure not to break anything.

"I'll do it like my mom did for me. By careful precision and always listening to what my son tells me that he likes. Also, I'd go with the one that he's usually around more and in the realm of his liking."

"I see…" Sarah closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. "You know, Emily. This is what I really want to talk about…" Emily looked over at Sarah and raised her eyebrow. "When Dave died, it got me thinking, I have nobody who would take care of Sam if something happened to me. She has no grandparents, and god knows I don't trust any of her aunts and uncles to raise her properly." Sarah looked at Emily with a look of concern, sadness, and hope, and Emily mirrored her look. "You and I have known each other since middle school, maybe even elementary school, and I know you'd raise Sam well."

"Sarah, I don't think you have anything to worry about, to be honest."

"I do…I'm ill, Emily." Emily's mouth fell open and her eyes widened considerably.

"What are you talking about?"

"Emily, the doctors diagnosed me with an incurable illness. I don't know when I'm going to die, but I know that I will die at some point of time, and I do not believe it's going to be before Sam is able to live on her own."

"Sarah, you…but…" Emily wasn't sure what she could say, this was major news to her. "You don't really want to subject your daughter to my culture, do you?" Sarah chuckled lightly and looked at Sam, she always wanted what was best for her daughter.

"Actually, I do, but the one you choose has to be someone who is completely right for her. Okay?" Emily gave a slow nod and felt a tear starting to run down her cheek. "So, will you be the guardian of Sam, if something should happen to me?"

"You've got no one else…so I will gladly do that for you."

"Thank you, Emily." Sam and Freddie ran up to Sarah, Sam wanted her mom to meet her new friend. Emily continued to look at Sarah, her face had only a sad expression, she didn't want to lose her best friend. She would have to make the promise now to raise Sam up properly, but she hoped that Sarah wouldn't die too soon. "So you met a new friend, I'm so happy for you, Sam!"

"Yeah mommy, his name is Freddie!" Sam said with a joyful tone. "He says he goes to the same school that I'm going to go to! Isn't that great?" Sarah nodded and gave her daughter a hug, smiling through her tears.

"I love you, Sam. I always will, no matter what." Sam blinked and smiled too, her voice taking a soft tone.

"I love you too, Mommy." Emily gave a tiny smile at the sight, wiping a tear from her eye.

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie and Sam were now thirteen years old, and they had just started dating, but nobody knew it yet. Sam was now living with the Bensons, but in a separate room, her mom had died when she was only eleven years old. It caused her to withdraw and become a bully of sorts, but Freddie always seemed to bring out the better and softer side of her.

Over the years, Emily had always caught on to this, and it seemed that Freddie was always saying how much he liked Sam. Now that they had passed puberty and begun to date, it was time to talk to them. Freddie and Sam both knew what to expect, since they both knew Emily's culture. They knew something big was going to happen when they were thirteen, and that decision would be put into effect when they made it to the age of twenty.

Freddie knocked on Sam's bedroom door and leaned against it, knowing Sam was probably getting dressed. "Sam, I think today is the day that Mom wants to have that talk with us."

"Okay, I'm coming out soon, let me get dressed, dork!" Sam said from behind the door. Freddie laughed lightly and walked into the living room, seeing his mom sitting in a chair, smiling at him. He sat down on the couch and looked at his mom, wondering what she was going to say. "I'm coming, wait for me!" Freddie looked over as he heard Sam's door open and close. The blonde beauty then ran into the living room, circled the couch, and plopped down next to Freddie.

"It's good to see you two as energetic as you are today," Emily said while giving a small smile. Emily glanced over as a minister stepped next to her chair. "He is going to write this down. Now that you've hit thirteen, it is time to choose the mate for both of you." Sam and Freddie frowned and looked at each other, feeling as though their time of dating had just been cut short. "You will have to spend time with this person, getting to know them for the next seven years."

"Do we have to live with them?" Freddie asked while raising his eyebrow.

"Uh…" Emily wasn't sure how to answer that question, but normally the person didn't have to live with their future spouse. "Not exactly…as you know, in my family's culture, arranged marriages are natural. I try to follow my family's tradition, even here, so I have to choose the one my son will marry." Sam smirked and glanced at Sam, feeling a nice insult or tease starting to form. Emily caught this and smirked. "Now Sam, since you live under my roof, and I am your guardian…also I promised your mother, you're subject to the same thing."

"What!" Sam exclaimed. She looked at Emily and gave a defeated sigh. "Okay, but just as long as my future husband isn't a jerk or something."

"No, I would never do that. I've had to watch over both of you and do a lot of homework in order to decide who I feel is someone that you will agree is right for you. I feel pretty confident in my selection as well. Sam, Freddie, if you look to the person next to you, you will meet your new spouse."

"Huh?" Sam and Freddie both looked at each other and their eyes widened with excitement. "You mean, I'm going to marry him?"

"I'm going to marry her?" Freddie asked as he looked to his mom. Emily closed her eyes and nodded her head in reply.

"After careful research, I feel that you two are most compatible with each other."

"Can I thank you? I mean, for a minute there I thought you were going to choose someone I would really hate!"

"No, I wouldn't do that to you, dear."

"You know, I don't think anyone at school will accept it," Sam said while rubbing the back of her head. "But then, I don't really care what my friends say, because I want to be with Freddie." She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "He may be a dork and all, and I may be a bit of a bully, but I think it'll work out." Freddie smiled and glanced at the minister, he was confused because that wasn't the usual preacher at the church that they went to.

"So, who's that?" Freddie asked while pointing to the man. Emily looked over and then back to Freddie.

"That is the family minister," Emily responded. "He records every chosen marriage and whatnot. The usual pastor at our church wont do it because where he's at…they don't approve of arranged marriage. It's a family tradition, but we live in a place of intolerance pretty much, so we have to keep the arranged marriage on the down low."

"You mean we can't tell anyone that we're going to get married?"

"No, because the people know me and they know my culture…if they hear that you two are dating or getting married, then they're going to figure it out. Also, with all the gangs around here…they just can't know that you two are scheduled to be wed."

"Yeah, and if they figure out that we live under the same roof, that could be a problem," Sam said while rubbing the back of her head. "I mean, we'd be bugged eternally by everyone we know for doing inappropriate things together." Freddie nodded in response and looked over at Sam, he had a slightly sad look on his face.

"I guess we keep it a secret then, our dating." Sam frowned and nodded her head. Then she smiled and looked over at Freddie.

"Yeah, but it won't be a problem. It'll just be until the day that we can actually go public with it."

"Right." Freddie smiled and Emily let out a small cough.

"Anyway, I have something to give to each of you." Sam and Freddie looked over at Emily and saw that she had two necklaces in her lap, each of them had two small rings at the end. "You have to wear these until the day of your marriage, then the rings will be fused together and the male will be required to take it to a jeweler and find a suitable diamond to place in it."

"Oh sure, make me do all the work, mom." Freddie smirked and Sam merely laughed. Emily chuckled lightly and handed the necklaces to Freddie and Sam.

"Be sure to keep them with you at all times, it's symbolic. In reality, you don't _have_ to keep them with you at all times, but it is a nice touch if you do. If you _do_, then make sure they're hidden…people will know what those symbolize."

"I understand."

"Yeah, same here," Sam replied. She placed her necklace around her neck and pushed the small ring part into her shirt. "It symbolizes my love for Freddie…" Sam smiled and glanced over at Freddie, she couldn't get over how attracted she was to him. "Well, I may not know what love is just yet, but when I do…"

"You'll know it when you feel it," Emily said as she stood up. She glanced to the minister and gave him a brief smile. "Thank you for coming. I think you'll be checking in again, right?" The man nodded and Emily crossed her arms. "Okay then."

"Once chosen, the mates are not permitted to separate," The man said as he closed his book. "It is forbidden in our belief system."

"Personally, I don't think we'll ever have to worry about that," Freddie said while giving off a slight smile. "We just have to keep this secret from anyone we know, and anyone we meet, but that's fine. I think there's a bit of a thrill in that."

"I agree with the dork," Sam stated as she smirked. "There's a great thrill in it."

"Good…but no matter what happens, never tell the neighbors," Emily said while folding her arms over her chest. "Their father isn't around much, but he is a high influence on them, and they tell him pretty much everything. Their father is highly intolerant of my culture, I've had a few heated sessions with him, actually…" Sam and Freddie both nodded their heads in understand. Emily smiled at them and tapped her chin. "I think I'll make some lunch, it'll be done in a couple hours."

"Maybe we'll go meet the neighbors then, just to get to know them," Freddie said while looking from his mom to Sam and back.

"I suppose that would be fine. It's okay to make friends with people of course."

"Wait a minute," Sam said as she raised her eyebrow. "The neighbors are the _Shays_ aren't they?"

"Yes."

"I've met Carly back when I was eight, we're good friends." Sam glanced toward the ground and sighed, it was unfortunate that she wouldn't be telling her best friend the news. Yet, there was no other choice. "Freddie, have you met Carly yet?"

"Uh, no…she lives straight across from me and I've never even talked to her. It's odd, I guess."

"Then you have to meet her!" Sam grinned and took Freddie's hand. "We'll be back by lunchtime, Ms. Benson!" Emily smiled and nodded as the two ran off, she knew it would probably be rough on them, but she thought they could manage.

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That's the first chapter. This is going to be with the series, so I hope you like it. Bear with me since not every episode will be one chapter long. I hope you enjoyed this!

Okay, look, I shouldn't have to go and edit my first chapter, but I'm going to say: I've dealt with the anonymous people constantly belittling me because of arranged marriage, yet they never have the guts to say anything with an account for me to respond to. I've dealt with this for years. So I'm going to say this now: I don't give a shit anymore. If you have something against my story just because I used the one thing I could think of at the time that would have anything to do with secrecy, at least use an account so we can discuss it, not be a coward who hides behind an anonymous account! If you're going to do that, you may as well put up or shut up.


	2. Meeting Carly

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 2 (Meeting Carly)

Sam stepped next to Carly's door and looked to Freddie, smiling sweetly at him. He looked a bit nervous, and irritated that he actually hadn't met someone living next to him for however many years. Sam could tell he didn't seem happy about not knowing that, so she decided to tell him that Carly hadn't been living there her whole life.

"Carly lives with her older brother, as your mom said," Sam stated while looking toward the door. "She and Spencer actually just moved here about one to two months ago. Most likely, you haven't seen her yet." Freddie raised his eyebrow and glanced to the side. If Sam was her best friend, how had she not told him that she had a best friend living right across the hall from them. "I wasn't sure if you'd like her at first, and I did tell her that if she met you, she'd like you. She was getting settled in the last couple months…it's odd, she doesn't know that you and I live together. That sounds a bit weird, actually."

"Heh, well don't worry about how that sounds." Freddie had to admit, it did sound a bit weird to him as well, but it was just the living circumstances. Sam shrugged and knocked on the door. "Hey Sam, do you think people would suspect bad things if they knew we lived together?" Sam thought for a minute and bit her lip. Freddie had a point, anyone would suspect them of doing inappropriate stuff while under the same roof.

"So they, uh…they don't have to know. What they don't know won't actually hurt them."

"You would hurt them, wouldn't you…" Sam grinned and Freddie merely gave a small sigh. "I know you pretty well, then."

"Well of course you do! After all, if we're slated to be married, you and I are going to have to know each other, it's how people fall in love. I believe your mom wants us to fall in love before we actually get married."

"Love will come in time, Sam. Though I will say this, I don't know how on earth I wouldn't love you." Sam blushed and glanced at the door as it opened. Carly stood in the doorway and smiled at Sam.

"Sam! How are you?" Carly asked while giving Sam a hug.

"I'm pretty good." Carly smiled and released Sam, she glanced over and saw Freddie smiling at the two. Her mouth opened slightly and nothing came out, Sam raised her eyebrow at the sight, and Freddie didn't know what to make of it. Carly shifted her eyes up and down Freddie and he cast a nervous glance toward Sam.

"Um, who is he?" Sam's eye twitched and she looked toward Carly.

"Oh, he's just some stupid geek that I hate. He followed me out of his house…" Freddie's jaw fell and Carly raised her eyebrow. "That's right, he's a stupid geek and you should totally stay _away_ from him." Sam's tone in her voice was enough that only Freddie could tell it was a warning tone.

"So you know him?"

"Yes, and I also know that he is not your type. He's annoying, clingy, and downright obnoxious!" Carly blinked and gave Freddie a sad look, and she had thought that she might like him a little.

"That's right Carly, I'm obsessive," Freddie said in a quick voice.

"You know my name?" Sam refrained from slapping her forehead while Freddie merely tried to think of an excuse. He glanced back and pointed toward his door.

"Yep, I live right there, straight across the hall from you. I believe I heard my mom talking to your brother once, and he mentioned you as his sister." Sam was impressed, she wondered how they were going to get out of that one. Carly even appeared to buy it.

"Okay, well come on inside guys." Carly smiled and walked into her apartment. Freddie sighed and glanced over at Sam.

"What was _that_ all about? 'Stupid geek' that you hate?" Sam chuckled nervously and slowly shook her head.

"She was eyeing you like she does guys that she thinks are cute, so I panicked," Sam said in a quiet voice. "I mean, why would I want someone else liking you when you're meant for me? If she knew I didn't like you…"

"Sam, you don't have to worry about someone else liking me, I'm meant for you and you're meant for me. I will never stray from you." Sam blushed and watched as Freddie looked into the apartment. "Now let's get inside before they get worried." Sam nodded and quickly glanced inside. Making sure no one was looking, she quickly snuck a kiss on Freddie's cheek, causing him to blush. "Why did you do that?"

"Well because…I have to make you blush _too_." Freddie chuckled as the two walked into the apartment. He was sure he saw Carly somewhere before, but he didn't know where.

"Okay, so_ where_ have I seen her before?"

"She's in one of our classes, but you two haven't ever actually conversed with one another."

"Oh." Freddie and Sam sat on the couch, pondering where Carly had gone to.

"Freddie, I'm worried…if she develops a major crush on you, then I know her heart is going to be broken. I mean, she can't have you, it's not possible."

"Okay, and what is your point?" Sam let out a sigh and stared at the floor.

"It's inevitable that her heart would break if she were to like you. I know she doesn't like pushy people, so maybe…I don't know."

"She doesn't like pushy people?" Freddie rubbed his chin, trying to think of where Sam was going with this. If Carly didn't like pushy people, and he was pushy, then maybe her crush on him would go away. "What if you just told her you liked me, oh wait…you _can't_."

"Yeah, I kind of messed that one up." Sam chuckled nervously and Freddie merely let out a sigh, knowing they wouldn't be making up for that one. "Even now that she likes you, I couldn't tell her I was with you, because she would get upset over it...and I don't want to hurt anyone. Plus, it's like Ms. Benson said, we can't portray an image that we are dating or that we like each other to anyone we know…definitely not Carly's family. So, I have to make it look like I don't like you." Freddie nodded in agreement, he didn't think it'd be possible for him to pretend to dislike Sam. Plus, she was the bully.

"You know what, as hard as it'll be for me to pretend to dislike you, maybe I can try. Perhaps we can quarrel often." Sam nodded and Freddie gave her a smile, loving how cute she looked. "God knows how much I love you…" Just then, Carly walked into the living room, taking both Sam and Freddie by surprise. "CARLY!" Sam paused and her eyes widened while Carly merely gasped in shock. _"Damn it, what did I say? What did I say? Please tell me she didn't hear that."_

"I'm shocked, I don't know if I know your name," Carly said while slowly sitting in a chair. Sam placed her hand on her forehead and Freddie glanced over at her, her hand was covering her eyes, but she knew he didn't mean that.

"Uh, um, well…I'm Freddie. Freddie Benson." Sam and Freddie both were starting to think the same thing. If Carly wasn't fond of pushy people, then if he pushed liking her, then maybe the crush on her would die. Freddie wasn't sure if he would want to go through with that, because he knew it would hurt him, as well as Sam, so much if he had to do that.

"Freddie…Sam doesn't even like you." Freddie's mouth formed a thin line as he resisted the urge to deny that. Sam was doing the same thing almost, only resisting the urge to laugh. "If Sam doesn't like you, then I'm thinking of our possible relationship…wouldn't it be a burden on her?"

_"More than you can ever know."_ Freddie shrugged and crossed his arms over. "Well, does it matter what other people think about our…our…our love?" Sam shifted her eyes over and saw that Freddie was starting to lose his cool, stuttering on that last bit. She had to think of something to get him out of this spot.

"Uh, Carly, may I talk with the idiot dork for a minute?" Sam asked in the sweetest voice she could make. Freddie gulped as Carly nodded and walked up the stairs, he was sure he just offended Sam, and it hurt. "Freddie, you're a genius!" Freddie's mouth nearly fell to the floor at the statement, he had no clue how Sam could ever think he was a genius for that. "We're thinking alike aren't we? If you're pushy and obsessive, then maybe she'll not have a crush on you and…and maybe she won't have to be hurt in the end. I really, _really_ don't want to have to hurt my best friend."

"I don't want to have to hurt her, nor do I want to hurt you, Sam." Sam looked into Freddie's sad eyes and frowned, she could easily tell that he was worried about the result of that. Of course he didn't want to hurt her, a heart like his was too soft to actually do that kind of damage. "You actually think that would be a _good_ plan?"

"Well, I know you wouldn't mean it when you say you love her."

"You wouldn't be hurt?" Sam smiled softly and placed her hand on the side of his face, gazing lovingly into his eyes.

"Freddie, we're in this together, every bit of it. Sure, I'll probably be jealous at times, but at the end of the day, you and I both know who the other will be coming home to, and we both know who the other really cares for. When we're twenty, since that seems to be the traditional age for your mom and her family, my name is going to be Benson. Freddie, I promise you, I will not be entirely hurt. If you think it will hurt you too much, then we don't have to do it…"

"You know, also thinking about the fact that we have to keep it secret, they won't suspect anything if I pretend to like Carly." Sam gave a small nod and Freddie smiled back at her, happy that she was as confident in her feelings for him as he was for her. Sam wanted to kiss him, but stopped when Spencer started rushing down the stairs.

"Uh, uh, uh, get it through your head dork!" Sam shouted as she quickly gave Freddie a slap, but making sure it was soft enough that it wasn't going to hurt him. "Carly will never love you back!" Spencer stopped halfway between the stairs and the kitchen to look at the sight, he sighed and walked over toward the two as Freddie placed his hand on the area that Sam hit. She looked at him with sorrowful eyes. _"I'm so sorry, Freddie, but it had to be done."_ Freddie returned her gaze with a look of love, a look that was reserved only for her and a look that only she knew was his way of saying he loved her.

_"It's okay, it actually feels great right now. I don't care at all."_

"So, someone has a crush on my little sister?" Spencer asked while stepping behind Freddie. Freddie paled slightly and Sam frowned, of course no one had to worry about Spencer all that much. Freddie stood up and shook lightly.

"Y-Yes sir, I love your sister! I'll do anything for Sa-Carly! Carly! I'll do anything for her!" Sam placed her hand on her chest and let out a small sigh, she hoped Spencer didn't pick up on that stutter, but at least she knew Freddie's mind was on her and her only.

"Uh Freddie, don't be so pushy," Carly said as she walked into the living room. "I mean, I'm flattered that you like me…I am, but…maybe we should just be friends for now." Freddie quickly turned to Carly and gave a false love look and rushed to her side. "Uh…"

"But Carly, I love you so much, one day, you and I are going to get married!" It wasn't hard for him to say that, all he had to do was imagine Sam in place of Carly. "It's you that's meant for me, and no other!" That last line he had trouble with, but somehow he managed to choke it out. _"God just kill me now…do it!"_

"Dork, you can stop now," Sam said as she slowly stood up. "You should know by now that _she_ will _never_ love you."

"Oh yeah? Well you know what? I think you…I think…" Sam smirked and crossed her arms, Freddie merely hung his head in desperation and shame. He couldn't think of a comeback, but he didn't want to say something that would hurt her. _"I want to say you're beautiful, cute, anything to make up for what I just told Carly…"_

"Can't think of a comeback, dork?" Sam gave him a fierce look, but it only appeared fierce to the others. Her eyes told him that it was okay and that she wasn't hurt at all. "Anyway…Carly, we should discuss this business with Mrs. Brigg's head on a rhinoceros's body." Freddie raised his eyebrow and glanced at Sam, he knew she had put their teacher's head on a rhino's body, and he knew she was posting them on the school walls, but he didn't think anyone else was involved.

"Yeah, I guess I'll take the blame," Carly said while rubbing the back of her head. "But you might want to know, this one kid was calling you aggressive." Freddie's eyes widened and he felt his tempers start to flare, no one calls Sam aggressive. She's not aggressive at all.

_"Who was it!"_ Freddie thought as he slowly pushed his hands in his pocket. He knew that he had a habit of clenching his fists when angry, so he didn't want to show it. Sam cast a nervous glance toward him and then looked back to Carly.

"Who was it?" Sam asked while crossing her arms over. "I'd like to have a little talk with this person." Freddie felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Spencer glancing at him.

"Hey dude, follow me, we should talk. Also, I want you to see some of my sculptures," Spencer said in a quick voice. Freddie gulped, thinking Spencer wanted to talk to him about this crush on Carly. Sam looked over and Freddie gave her a look begging for her help, he didn't want to have any kind of talk about loving Carly when he loved Sam.

_"I didn't know he made sculptures, and Sam…Help me!"_

"Hey Spencer, if you want to turn the dork into stone, go ahead!"

"Hey! That's rude!" Freddie called back. "You got a heart of stone, woman!"

"Well you _are_ stone, so it's only my heart versus your entirety!"

"Damn!"

_"Sorry, we'll talk about it later…"_ Sam had to admit that though she said she wasn't fazed by Freddie's false love for Carly, it did hurt her somewhat. It did also hurt him, and she knew it. She would let Freddie decide which way to go, though. If he wanted to stop 'loving' Carly, then she would gladly accept that.

* * *

Okay, it seems rough for them here. Well, I hope you liked the chapter, drop a review and check the next chapter when it's updated, which should be soon.


	3. Cuddling and Plans

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 3 (Cuddling and Plans)

Freddie lay on his bed with his hands behind his head, he had been thinking about what had happened earlier. Carly seemed like a nice person, as did her brother, despite the fact that Spencer actually scared him. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh, he wanted to make up for the things that he had said, even though Sam knew he didn't mean them.

He did have a lot of things to sort out, and his feelings for Sam were definitely something. When it came to her, he had to admit that he did have a crush on her, and he was confident that it would grow into something more. Of course, they were going to get married anyway, so it didn't really matter if it did or not, but he wanted it to, and he was sure of it. They were going to fall in love with each other, no question about that.

Soon he felt his bed shake as if someone had gotten on it, but he hadn't heard his door open, so he had no way of knowing _who_ had gotten on the bed. He opened his right eye slightly to see a blur of beautiful golden hair moving toward him. He smiled softly as Sam draped an arm around his abdomen and rested her head on his chest, she felt warm to him. He exhaled slowly and tucked his arm underneath her and around her back, holding her close as they cuddled with each other. "You think your mom would allow this, _dork_," Sam asked while smiling. Freddie laughed lightly and patted Sam on the back.

"I don't think she would mind the cuddling part, actually," Freddie replied. Sam closed her eyes and squirmed as she cuddled closer to him, he was incredibly soft and warm. To him, she was equally soft and warm. There was nothing he loved more than to have her by his side. "You know what, Sam? I could definitely grow used to this." Sam smirked and lifted her head, placing her chin on his chest as she looked at him. He smiled back at her and felt the urge to kiss her running rampant through his body.

"So, what did you think of Carly? Do you like her, as like a friend, I mean." Freddie chuckled and nodded his head.

"I like any friend of yours, depending on the person."

"Oh?" Sam's lips curled upwards as she laughed at the statement. "So what did you think of her?" Freddie rubbed Sam's back a little and kept his soft smile on his face.

"She was nice, I think we might be good friends one day, but it might be a bad idea for her to come inside my apartment."

"Gee, you think?" Freddie smirked and Sam rested her head back on his chest. They knew if Carly ever came into the apartment, it would be obvious that Sam lived there. "I'm sorry about what happened back there, though…none of the harsh words I said to or about you were any words that I meant, I hope you realize that." Freddie shrugged his shoulders gently rubbed a finger on Sam's neck, hitting a certain spot on the side that always tickled her and sent shivers down her spine. She shuddered with pleasure and let out a soft sigh, causing Freddie to smirk with delight. "Nice one there, Freddie…"

"Only I know how to find that spot." Sam chuckled and rubbed her hand in circles on Freddie's abdomen. "Don't worry about what you said, Sam. I know you didn't mean them, and I hope you know that I didn't mean any harsh words I spoke, or any words of…you know what…toward Carly. What I _didn't_ know was that Spencer was a sculptor and is very crazy. I think you forgot to warn me about that one." Sam smirked and glanced toward Freddie.

"Oh? Did I really forget to mention that part?" Freddie then took the moment to blink and think on what Sam had just said, he laughed lightly and slowly shook his head.

"You are one tricky little girl, I hope you know that."

"I take great pride in that!"

"I know, and that's one of the many things that I…" He had to wonder if it was the right time to mention the word 'love' or not, because he wasn't sure if she felt love yet. "One of the many things I adore about you, Sam."

"Aw, and I adore a lot about you, especially that one little spot on the top of your arm where the indent for that elbow is…you're very ticklish."

"Oh? I'd say that's more you." Sam's eyes widened as Freddie smirked.

"Don't do it."

"Oh I'm doing it!"

"Freddie…" Freddie placed his finger on the indent in her arm and started rubbing quickly, causing Sam to start laughing. "Freddie!" He now had her laughing uncontrollably, fond to see her actually ticklish. "Damn, how do you know all my spots?"

"Oh, well it's not hard to figure out." Freddie smirked as he placed his arm around her waist; she merely raised her eyebrow and stared at him. "A magician never reveals his secrets."

"You're no magician…"

"I _could_ be one, you never know!" Sam laughed and gave Freddie a quick kiss on the cheek. She then rested her head back on his chest, letting him place his chin on the bed of golden hair. "So Sam, you're actually letting Carly take the blame for those flyers on the walls?"

"I had too, Mrs. Briggs would have me expelled if she figured out that I did that." Freddie chuckled and gently kissed the top of her head, causing her to blush.

"You know, I'm sure Carly's going to tell you this, but you don't have to do bad things. As much as I would love having you here all day, I would miss seeing you at school."

"Yeah, I understand, and I'll try to be nicer. Though that one kid, Gibby, I don't know about him…"

"He's the one that made fun of you back in third and fourth grade, right?" Sam nodded her head in response and Freddie softly exhaled, smiling at her. "Then if you want to pick on him, I say go for it. Though, if anyone insults you, do you think I could give a little something?"

"Nah, people might think we're together, but then, it probably doesn't matter all that much. I would love that you want to defend me, but I think I can defend myself unless something really bad happens. This person that called me aggressive, as Carly said, I'll have a talk with him. You don't have to worry about a thing, just keep pretending to like Carly, unless you don't want to." Freddie gave a slight shrug and lifted his hand to Sam's arm, rubbing it gently.

"I think you'll have to be the first one to make that call. All I'm going to do is pretend to like her, and if you tell me to do otherwise, I'll do it. Assuming it's a good thing, that is."

"Aw, does that mean you won't be my little criminal sidekick?" Freddie laughed and kissed the top of her head again.

"Depends, I don't think I'd want to smash Mrs. Briggs's car with eggshells."

"Ooh! That's a good idea, why didn't I think of that!"

"You are a _bad, bad_ girl." Sam smirked and quickly positioned herself on top of Freddie, looking into his eyes. He was smirking back at her with equal intensity.

"Why thank you, Freddie. I'm going to take it as a compliment!" Freddie held his smirk and placed his hands on her waist.

"I meant it as one. You're so bad, I'm surprised Mom actually lets you live here."

"Nice. You're too goody, that I'm shocked your mom isn't actually insane." Sam blinked for a moment and chuckled briefly. "Wait, that might be a good thing if she was."

"Maybe we'll have to talk to her about that. You know, if she's extra pushy and crazy, she can also help to make it look like my family life is too weird and Carly could lose her crush on me."

"Yeah, you have a good point. I have to say, that's a great brain you have there."

"Do you want to kiss it?" Sam tilted her head and puckered her lips.

"Aw, the dork wants me to kiss him." Freddie smirked and pierced her with his gaze.

"Well if you want to, but I should warn you, I may kiss you first." Sam laughed and lowered her body onto his, gently kissing his forehead.

"No, I think I'll have first kiss on your head." Of course, they hadn't yet experienced their first actual kiss. They knew the kissing on the lips would be for a special time, and they figured it would come in time. "Let's keep our first kiss sacred, though." Freddie nodded in agreement and watched as Sam rolled off of him and lay next to him. "That was great, Freddie. You know, those little heated debates we had, did you get a thrill from them?"

"You felt that too?"

"So you thought they were? It felt like we were playing a game almost."

"Yeah…it was like a game where we could have our 'us' time while in the midst of people who we know. Plus, it's fun to see who can make the best comeback and so forth."

"Yeah, and I totally won." Sam snickered and Freddie rolled his eyes while smiling at her. He quickly flipped over and positioned himself on top of her, causing her to gasp as she gazed up into his eyes. She held her mouth open slightly and started to feel the heat rising in her body. "Wow…I guess you win in some matters, Freddie, like managing to take my breath away." Freddie smirked and lowered himself, gently kissing her forehead. He then lifted himself up slightly and continued to gaze into her eyes.

"I would be willing to say that you are the one that takes my breath away."

"I do hope you two don't get any further than that on that bed," A voice said. Sam quickly pushed Freddie off of him and they looked over to see Emily leaning against the wall, her arms were crossed and a smirk was on her face. Both teens chuckled nervously and got off of the bed.

"We weren't doing anything, Ms. Benson," Sam said while blushing lightly.

"Yeah, we know our limits," Freddie said as he nodded. Emily smiled and walked toward Sam and Freddie.

"I know that, I'm just messing with you after all. Odd, you didn't hear me come in a while back, but I guess you were too wrapped up in what you were doing to notice." Emily smirked and both Sam and Freddie began to blush deeper. "I came to say that lunch was ready. By the way, I heard what you said earlier, about wanting me to act crazier."

"Uh, well…" Emily smiled and knelt down to their level, looking them directly in the eyes.

"I think I can manage to do that, if it is what you guys want. I'm sure I can act as crazy as possible."

"Well, overprotective works." Emily chuckled and rubbed Freddie's head, causing him to groan slightly. "Aw, mom…not while Sam is here!"

"She's always here, Freddie, what am I to do since she lives here?"

"Oh…" Sam and Emily both laughed as Emily slowly stood up.

"I can do overprotective. Do you want me overprotective of one of you, or both of you?"

"How about just me, and we spare Sam?"

"I can worry about myself, dork," Sam said while playfully hitting his shoulder. Emily smiled and folded her arms across her chest.

"Okay then, I'll be overprotective of Freddie. Besides, I don't think that should be too hard. Freddie, let's get you a bib and a towel to place on you so you don't spill any food on your new clothes! Whoo!" Emily jumped lightly and laughed as she walked out of the bedroom. "Come on, you two, lunch is served!"

"Sam, I'm scared," Freddie stated in a quiet voice.

"I think that's acceptable," Sam responded. "Oh Freddie, what do you think about me spending the night at Carly's every so often?"

"Why do that?"

"Well, that way, there's less chance that she's going to figure out that you and I live together."

"Oh, well that seems like a good idea. Don't make it _too_ often, because I'll miss you." Sam smiled as Freddie placed his hand around her waist, she rested her head on his shoulder and sighed as they started walking.

"Never…I wouldn't want you to miss me _too_ much." Freddie laughed and the couple made their way into the kitchen to see what Emily had made for them.

* * *

Well, I hope you liked this chapter. We see a few plans being made, so that's nice. Keep in mind that though this follows the series, it won't be so many chapters per episode. Only the first episodes will have many chapters. There will be chapters based in between episodes too. Trust me though, you're going to enjoy this.


	4. A Torrid Relationship

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 4 (A Torrid Relationship)

Freddie made it home before Sam, as usual, Sam was usually either being bothered by Briggs at the end of the day or doing something else. He knew she would be a little late after school on that day because she was going to wait until Carly took the blame for Mrs. Briggs's head on the rhino. He had to admit, it was hilarious.

"Freddie!" Sam called as she entered the apartment building. Freddie quickly bounded out of his room, thinking that Sam was upset about something. He made his way into the living room and found Sam sitting on the couch, he sat down next to Sam and she looked over at him. "Freddie, you think I'm a loveable person, don't you?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulders, pulling her close to him.

"Of course I do, now who would tell you otherwise?"

"Carly got mad about taking the blame for rhino-Briggs." Freddie chuckled at the name, that was something that he and Sam both liked to call the teacher behind her back. "She yelled at me, it doesn't bother me much, but she said anyone other than her would punch me in the face. I don't like it when people pull my hair, either."

"I would never hit you in the face or pull your hair, Sam."

"I know, and I'm glad for that." Sam blinked and stared at the door. "Carly has to host the auditions for the talent show now, and apparently I'm going to be helping her." Freddie chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh well, it should be fun, right?" Sam shot him a look and narrowed her eyes, causing him to chuckle nervously. "Then again, maybe it's going to be boring as hell."

"Yeah, most likely." Sam looked toward the front door and gave another sigh. "Carly was talking about you earlier today, she said she was still considering the possibility of asking you out. Of course, she did say that she was also annoyed by your pushiness." Freddie smirked and raised his eyebrow, he saw that as instant success. "Carly should be getting home soon. She's probably going to need a camcorder to tape the auditions…"

"I'm on it." Sam raised her eyebrow as Freddie kissed her forehead and moved toward the door. He glanced out the peephole and saw Carly walking toward the door. "She's at her door, is there anything you think I can do?"

"I don't know, is there really any opportunity to be pushy?"

"She's got a water bottle, and it looks like it's about to fall."

"If she drops it, go out and get it for her. If she doesn't drop it, don't bother with her."

"Okay." Freddie gave Sam a questioning look, wondering if Sam didn't want him to bother with Carly at all. At her word, he would instantly leave and go to her aid rather than deal with Carly. "Sam, are you sure?"

"Freddie, I love how you're concerned with how I feel, and I assure you, I'm going to be okay." Freddie nodded and sighed as he glanced out the peephole. Carly was trying to get something from her purse and dropped the water bottle. He took a deep breath and opened the door, tripping slightly as he ran by Carly, picked up her water bottle and held it up to her. Sam couldn't help but chuckle at the sight and be thankful she wasn't in view.

"You dropped this!" Carly's eyes were wide with slight shock and bewilderment. She sighed and gave Freddie a small smile as she took the bottle from him.

"Um thanks I…"

"I was going to walk you home from school, but I couldn't find you! Hey!" Freddie waved and continued trying to hold his breath, feeling very sick at the moment. Sam had positioned her back against the wall and was listening in, she snickered at the way Freddie was talking, knowing it was all an act. Carly sighed once more and gave a small chuckle.

"Freddie, were you looking out your peephole waiting for me to come home from school?" Freddie gave a strange laugh, one that didn't sound as manly as he would laugh for Sam. The manly laugh was strictly reserved for her.

"No!" Carly sighed and shifted her eyes to the side.

"Freddie…" Sam laughed as she heard Freddie fake a defeated tone, one that appeared believable to Carly.

"Yes." Well, it wasn't exactly a lie, but he hadn't been waiting for her to come home the entire time, it was Sam that he had been waiting for. Though he wouldn't look out of the peephole for her, he just had to wait for her beautiful scent to flow through the air and for her soft and harmonious voice to carry into his ears. She was all he needed and all he wanted, he didn't care about all the girls he had crushes on in the past, he wanted Sam.

"Freddie, we should talk about this. We can be buds, but you have to get over this crush thing."

_"Isn't that you that we're trying to fix?"_ Freddie brought his hands up and inhaled sharply, then exhaling. "I _am_ over it. I'm…"

_"Come on Freddie, just say, I know it hurts," _Sam thought while closing her eyes and pressing her lips together.

"I'm in love with you and you want to be friends, and I'm totally cool living with that constant pain." Freddie was nearly to the point of tears, he couldn't stand lying like this to Carly and talking like this when he had Sam, and Sam was right behind him._ "Okay, that's it, when I'm done here, I'm taking Sam to a nice diner and we're going to have a perfect and romantic date! Roses, candlelight, the whole shindig!"_

"Oh god," Carly responded while shaking her head and turning toward the door. It seemed like the plan to annoy her was working, so maybe Freddie wouldn't have to keep this up. The only way they'd have to keep this up was if the plan seemed to be _failing_. Freddie sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I heard you needed a camcorder to tape some auditions."

"It's okay, I'll just use my brother's." Freddie smiled and reached for his cell phone in his pocket.

"Well if you need mine, I think you know my number. You probably wouldn't."

"No, I asked Sam, she gave it to me." Freddie raised his eyebrow as Carly glanced at his phone. "Nice looking cell phone there." In one more act of desperation to scare her away, he made a fake desperate look on his face.

"You can have it!" Carly shuddered and quickly entered her door, not seeing the smirk that now graced Freddie's face. Freddie sighed and walked into his apartment, turning his head and looking toward Sam. "I think the crush she has will go away soon. I hope so."

"Freddie," Sam whispered. Freddie raised his eyebrow as Sam stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She buried her face into his chest. Bewildered, he lifted his hands and placed them on her back, holding her close. "Am I a bad person? I mean for doing this to Carly, for doing this to _you_."

"No Sam, you're not a bad person at all. You're a wonderful, beautiful person, and I don't think you're anything less than an angel. At least I can promise you that those words are meant for you, and only you. I don't want Carly to develop a crush on me as much as you don't, so don't feel guilty, this is the only way we can get her to forget me without breaking her heart, right?"

"Yeah, but it's hard sometimes. I don't want to crush her, but at the same time, I know her crush for you is growing."

"What makes you say this?" Sam sighed and looked into Freddie's eyes.

"When we talked earlier, she was telling me all about this love at first sight stuff, and that she thought she was falling for you. I had to listen to her say all of this, and I honestly felt jealous."

"You don't need to feel jealous, Sam. You have me here beside you, Carly doesn't."

"I know…so, can I ask you a question?"

"Anything, Sam, ask me whatever your heart desires." Sam chuckled lightly and felt a blush forming at her cheek, Freddie did have his way with words.

"Will you help us out at the auditions? You know, bring your best equipment. You know, the camcorder, the white balance, and everything else that you have." Freddie didn't even need to hesitate, he would be there for her.

"Yes." Sam smiled and hugged Freddie once more, thankful for him.

"Thanks."

-NEW SCENE-

Sam knew Freddie loved technical things, it was his greatest field of expertise. She was pretty good at tech stuff as well, but she chose not to show it that often. She knew Freddie would be great help at the audition, so she wanted him to be there. Not only that, he probably wouldn't go unless he brought his equipment with him. Whenever she thought about it, she loved his equipment. What she didn't like was the fact that she couldn't get in the school. She was talking to Carly on the cell phone and trying to figure a way inside.

"I told you, the doors would be locked," Carly said as she walked into the audition room. "You have to go around and-" Carly looked over and saw Freddie with his equipment, apparently he got in. He wanted to help Sam find her way in, but Carly had called her first. "Oh my god!" Freddie glanced up and smirked.

"Morning, Carly!" Freddie said in a faux thrilled voice.

"Uh, see you in a sec, Sam." Carly hung up her phone and stared at Freddie in shock.

"What do you think of my equipment?" Freddie blinked for a second and chuckled to himself. _"One day, I'm going to use that line on Sam and make it sound like a flirt. I wonder how she'd react to that, since we do flirt often enough." _Carly looked flustered as she shifted her eyes across the tech stuff, she gestured and looked at Freddie with slight anxiety.

"Freddie, what is all this?" Freddie was glad to tell her, this wasn't a moment of being impressive or anything, this was just his love for tech stuff coming out. In short, he was showing off.

"Well, that is a three chip high-def camcorder with a hypercardioid condenser microphone mounted on a carbon-fiber tripod with a low drag fluid head." Carly actually seemed both bored and impressed, surprised at his knowledge. Freddie winced when he realized that she was most likely impressed, and that would further her crush on him. "I also brought a juice and a bagel." He wanted to say that was for Sam, and to make sure she wouldn't eat it. Sam actually told him that she probably wouldn't eat it if he said he brought it for her and acted desperate about it, so that's what he did.

Carly smiled and looked ready to take the tray, but Sam walked in at that moment and stared at Freddie while talking to Carly. "Hey, you invited the doof!" Even though it was she that invited her.

"Sam," Carly said while letting out a small sigh. Freddie put down the tray and looked at Sam, catching her intense glare. He smirked lightly and returned the glare back to her, all an act and part of their game which appeared to have just begun.

"Aw man, I didn't know _that_ was going to be here!" Freddie stated. Carly sighed and started to rub her forehead as Sam glared back at Freddie.

"_She_, I'm a she, Freddie-as in 'girl.'" Sam smiled at Freddie and he rolled his eyes.

"Barely…" Sam laughed and mocked his response with a fake scared tone.

"Ooh, good one dork." Freddie grunted and stared at Sam.

"Just keep your hands _off_ my AV equipment!" Sam laughed and thought of how great of an innuendo she could make out of that one. She shifted her eyes downward and Freddie caught where her eyes were going.

"Aw, you mean I can't play with the white balance on your camcorder?"

"Oh sure, everybody jokes about the white balance until their skin tones go magenta!" Sam nearly laughed at the statement and glanced into his eyes. She and Freddie both glanced at Carly before Sam cleared her throat and stepped toward Freddie, delivering her final comeback in the game.

"Carly will never love you." Freddie pretended to grow angry and he turned toward his equipment.

"That's it! I'm taking my stuff and going home!" Sam knew he wasn't really angry, because he never grew angry that easily. In fact, she had seen his anger one time. It wasn't directed toward her, but at Gibby several years ago, when they were in third grade and Gibby shoved her toward the ground and laughed at her because she didn't have a father. Freddie became angry with Gibby and started shouting at him for hurting Sam, his anger scared not only Gibby, but even herself. It was then that she asked him never to become angry again, and he told her he would do his best not to scare her by becoming angry. If she ever had to be hurt again by someone, there was no doubt in her mind that Freddie would stand up for her, but he would still try his best to remain calm. Sam looked at Freddie as he grabbed his stuff, she was about to say something when Carly stepped in.

"Please stay." Sam rolled her eyes and Freddie set the equipment down, wishing that Sam had been the one to ask him to stay. He wasn't really going to leave, but it would have been a nice touch. From his perspective, it looked like Sam was about to ask him to stay, anyway, but she didn't get the chance.

"Okay." Carly seemed satisfied, she thought she had an effect on him. She made a mental note of this and decided that Freddie would cave in if she gave him a sweet look and asked him in a sweet tone to do something. What she didn't know, was that only worked for Sam. Freddie groaned lightly and started working with his equipment. "Let's just get started, shall we?" Carly nodded and walked over to the stage, hoping to check on the microphone. While she was wrapped up, Sam took the opportunity to walk over to Freddie and talk to him.

"Okay, so that was a bit much, probably," Sam said in a quiet voice. "Was it just me, or did she seem impressed by something when I came in?"

"It wasn't just you. You know how I get when I talk about technical stuff, right?" Sam's face dropped and Freddie nodded his head.

"Oh no…" He sighed and flipped a switch on the camera while glancing at Carly then over to Sam.

"Yeah, she asked and I started telling her about the equipment. I think she was impressed. Personally, I'd rather impress you with my equipment." Freddie smirked and Sam gave a slight chuckle.

"How long have you been holding that one in?"

"A long time." Sam laughed and quickly covered her mouth, glancing over at Carly with wide eyes. Carly was still working with the microphone and hadn't noticed anything. "Careful there, Angel, we don't want to blow our cover."

"Angel?" Sam looked over at Freddie and smiled at the nickname that Freddie had bestowed upon her. "So, I'm your angel?" Freddie smiled as Sam started to cuddle next to him and rub her body with his.

"You're my special angel, that's what you are." Sam squealed with joy and quickly glanced over at Carly.

"You don't know how much I want to kiss you right now, but with Carly here…" Freddie smirked and stared into Sam's eyes as she looked to him.

"We can save that one for later. It looks like people are coming." Freddie pointed to the door as the talent show auditions entered. No one was watching, so Freddie quickly and gently placed his hand on Sam's abdomen and pressed her back against his chest. "I hope this makes up for just a little bit ago, Sam."

"Huh? Feeling guilty for our little game, or that you know you lost?" Sam smirked and felt Freddie breath a soft breath on her neck, causing goosebumps to form.

"I think I actually won that, to be honest." Sam couldn't stand it, his breath on her neck, his soft voice ringing in her ear, she didn't know how long this torrid moment would last.

"Oh god...What are you thinking with all these people here?" Sam could feel the heat rising in her body as she quickly glanced over at the other people, hoping they were not looking. Freddie was eyeing them as well.

"I'm thinking that since the only one we have to hide from in this room is Carly, then what does it hurt when she's not looking?"

"Maybe…" The people who were going to perform were all talking amongst themselves and not looking, fortunately Sam and Freddie were in the back a bit. Carly was still fiddling with the microphone. "Yeah, she's not looking." Sam took a deep breath and felt Freddie's breath hit her once more, but it was closer. "Freddie?" He gently kissed Sam in the lower, special portion of her neck, causing chills to run down her spine. "Oooh, that feels _so_ good." Sam closed her eyes and felt a slight moan escape her lips. "Okay! Okay, that's enough, before people look over here." Freddie nodded and released Sam. She looked back at him with a look of longing, still she wanted more of his touch.

"Hey you guys, if you're done fighting over there, we need to get started!" Carly said as she stepped away from the microphone. Both Freddie and Sam resisted the urge to laugh. They were glad nothing had been seen. Freddie gazed into Sam's eyes with his stern and narrow eyes, he flashed her a smirk, causing her to start becoming weak in the legs.

"I guess we should go, Carly's waiting for us," Freddie stated as he picked up his equipment. "Help me move this stuff closer."

"Okay Freddie," Sam replied. She couldn't get what just happened out of her head, and she didn't want to. It was a special and impassioned moment, one that came and one of many that would come and be a memory she would cherish.

* * *

**Alert:** For those of you that don't know, the word "Torrid" means "parched with heat" or Impassioned. Impassioned obviously means "filled with passion." I feel I must let you know, timeflow is going to go fast in this story. Not in the sense that I'll skip many months at once, though I may have to do that later on...Yet, I'm getting them to the age I want them to be at. I also think they're sixteen in the second season, since you have to be 16 to work. I may not do anything with the second season episodes, though. I hope you liked this chapter.

I also want to let you know that Sam and Freddie NEVER do any inappropriate "bedroom acts" as they say. I won't do that, the most they do is kissing, and someone gets a hickey in a far later chapter. Yes, I already have a lot of chapters written on this.


	5. iCarly is Born

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 5 (iCarly is Born)

After the auditions, Sam and Freddie made their way to their apartment. Whenever Sam passed Carly's door, she had to make sure that no one saw her enter into the place, or else questions might be raised. Sam quietly entered and found Freddie waiting for her, she smiled and closed the door behind her. He was smirking at her, again. He had to know the effect that had on her, it always took her breath away.

"Hey Sam," Freddie said as he walked over to her. "The auditions were interesting. I swear, the only thing interesting were you and Carly." Carly chuckled and placed her hands behind her, pressing her palms against the door as Freddie stepped close to her, gazing into her eyes. Sam took a deep breath and closed her eyes, she swore she could feel his breath on her face. "Of course, that one blonde girl was smoking." Sam raised her eyebrow and stared at Freddie.

"Which blonde girl was that?" Freddie held his smirk and shrugged.

"Oh I don't know, the hot blonde." Sam's mouth opened slightly and she chuckled as she narrowed her eyes.

"Freddie Benson, I hope you're not talking about the pogo stick girl!" Freddie smirked and placed a hand on Sam's waist as he moved his face close to Sam's, breathing onto her. She closed her eyes and sighed as she felt his cool breath hitting her face.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. I'm just talking about the blonde that I thought looked more beautiful than any other creature in the room. Personally, I mean the one that happens to be the most stunning thing I've ever seen in my life."

"Keep talking."

"I'm talking about the girl that takes my breath away. She's got those fascinating curls with the hint of beautiful gold, and the most stunning blue eyes I've ever seen."

"I see. I don't remember pogo stick girl having these golden curls that you speak of."

"Oh, you don't remember that? Hmm, and I thought she did. I guess I was wrong, it's you that has these wonderful curls." Freddie lifted his hand up behind Sam's back and in between the back of her neck and her hair. He gently took a few strands of her hair in between his index finger and his thumb, then slowly slid his fingers down her hair while gazing into her eyes. "Oh yeah, that's definitely the golden curls that I was seeing." Sam felt her heart start to quicken its beating, she knew she didn't want this moment to end. It always seemed like this with Freddie, he always had this natural romantic way of acting.

"I swear, where did you learn how to be so…so…romantic? I guess that's the word I'm searching for."

"My father was a romantic, my father's parents were romantic people, and the generation line keeps going. I guess it comes natural to me. I can be romantic when I want to be, and whenever I'm around you…I want to be." Sam chuckled nervously and felt beads of sweat starting to form at her temples. She wanted to kiss him, she wanted him to kiss her, but she knew it wasn't the right time. "Anyway…" Freddie stepped back and sighed. "I posted that video up like you guys wanted me to, and I made sure to edit out anything that involved you guys."

"Okay, well that's good." Sam stepped past Freddie and walked into the kitchen, he followed close behind. Sam opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. "You want one?"

"Oh, no thanks." Freddie grabbed a peach from the fruit basket on the counter and bit into it. Sam unscrewed the cap on the bottle and started drinking it, Freddie couldn't help but to watch her as she drank the liquid. "Hey Sam, don't you have to be at Carly's soon?"

"Aw, that eager to be rid of me, dork?" Freddie laughed lightly and took another bite of the peach.

"No, I'm just making sure you're not late or suspicious to Carly. After all, we don't want her to learn of who is romancing you behind the scenes, right?" Sam chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. She knew he had a point, if she knew, then Carly was going to feel betrayed by Sam. Not only that, she might talk to her father, and then who knows what would happen. She might be torn away from Freddie. Sam's eyes widened at the thought and she quickly shrugged it off.

"Yeah, I better get moving. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Dork boy."

"You know how much I love when you call me that…"

"That's why I do it." Sam smiled and walked past Freddie, heading for the door. She stepped out and took one long step across the hall. "One small step for Sam, and one large leap for…Sam-kind!" Sam lifted her hand and knocked on the door. She took another sip of her water bottle and looked over as Carly's door opened.

"Sam! I thought you'd never show!" Carly said as she hugged her friend.

"Yeah, I thought I'd show up fashionably late as usual." Sam walked past Carly and sat on the couch, missing Carly's confused look.

"Why do you look all heated up and stuff? Not only that, but you smell like cologne." Sam chuckled and shrugged.

"No reason…" She placed the bottle of water on the table and leaned back on the couch. _"Am I still blushing from Freddie? Cologne…oh yeah, Freddie was wearing cologne."_ Sam closed her eyes and inhaled, remembering the scent. "Oh you know, it was just another one of Mom's boyfriends that she had over."

"Oh, well that explains why it would be all over _you_." Sam raised her eyebrow and shrugged once more.

"It got all over my mom, she tried to hug me, and then it got all over me." Carly sighed and sat next to Sam, she leaned back and placed a blanket over her legs. "Sam, how come you never told me about your dad?"

"I'd rather not talk about him."

"Oh, sorry…" Freddie was the only one that knew anything about her father, and she intended to keep it that way. It was always a hard subject to bring up, and she never cared to bring it up with anyone. Of course, she had never told Carly that she lived with Ms. Benson, and now she wasn't going to be doing that. So, she had a fake mom.

"Yeah, well it beats the mother that Freddie's got. His mom is just plain psycho."

"Really? I haven't met her yet. I bet she's a great mother. I mean she would have to be, especially if he's as smart as he is." Sam nearly choked and looked over at Carly, she had an almost dazed look in her eyes.

"Hey, you're not falling for him are you? I mean…he's…he's like a dork! He's horrible and, icky."

"I know that's what you think, but at the same time…well I don't know. I mean, he is pushy and all, that's definitely not a plus. It is actually annoying."

"Well keep that in mind, then." Sam turned on the television and Carly just stared at Sam with her mouth open.

"You don't want me to date him, do you?"

"Huh?"

"You hate him so much that you don't want me to be happy?" Sam blinked and continued to stare at the television, trying to think of a way to change the subject.

"It's not that, Carly. You know I'm just looking out for you, you'll be hurt." It wasn't a lie, Carly would be hurt.

"Well you better not be dating him or something." Sam paused and started to laugh hysterically, Carly just stared back at her with wide eyes.

"I'm not dating that thing, don't even _think_ that." Sam glared at Carly, quickly silencing the girl. "Don't try to make threats with me, either."

"O-Okay, well I'm sorry, and I wasn't threatening…let's just watch the show!"

"Fine by me." As they watched the television, both girls stated to fall asleep. In Sam's mind was a scary sight to see. It involved Freddie and Sam being chased down by a mob of people that didn't want them together, Carly and her family were leading the mob. They had torches, tridents, and various weapons with them. _"Freddie, where do we go? Where do we hide?"_ Freddie was standing strong and firm, determined to protect her and make it alive. Just when things seemed to be getting good, Freddie had been shot in the leg. _"No! Freddie!"_ She wrapped her arms around him and he wrapped his arms around her, protecting her as bullets started to enter his body.

_"I love you, Sam."_ Just then, hands grabbed onto them and began pulling, tearing them apart. _"SAM!"_ Freddie and Sam both extended their arms and Sam screamed out his name as he vanished into the darkness. Soon, she was alone and terrified. Soon a strange scent entered her nostrils, it was a scent that she was not familiar with. She opened her eyes and found Carly's foot in her face, apparently the girl was trying to wake her up. She yawned as she sat up and Carly leaned forward.

"What time is it?" Sam asked.

"Late, what time is your mom picking me up?"

"She's not, I told her you invited me to sleep over." Carly chuckled and glanced over.

"I didn't invite you."

"Oh, well I think you should invite me, because I'm not leaving." Carly chuckled and walked over to the computer, probably to check if Freddie uploaded the video onto the site. Sam stood up and started to stretch, stopping when Carly let out a scream. "What happened? Freddie uploaded the videos didn't he?"

"No, he uploaded us!" Sam's eyes widened and she quickly rushed over and looked at the screen. It was true, Freddie accidently uploaded the girls instead of the real videos.

"Stupid!" Sam glanced at the bottom of the screen and noticed that thousands of people saw the photos. _"Oh no, that's not good. We even made fun of Mrs. Briggs…I need to get Freddie!"_ Sam quickly rushed out of the apartment and into Freddie's, ignoring the fact that he was probably asleep. She made her way to his bedroom and flung the covers off of him, she grabbed his legs and started dragging him out of the bed.

"Sam! What are you doing!" Freddie exclaimed.

"No time, but Carly thinks I hate you, so start screaming." Freddie sighed and began screaming as Sam dragged him out of the room. "Oh god, I'm so sorry for this…" Freddie stopped screaming for a minute and smiled softly at Sam.

"Don't worry too much about it, but let's not make a habit out of this, I'd like to keep my vocal chords intact." Sam chuckled lightly and continued pulling as Freddie screamed out. Soon they made it to Carly's apartment and Freddie quickly stood up. "What is the matter with you!"

"You uploaded _us_ into the computer!"

"What?!" Freddie's eyes widened as he quickly rushed to the computer. "I edited you guys out, that can't be right." Freddie typed and found the videos, he stared at the screen in shock as Sam and Carly appeared. "Crap…"

"So take it off!" Carly exclaimed.

"Relax, I'm working on it…" Freddie started typing again and inputted his password, deleting the video. "Uh, it says the video will be deleted…by tomorrow morning."

"What! Oh god, I can't believe this! This is embarrassing!" Sam had to agree, she'd never been online before in a video, and was sort of afraid of being seen by thousands of viewers.

"Relax…um, why don't we see what people are saying about you."

"Like there's going to be anything good there." Freddie shrugged and read some of the comments.

"Let's see…Carly and Sam, you guys are hilarious!"

"Oh sure, there's just one."

"Carly, you're hot." Freddie rolled his eyes and wondered if anyone thought Sam was. Then again, he didn't want anyone else calling her hot. Even if it was true, it would most likely cause him to flare up with jealousy. "It's true." That was actually the rest of the comment, but Carly thought it was Freddie talking to her.

-NEW SCENE-

Monday came around and Freddie could hear Carly ranting with Sam as she stormed down the hall. He sighed and walked toward the door, glancing through the peephole, it was there he saw Sam go into Carly's door. The girls seemed upset, so he thought he'd go ahead and try to make them feel better in any way he could. If only Carly wasn't there, he could make Sam feel perfect, but that would have to wait until later. He exited the apartment and knocked on Carly's door, hearing her shout about someone being what was wrong with the world.

"Who's what's wrong with the world?" Freddie asked while looking at Carly. He glanced over and spotted Sam cutting up some ham, he smirked and started to make his way toward the ravishing beauty.

"Mrs. Briggs is!" Carly shouted out.

"Oh, yeah I'll agree with that." Sam looked at him and gave him a tiny smile as she continued cutting up the ham. Freddie watched her as Carly went on to rant about Mrs. Briggs and how the teacher wouldn't let any of the kids audition. Sam's eyes met Freddie's gaze as he smirked and quickly snuck a piece of ham away. He loved ham as much as she did.

"Why do they always put the bone in the middle of the ham?" Sam asked as she continued to cut it. Freddie couldn't help but to smile as he stood up straight. Then Carly suggested something that caught Sam's attention, and soon his. She was talking about how the kids liked the videos that were posted, and suggested giving them more of the videos.

"More?" Freddie asked while raising his eyebrow.

"Okay, what are we talking about?"

"A webshow," Carly said in an excited voice. "We'll do funny stunts where people can say and do what they want, and we'll put up a new video each week!" Sam froze slightly and soon went back to her ham, she couldn't imagine herself being put online for the world to see. Freddie slightly liked the idea, but he did have some trouble with it. After all, who knew what sick and vile creature would be watching and seeing Sam, and who knew what that sick and vile creature would do when watching the girls. But then, several people put their stuff online, and it was safe for them, so perhaps it could be safe for Sam and Carly.

"What's this going to be about?" Freddie asked as he raised his eyebrow. _"As long as it doesn't put Sam in any danger, but I'll protect her if danger should come."_

"Wouldn't it have to work?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I mean you'd have to prepare for it of course."

"Then you can do the work and I'll just show up and be your amusing little sidekick." Freddie nodded and glanced to the side, that worked for him.

"Cool, and for the first show…kids with great talents."

"Oh nice, say yes to what Mrs. Briggs says no to. Very clever."

"Yeah, clever," Freddie said while glancing at the ham. He thought for a minute of shifting the attention away from Sam, if people didn't focus on her, then people wouldn't try to do anything and she would be a little safer from online dangers. "Why don't you call the show iCarly?" Carly and Sam both looked at him, wondering what he was thinking about. "You know, I for Internet and Carly for…you. The main person of the webshow?" Sam smiled and nodded her head, she was fond of the idea, since her name wouldn't be posted online. Though she did worry about Carly's name being there.

"I like it…"

"You know, you're going to need a tech producer. Someone who knows how to work the lights, equipment, audio…" Sam smiled at him and lifted her eyes upwards, she knew he wanted to be there. Not only that, she wanted him there anyway.

"Aw, Freddie wants to be our geek." Sam looked to Freddie and met his gaze, he narrowed his eyes and flashed a quick smirk, causing Sam to have to keep herself from fainting. The game was afoot.

"You've got a big mouth, lady!" Sam smirked and pointed toward him.

"Is that a new shirt? I don't like it." It was funny, because she was the one who requested him to wear it. Sam stuck a piece of ham in her mouth, awaiting Freddie's comeback.

"I don't have to take that!" Sam chuckled lightly and looked toward him.

"Oh yeah, you do."

"Okay, you know what Sam?" Freddie stepped forward and Sam lifted her hand, pressing her fingers together and releasing several times while imitating a talking noise. "Oh, that is _so_ mature!" After a while, Freddie soon joined Sam in the noise, flashing his tongue several times. Carly sighed and rubbed her forehead, knowing full well that they would not cease.

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie and Sam both sat on the couch in their apartment, Emily was at work, but would be home soon. "So, this webshow is really happening," Sam said in a quiet voice. Freddie nodded and wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulders, pulling her close to him.

"Are you nervous?" Freddie asked.

"Not really, are you?"

"Scared." Sam raised her eyebrows and looked at Freddie, chuckling at the near impossibility of that statement.

"Oh, the great Freddie Benson is scared? Of what, may I ask?"

"You and Carly are putting yourselves online every week. Do you know the dangers that are out there? Who knows what kind of sick bastard is out there just looking for someone to…you know, hurt."

"Oh…yeah…to be honest, I'm a bit concerned about that as well. I think we'll be okay though, it's not like we're going to be hosting live guests that we don't know, right? Also, if we do, then we can always have Ms. Benson check up on them, I mean she _is_ a police officer."

"Yeah, you girls will be fine. Besides, I'm not going to let anything happen to you, you're my angel don't ya know." Sam giggled and felt a blush rise to her cheeks. "So in the battle of tongues earlier, who do you think won?" Sam coughed and let out a small laugh.

"Do you realize how that sounded just now? Battle of the tongues, seriously Freddie."

"Oh, did it sound like I want to kiss you?"

"Well maybe…" Freddie smirked and gazed into Sam's eyes. "We were waiting to see if we were falling in love before our first kiss, though."

"Yeah, that's true. The first kiss must always be shared with the one you love. I know I want to share it with the one I am in love with."

"Same here, and…" Freddie lifted his hand and cupped Sam's cheek with it. Sam let out a tiny gasp and placed her hand on top of his, she couldn't stop gazing into his strong and fierce eyes. Whenever his eyes met with hers, it felt as though he was gazing deep into her soul. He knew everything about her and she knew everything about him. If there was anything they could hide from one another, it wasn't much. They probably couldn't even hide the fact that they were actually stricken by the other. "Freddie, do you…"

"Love you?" Sam's mouth hung open as Freddie continued to gaze deeply into her eyes. "More than anything, I love you." Sam took a sharp breath as she soon found herself growing closer to Freddie. Her lips remained parted and her heart began to beat at a rapid pace. This was it, this was the chance that their first kiss would happen. His lips continued to grow closer, nothing could break the moment. Just as their lips were about to meet, a rapid knocking was heard at the door. Sam stopped and Freddie looked at her with concern. "Let's ignore it."

"Freddie!" It was Carly's voice. "Freddie, I have to talk to you about something. It's about the show!" Freddie groaned and Sam gripped the back cushion of the couch, resting her head on it. "Freddie? Are you there? I'm coming in."

"Crap…"

"I'll be in my room," Sam said while slowly getting up and leaving to her bedroom. Freddie gave her an apologetic look and smiled softly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll think of a way to make up for it." Sam gave him a soft smile and shrugged as she continued toward her room.

"Eh, I wouldn't worry too much. Just being with you is enough. Let me know what Carly wants." Freddie nodded and walked toward the door, silently cursing the fact that the moment was broken. Now he would have to think of a way to make up for it, and Carly had better needed something important. When he saw her, she had two wardrobe outfits on.

"Which should I wear for the first show?" Carly asked in a quick voice. "I mean, Sam's nowhere around, so I can't ask her, and you were the closest person I thought of." Freddie's eye twitched slightly as he lifted his hand and pointed to one of the outfits. "Oh, thank you. I really wasn't sure which to go with, and-" Freddie closed the door and pressed his back against it, sinking to the floor as he placed his hands to his head and groaned.

"Damn, that's all she wanted to ask?" Freddie sighed and shook his head, he would have to build the moment up at a later time. The first kiss would happen when it was the right time.

* * *

I hope you liked the chapter. Yes, there will be six chapters for the first episode, but that's it. After this, chapters detailing episodes will pretty much mention them or last about two, but there are chapters in between. I feel really bad for both Sam and Freddie right at the end there, and to think that Carly only wanted advice on wardrobe.


	6. Celebration

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 6 (Celebration)

Three days had passed, and the first day of iCarly was underway. It was going to be spectacular, at least that's what Carly always said. Carly and Sam were both sitting in the living room, discussing things other than the webshow in order to calm their nerves. Fortunately, it was working for them. Carly had a slightly worried look on her face, and Carly was concerned about it.

"Sam, do you think Freddie doesn't like me?" Carly asked while leaning back in the couch. "I mean, lately he seems to have been avoiding me almost. It seems to have started a couple days ago…" Sam thought back and raised her eyebrow, it could have been when Carly interrupted the kiss. "I knocked on his door to ask about the wardrobe that I should wear today, and he pointed toward one of my outfits and closed the door on me without a word!" Sam shrugged and glanced at the wall.

"I wonder why he would have done that. After all, he _loves_ you so much." Carly sighed and crossed her arms over, she was sure she alienated him somehow, and it had her concerned. Then, it also had her a bit impressed that he actually wasn't being impulsive about his love for her. "I would think you'd be happy that he was leaving you alone and not actually bugging you twenty four seven about his love for you." Carly chuckled and rubbed her arm, unsure of how to answer that. She knew that was the only thing holding her back from liking him, but Sam knew it couldn't happen.

"You know, the fact that he hasn't been so pushy lately _is_ kind of nice. I mean, if he stops being pushy, then maybe I'd consider dating him." Sam's eyes widened and she quickly glanced away, hoping to hide the look of sadness and slight jealousy. She didn't have to be jealous because she knew without a doubt where everyone stood, but at the same time, she was hurt by Carly's persistence. Yet, she couldn't tell Carly, for fear of what Carly's father might say. She knew Carly well, and Carly had a tendency to tell Spencer everything. Spencer had a tendency to blab things without intentionally doing so.

"I'm going to the bathroom real fast…"

"Okay." Sam walked toward the stairs and looked back toward Carly. Carly was staring blankly at the television, so Sam quickly hurried up the stairs. She opened the door to the loft and stepped in, seeing Freddie working on his equipment. She smiled and stepped toward him, trying not to spook him. She loved how he was always so into whatever he was doing, it was almost like nothing could ever break him from his work.

"Hey." Upon hearing her voice, Freddie stopped and looked over at her. He smiled and walked over to her.

"How are you?" Freddie asked when he saw a slightly saddened look on her face. "Is something bothering you?"

"She's still got a crush on you and I think it impresses her when you're not pushy or something…I don't like this at all. Why does it have to be so hard, and why does it have to hurt?" Freddie frowned and slowly wrapped his arms around Sam's waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Sam, it's a silly puppy crush for one thing, it'll end. Love is something that has to be felt mutually."

"As far as she knows, it's mutual. Yet, only until you stop being pushy will she actually consider asking you on a date. I don't want to break her heart by letting you reject her, and now it feels like…" Freddie smiled and rubbed Sam's back, providing as much comfort as he could give to her.

"Sam, I know it's frustrating, but you just need to remain calm. Listen, nothing can make me stop loving you, not even Carly. If in the end, I have to end up rejecting her, then I'll do it. You don't need to worry about breaking her heart, I'll be the one."

"I know, but there's another rule that we follow. Best friends don't date the romantic interest of another friend! By her standards, she's the one who fell for you first."

"I see, well…we'll have to think of something then." Freddie glanced at the clock and frowned. "Just a few minutes until iCarly starts, get downstairs and I'll call you guys up."

"Okay, and Freddie?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you too." Freddie smiled and Sam turned to hurry out of the door. Sam ran down the stairs, making sure Carly wasn't looking, and hurried into the bathroom. Carly got up and stated hurrying into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed a drink.

"Fifty two seconds!" Freddie shouted from the loft.

"Sam, come on!" Carly exclaimed as she pressed the elevator door. Sam ran out of the bathroom and toward the elevator as it opened.

"I needed to pee."

"You always have to pee."

"Well it was either that or I explode."

"Forty five seconds!" Freddie called out.

"We're on our way up!" Carly replied. The girls proceeded to go through what they rehearsed while waiting in the elevator. The doors opened up and they quickly rushed out. Sam noticed something in Carly's teeth and quickly turned to her.

"I think you have something in your teeth…" Sam started scraping at Carly's teeth as Carly jumped around and screeched.

"What! Get it out, get it out!" Sam removed the item as Freddie begun the countdown, the second he got to one, the girls were already calm and ready to begin. "Hi, this is our first ever webshow of iCarly, I'm Carly, and this is Sam." Sam could see Carly making a bright smile and eyeing Freddie, he had to smile back at her and then look to Sam.

"Sam I am…" Carly then pointed to herself and then to Sam.

"Carly, Sam."

"I think they're clear." Sam rolled her eyes and sighed, trying not to appear bothered by the smile that Carly was giving to Freddie. _"At least he's not trying to impress her back or anything."_

"Demonstrate the thing."

"Oh right!" Sam pulled a blue remote from her pocket and held it up, smiling slightly. "This item, supplied by our dorky friend-"

"That's disrespectful!" Freddie said from behind the camera.

"Right." Sam had to keep from laughing, she loved whenever he focused on her, and it seemed he did almost all the time. Sam went on to explain the effects of each button, all down to the music. When done, Carly began talking again. _"I know he doesn't like her, but I still feel like I want him to look at me more often…"_

"Alright, today we're going to show you some kids with some amazing and super cool talents!" Sam quickly danced in front of the camera and zoomed past Carly while singing 'Freak Show.' Freddie chuckled lightly and Carly quickly rebuked Sam. "Sam, quit it!"

"Okay…" They continued on and brought out guest after guest. Soon, they came up to the girl who could play the trumpet while on the pogo stick, and then they finished their first ever webshow. "That was so cool!"

"I know, it was great!" Carly and Sam laughed and Freddie set the camera down on a small table. Carly looked over at Freddie and smiled. "Hey Freddie, you were really great with the camera." Freddie raised his eyebrow and looked over, Carly was smiling at him, but Sam looked a bit dejected. He sighed and gave a very tiny and very brief smile in return.

"Thanks Carly," Freddie said while walking toward the girls. "You did a good job as well, congratulations." He wanted to say something to make Sam feel better, he wanted to take her in his arms and hold her right then and there, but he couldn't. _"Please, get Carly out of here so I can talk to Sam. I need to talk to my girlfriend."_ Sam looked at him and he had no clue what to say. Normally, Carly would expect him to insult her, but it just wasn't the right time.

"Oh god, I need to go to the restroom!" Carly shouted while running out the door. She hadn't gone to the restroom for most of the day. Freddie closed his eyes and gave a small sigh.

"You don't know how much I'm thanking Carly's bladder right now." Sam raised her eyebrow and the corners of her mouth formed into a smile. Freddie looked at her and placed his hand on her waist as he kissed her forehead. "Hey Angel, you were perfect back there. I think you have what it takes to be an actor one day, probably. Have you considered taking up theater?"

"Well…I don't know," Sam said while blushing lightly. "You're sure you're not just saying that?"

"Of course I'm not."

"Did you see the looks that Carly was giving you? I mean, I'm not jealous or anything, but…"

"It's okay to be jealous. I know I would probably be just as jealous if I saw another guy giving you the same longing looks. Sam, I really don't think you have a thing to worry about, I'm always going to love you." Freddie tapped his chin and smirked as he gazed into her eyes. "You know, when you stick out your bottom lip in a pout, you look incredibly cute."

"Okay, shut up." Sam closed her eyes and started to blush even more. Freddie wrapped his arms around Sam and placed his finger under her chin, tilting her head upwards. She slowly opened her eyes and gazed back into his soft eyes.

"It's true, you're just incredibly beautiful. You're my Angel." Freddie started to lean his head forward, but stopped when he heard footsteps. "Crap, I think someone's coming!" Sam sighed as the two broke apart. Freddie rushed to his equipment and Sam quickly sat on a nearby beanbag chair. Just as she sat down, Carly entered the room.

"Okay, for the record, you guys do not want to go in there," Carly said while stepping forward. "Spencer did something in there, and it stinks!"

"Oh, thanks for telling us that, Carly," Sam said while chuckling lightly.

"Sorry." Sam shrugged and smiled at her friend.

"Don't worry about it."

-NEW SCENE-

The next few days passed and there was a party celebrating the start of iCarly. It was a "crazy hat party" in which Spencer and Carly both came up with. Spencer seemed very thrilled with the start of iCarly, and Ms. Benson was accepting of it as well.

"Heh, you actually went with the devil horn hat," Freddie said while looking at Sam's hat. Sam smiled and shrugged her shoulders, she had Mrs. Briggs to thank for giving her the idea. Not only that, she wanted to wear something opposite of what Freddie always called her. "You know, just because Mrs. Briggs calls you a demon doesn't make you one. I think you're very sweet, delicate, and gentle, but with a tough exterior of course. Even still, it's a better selection than the hat I wore."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked while poking Freddie's raccoon hat. "I think it makes you look, dare I say, cute." Freddie smirked and shrugged his shoulders, he didn't mind the hat so much if Sam liked it.

"Yeah, well maybe the devil horns fit you."

"Oh?" Freddie held his smirk and folded his arms across his chest.

"Yep, you're a _bad_ girl." Sam laughed and glanced around the room, making sure nobody that knew them personally was looking. Seeing that no one was, she quickly gave Freddie a kiss on the cheek.

"How did I go from Angel to bad girl? If I recall correctly, weren't you the ones that held me close and started getting _me_ all hot and bothered while Carly and all the audition tryouts were within eyeshot?" Freddie smirked and stepped close to Sam, gazing once more into her eyes.

"Well maybe I am a bad boy, who knows. You want to trade those devil horns for this raccoon hat?"

"No, I happen to like the devil horns on me, sort of…"

"You know, if Carly, Spencer, and a few of our good friends weren't in this very room…I would take you and kiss you right now."

"Oh? Well what would you do?" Freddie smirked and continued to look into her eyes. He had her frozen still, she couldn't bring herself to tear away from his powerful gaze.

"Let me see…I'd wrap my arms around your waist and carry you to the side, then I would let you rest your back against the wall as I melted you with my gaze. After that, I would place my finger under your chin, like so…" Freddie placed his finger under Sam's chin and tilted her head up slightly. "I would then kiss your lips, and it would be the greatest feeling ever."

"Wow, that sounds like a plan." Sam cleared her throat and stepped back. "Too bad you can't do it right now."

"Yeah, that sucks." Sam sighed and looked over to see Carly walking around.

"Hey Freddie, how about you be pushy again." Freddie raised his eyebrow and looked over to where Sam was looking. He saw Carly and frowned, he knew what Sam was asking.

"Oh."

"I'm sorry, you don't have t-"

"Relax, I'll do it." Sam frowned and watched as Freddie walked toward Carly. Carly saw Freddie walking toward her and smiled as she set the tray of food she had on the counter. "Hey, awesome party!"

"Yeah!"

"Want to go out in the hall and kiss?" Carly frowned and rolled her eyes at the statement, she should have figured he'd try something like that during the party.

"No."

"Yeah, me neither!" Carly frowned briefly as she turned around and Freddie did a little cheer. To Carly, it would have looked like a frantic failure move, but to him, it actually meant success. He was afraid of what would have happened if she said yes, but if that were the case, he would have had to say he was joking or something. Sam walked up to Carly and smiled at her.

"Hey Carly!" Sam said in a happy voice. Carly looked over at Sam and grinned.

"Hey Sam, there you are." Carly looked at Sam's hat and chuckled lightly as she touched one of the horns. "Nice hat."

"Back at ya!" Freddie leaned against a wall as he watched the girls interact, he chuckled lightly and let out a small sigh. He couldn't help but to be so madly in love with Sam as he was. Two girls walked up and asked Sam and Carly for interviews, this act caused Freddie to smile.

_"Sam's probably going to be famous one day. Carly too, but I got my money on Sam that her name will become big."_ Freddie watched as Sam and Carly signed the autographs. The two girls left and then two guys walked up toward them. _"Who are they?"_ Freddie heard someone mention the word 'hot' and he raised his eyebrow. He wasn't overly possessive or anything, and he trusted Sam, so he wasn't going to worry about the look that one guy was giving her. Yet, he would feel jealous. _"Sure, I might get jealous if some guy happens to flirt with her…"_

Freddie watched as Carly seemed real impressed with the guys, Sam didn't seem all that impressed. That was natural, she didn't really like when people used the term 'hot' to describe a person. That was probably the reason Freddie never called her 'hot' or 'sexy' rather than beautiful.

_"Where is Freddie, anyway?"_ Sam thought as she walked with Carly and the guys to a dancing circle. She saw a kid running by, carrying a naked mannequin that was found by Spencer.

"That's not for you!" Spencer shouted as he chased the kid.

_"Heh, funny guy…"_ Sam looked around and finally spotted Freddie with his back against a wall and his arms crossed. She smiled at him and he smirked back. She watched as he pushed himself from the wall and started walking toward him, and at that moment, everything surrounding her vanished. _"What is he going to do? He can't kiss me, and he knows it. If he keeps looking like that, I'm going to be tempted to kiss him!"_ Sam's heart began to pound as Freddie stepped next to her.

"Well, do _you_ want to go out in the hall and kiss?" Freddie asked while smirking. Sam coughed and snickered. "I'll take that as a no, aw man. Oh well, thought it might work on you, but I guess not. Maybe you'd like to go somewhere and dance?"

"That sounds nice, but you know people will get suspicious if we leave."

"So leave at separate times. I'll leave first, you leave second. Meet me on the ground floor, you know there's nobody in the lobby right now and Lewbert isn't anywhere in sight. The people in the party can leave whenever, but we shouldn't be interrupted at all."

"Okay Freddie, I'll meet you down in the lobby then. I can't wait to see what you've got cooked up." Freddie smirked and placed his hands in his pockets as he walked toward the door. Carly was at the door and quickly stopped him.

"You going somewhere, Freddie?" Carly asked while frowning.

"Yeah, Mom needs me home for something," Freddie said as he opened the door. "Later."

"Bye." Sam smiled as Freddie left and waited at least fifteen minutes before she started leaving. "You're going home, Sam?"

"Yeah, it's getting late. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Carly."

"Okay, well it was fun!" Sam gave Carly a friendly hug, then left the apartment as quickly as she could. She couldn't wait to see what Freddie had in mind. She found the elevators then entered them, pressing the button as quickly as she could. Soon the doors opened and she entered, then she waited until the doors opened again, and finally she was in the lobby. She exited and looked around, the lobby was too dark for her to see anything. All she heard was soft and melodious music, but she couldn't see Freddie anywhere.

"Freddie? Where are you, Freddie!" With that, the lights turned on, but only enough to be considered dim. Sam looked over and spotted Freddie next to a light switch, he had a smirk on his face.

"There you are, Sam," Freddie said while walking over to her. "I thought you'd never show up." Sam chuckled and Freddie placed his hand under Sam's, lifting it up slightly into the air. "May I have this dance?" Sam blushed and felt Freddie place his hand on the small of her back while using his other hand to place her arm around his neck. She lifted her other arm around his neck as he placed his free hand on her upper back.

"What if someone walks in?" With that, they did a step to the right. Sam placed her chin on Freddie's shoulder and he softly whispered in her ear.

"They won't. I've locked the doors from the outside for one thing, and I know nobody plans to leave Carly's party for at least another two hours."

"How do you know?"

"I asked around, being as dorky and nerdy as I could be." Sam let out a small giggle and tilted her head, letting her cheek touch his. "I also made sure Lewbert was busy looking for a few objects that he 'lost.'" Sam raised her eyebrow and Freddie smirked. "I only hid his desk lamp, pencil sharpener, stapler, and the computer keyboard and mouse in another area in the lobby. I'll return them later. Until then, he's out shopping, looking around for some replacement items."

"Didn't you say you locked the doors? Freddie Benson, you locked out our doorman!" Freddie chuckled and Sam opened her mouth in awe. She was actually glad about the Lewbert thing, she hated him, since she was actually afraid of him. "You really _are_ bad, I'm impressed." Sam lifted her head and smirked, somehow Freddie always managed to surprise her.

"I'm glad you're so impressed."

"You managed to get all of this set up. The lights, the music, the fact that we're alone…it's so wonderful. I can't thank you more for this moment."

"Anything for you, Sam." She felt her heart jump once more and soon she saw Freddie's lips moving closer to her. He was going to kiss her, and this time they would succeed in finally having their first kiss with each other. Sam closed her eyes and thought she heard something squeak. Just when she thought Freddie's lips were going to touch hers, they stopped. The lights turned on completely and a screech was heard in the lobby.

"What are you two doing!" Lewbert shouted. Sam and Freddie quickly released each other and looked over to see their angry doorman. Now they had to think of something, and quick.

* * *

Oh great, first Carly interrupts their kiss, and now Lewbert. Speaking of whom, will be creating a very interesting chapter coming up. Stick around.


	7. A Calm Discussion

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 7 (A Calm Discussion)

"What are you two doing in my lobby!" Lewbert exclaimed. His chest heaved with anger and his clothes appeared to be soaking wet from the rain outside. "Why the hell were the front doors locked!" Freddie stepped in front of Sam, knowing that she was actually afraid of Lewbert, so he would take care of her. "I come in and I find you two treating my lobby as some sort of ballroom!"

"We're sorry Lewbert, no one was down here and we thought it would be quieter," Freddie said in the calmest voice he could manage. He personally never liked Lewbert, either. He was never scared of him, he just never liked the man at all. Sam had every right to be afraid of him, and he never really did anything to prove that was or could ever be a trustworthy person. So, Freddie now had to think of a way to explain what was going on. "We had been discussing plans for something and it was noisy up where we were."

"You expect me to believe that?" Lewbert raised his eyebrow and Freddie narrowed his eyes. Lewbert lifted his arm up and pointed at the door. "Some punk took the items at my desk and caused me to have to go out in that rain in order to find the items I needed. There are not a lot of places open at this hour!" Freddie shrugged and Lewbert took a step forward, glaring at him. "So, do you want to tell me why you two were holding each other and why I had to go in the emergency exit door?"

_"Hm, forgot to lock the emergency exit."_ Freddie crossed his arms and tapped his index finger on his arm for a second, thinking of a good response to give. Freddie tilted his head and watched as Lewbert started to grow even more agitated. "There's really no reason for you to get so upset, you know. Don't you have keys to unlock the front doors anyway? Maybe you locked them and forgot. I don't know…" Freddie shrugged and Lewbert narrowed his eyes. "All I know is that the position you saw my friend and I in was an accident. She tripped and fell into me."

"That's all?"

"That's all." Freddie nodded his head and Sam raised her eyebrow, wondering if Lewbert would really take the bait. "Besides, she and I are practically enemies, if you think about it. She's best friends with Carly, and I'm just there for the ride. We were currently planning something for the next iCarly segment and Carly started a party. So, that leaves the co star and the tech producer to start thinking of the segment in a quieter place. She was rehearsing for something, tripped, and fell into me."

"I see, and you two just stood there in that position for about three seconds?" Freddie sighed and gave a brisk nod.

"It's a bit of an awkward moment, but the reason I was holding her was because I thought I saw something. In truth, I saw nothing out of the ordinary." Sam blinked and shifted her gaze to a portrait on the wall, she chose to remain silent since Freddie seemed to be good with words. "As for the punk that made you go looking for all this stuff, I don't know who did it, but maybe it was someone from this city's gangs."

"You think a gang member stole my stuff?" Lewbert's jaw dropped lightly and he started to panic. "Damn it, now the gangs are attacking the complex? What the hell!" Lewbert placed his hands on his head and growled lightly. "This damned fake wart was supposed to scare those bastards off." Freddie and Sam raised their eyebrows and stared at Lewbert in shock. He raised his eyebrow and stared back at the two. "What? This wart is fake, and you're surprised? Seriously, have you ever seen a wart this big?" Lewbert pointed at the wart and Sam winced. Freddie closed his eyes and put his hands up level with his chest.

"No, Lewbert, don't point at the thing. Also, I don't know if it was a gang member or not, but your stuff isn't missing. Sam and I found your stuff while rehearsing." Lewbert raised his eyebrow and Freddie gestured for him to follow. "Come…" Sam quickly ran next to Freddie as Lewbert followed them. She didn't care if their relationship was secret or not, Lewbert still scared her, so she placed her hands around Freddie's arm and leaned close. Lewbert apparently paid no mind to this action, he wasn't even looking in their direction.

"So where did you find it?" Freddie walked toward a laundry basket that one of the lobby maids had placed next to a wall. There was a sheet placed on top of it, concealing whatever was hidden in there. He gripped the sheet with his free hand and swung it off of the basket, letting it fly and land over the arm that Sam was holding onto, concealing the fact that she was holding him. Lewbert raised his eyebrow. "My stuff is in there?"

"Yep." Lewbert quickly rushed over to the basket and looked in, he sighed with relief as he took the items out of the basket. "You know, I can't say it was a very convenient place. Sam here pushed me into the basket a while earlier, and that is how we found the items. We were sort of having an argument earlier about why I was so much in love with Carly." Lewbert raised his eyebrows in interest and Sam looked up at Freddie. "I said that I cared for Carly, Sam said she would never love me, then I said that I would see about that and she pushed me into the basket."

"Why would she push you into the basket?"

"Why else? I annoy the crap out of her, just as she annoys the crap out of me." Lewbert rubbed his chin and stared at Sam and Freddie, slightly disbelieving his story. Though, the way he talked with calmness and charm, as well as managing to keep his cool, actually made it seem like Freddie was telling the complete truth. "Believe me when I say this, I am a horrible liar, Lewbert. I am as great of a liar as that fake wart on your cheek is good looking."

"I see. Mr. Benson, don't you live with your mother, and do you not have a girl that lives with you?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and nearly jumped as thunder crashed outside. "Ah! I hate storms!" Sam hated thunderstorms as well, she never could explain why that was, though. She clung tighter to Freddie's arm, seeking comfort from him. "Anyway. I'm perfectly sure you have a girl that lives with you, and I'm absolutely positive that girl is _not_ of blood relation!" Freddie sighed and raised one eyebrow while moving one corner of his mouth back.

"What is your point, Lewbert? My mom likes to give residency to her friends."

"The girl is _your_ age, and I'm absolutely positive that that girl is the one standing right next to you!" Freddie raised his eyebrow and glanced toward Sam, he made a humming sound and looked over to Lewbert.

"What makes you think it is her? Not only that, what would it matter if it was? She stays with Carly most nights because she does not have anywhere else to go. So, we are able to quarter her in out apartment for the time being."

"So you admit to this then. Well…I guess I don't have to question whether or not you two are having sex before you're at a proper age." Freddie rolled his eyes and Sam merely let out a frustrated sigh.

"No, we would never do that, sir. I said that we're pretty much enemies, so why would we do what lovers that are married do?" Lewbert rolled his eyes and growled a bit, then his eyes narrowed.

"I also know that Ms. Benson practices a family culture that is passed down from generation to generation. That means she's probably chosen you to have a bride."

"I don't know if she has or not."

"Listen, I'll give you fair warning, not many people in this town believe in arranged marriage. If you practice it, you're in for a life of hell, but that's just my fair warning." Freddie chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, he knew that well enough, but he also knew that not everyone in town was aware that his mother actually practiced arranged marriage. Sam tightened her grip around Freddie, she just wanted to get back to the room, she didn't want to stay down here any longer. "What's wrong with her, anyway?"

"She's scared of you, simple as that."

"What! Why? What have I ever done to her?" Freddie sighed and looked toward Sam, she didn't appear to want to say anything about her reason for not liking Lewbert. Freddie wasn't all that eager to say it either, especially since it involved Sam's dad and something that had happened seven years ago. Lewbert wouldn't remember, but he wasn't a man to be trusted. Sam had seen her father get shot while hunting, and the man that shot him from afar was none other than Lewbert himself. "Come on, I didn't do anything!"

"You did a lot more than you think." Freddie narrowed his eyes, from what Sam had told him, even he could create the mental picture of what had happened. Lewbert had once pined for Mrs. Puckett and had competed with Dave Puckett for so long. But the day came that she married Dave and had Sam. Nearly six years down the road, Lewbert was still friends with him. He found out that Dave was going on a hunting trip, and on that fateful day, Mr. Puckett would take his daughter with him.

It was then that Lewbert grabbed his shotgun and pulled the trigger from afar and shot Dave in the chest, ignoring the little blonde girl that had seen the entire thing. Most likely, Lewbert suspected the girl would die on her own. He was wrong, but he never knew that. He never knew that the girl actually managed to find her way home and get her mom.

Dave had managed to survive and whisper his final words, saying that someone who looked like Lewbert had shot him. That's when, days later, the police arrested Lewbert and put him on trial. They tried to charge him with murder, but they didn't find enough evidence linking him to murder. Instead, he ended up feeling guilty and remorseful, and then plead guilty to manslaughter. He ended up going to jail for a few years and then got out on good behavior. He was still crazy, and the fake wart pretty much proved that, Freddie actually wondered who would be crazy enough to use a fake wart. Lewbert never saw the girl again, and he most likely thought Sam was the kid's sister.

"No Lewbert, we won't be telling you anything." Freddie kept his calm composure, and it actually helped Sam to remain calm as well. She had been able to remain calm around Lewbert, but that was only because he never tried anything. She was still afraid of him and would never willingly go near him without someone being with her, like Freddie. Yet, if she was with someone, she would always stay close to that person, so Lewbert wouldn't take them from her.

"Murderer," Sam muttered under her breath. Freddie looked at her and Lewbert raised his eyebrow as she glared at him. "Shouldn't walk the streets, murderer." She was whispering, almost as if talking to herself. Her voice was quiet enough that Lewbert couldn't hear her, but Freddie knew what she was saying. He wanted to get her back to the apartment and away from where Lewbert was, but they still had to convince the man that nothing was going on between them. So far, it seemed like Lewbert wouldn't believe that there was nothing going on, but Freddie could surely think of something.

"Since you and I both hate liars, and you should know full well that I don't like liars, precisely ones like you." Freddie narrowed his eyes and Lewbert gave a frustrated sigh, he didn't see why Freddie was so uptight with him. "I've orchestrated a deal. We will make you a star, someone famous, but it's going to involve that little wart of yours." Lewbert's eyebrow rose and Sam became confused. "We will do that until we find necessary, because it will be your…'payment' so to speak. So we help you become a star, how does that sound, Lewbert?"

"Um, okay, I wouldn't mind being a star," Lewbert replied.

"Good." Freddie grinned and Lewbert took a slight step back, becoming nervous. "Now here's what you will do for us in return. You see, I _know_ what makes you twitch. I know what makes you ache and shiver with fear. I can be your worst nightmare, and I have every right to _be_ your worst nightmare. No, I won't do anything harmful to you, but do you see this girl next to me?" Sam's eyes widened slightly and Lewbert slowly nodded his head. "She is the reason behind what you will be doing for us."

"What _will_ I be doing for you?"

"Everything."

"Huh?"

"You heard me. If we need someone to drive us around, we'll call on you. If we need someone to pay for something and my mom can't do anything at the moment, we'll call _you_. Chauffer, you. Butler, you. Maid, _you._ How does that sound to you, Sam?"

"Actually, I kind of like it, because he knows something," Sam responded. Lewbert gulped and his body shook in slight fear. "After all, he does seem to know our secret."

"Oh yeah, and about that…you are to tell _no one_ that you suspect us to be together. That is why you will now become our servant. Until we feel that we can actually trust you with anything, we will be strict as can be. After all, we're thirteen and we can't drive. No wait, scratch that, you won't be driving us anywhere at all. Besides, we can't trust you that well. Instead, you'll just be our call person. You will alert us when someone is heading in our direction while on a date. You will stay as that type of person until we can trust you, which will probably be never."

"Wait, why do I have to become a slave? What have I done to deserve such a thing?" Freddie closed his eyes and shifted his arm, signaling Sam that it was time to go. The two walked past Lewbert and toward the elevator.

"Remember, don't tell a soul. We'll be watching you anyway. If you do anything at all, we'll bring up a bit of your past that you don't want to remember." Freddie opened his eyes and gave Lewbert a deathly serious glare. "I will bring back the various memories of your living hell, do not think I'm joking."

"But…" The elevator doors opened and Lewbert took a step back once more, unsure of what just happened. Nobody could know about his past, no one could have figured out anything from his past. Various memories meant more than just one, so obviously Freddie wasn't talking about only the incident where he shot Mr. Puckett and left the young girl to die. Somehow, Freddie knew enough about his past, and Lewbert wasn't ready to test him. So he would indeed keep quiet about Sam and Freddie's relationship, and in turn, Freddie would not cause his life to turn into a living hell.

"We'll be filming you soon, Lewbert. You and that big wart." Lewbert glanced back at the elevator. Freddie and Sam were inside the elevator and Freddie was glaring intensely at him. Lewbert sighed as the doors closed. One last glimpse revealed Sam looking at him with fear, the image sent terror into his heart. It was then that he knew why Freddie would be out to get him. The girl with Freddie was Sam Puckett, and of course, Sam was the girl, the daughter of the man that he had killed. His mouth dropped and he fell to his knees in shock.

"No!" Lewbert shouted as he grabbed his head. "No! It can't be! Damn it!" Lewbert fell forward and began to sob, hating the memory. "How did I not know it was her? Why is she here? Why did my brother do this to me? Goddamn it!" He clenched his fist and began pounding the ground. Soon, the pounding stopped and Lewbert stared at the ground. "Fine, I'll do what they want. I deserve it anyway. I know now that I shouldn't have done what I did, and my punishment ended too soon. I deserve all the punishment that I deserve…After all, Ryan did say it was my fault, he made me take the blame."

* * *

Freddie is really eloquent and charming apparently. Lewbert's really odd, and it makes you wonder who Ryan is. Well, lets see what's happening next chapter where we see Freddie has something in mind.


	8. Innocent and Guilty

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 8 (Innocent and Guilty)

"At least no one ends up having to touch his fake wart," Freddie said while hugging Sam close to him. He laughed and Sam nodded her head, remembering the bet that everyone had made. They wanted more viewers, so the guys and girls teamed up against each other to see who could win. Both of them lost considerably.

"Did you see your mom's face when she realized that her own subordinate picked up Spencer?" Sam asked while giving a brief laugh. "Officer Carl, and the sign actually said Pee on Carl. My god, that was hilarious!" Freddie snickered at the memory, it was definitely a good one. After all, nobody could have suspected Spencer to get taken in like that. "At least Officer Carl let him off with a warning, poor Spencer." Freddie nodded and positioned his hands on Sam's waist. He couldn't stand it, the aroma coming from her always made him wild.

"You know, what is the shampoo that you use, anyway?" Freddie asked as he kissed Sam's forehead. She gave him a smirk that said she would never reveal it. Pity, she always kept her bathroom locked with a key, so nobody would go in and mess with her stuff. "You always go in that bathroom looking beautiful, and you come out looking and smelling beautiful. What is your secret, woman?" Sam laughed and lifted her hand, tapping Freddie lightly on the face.

"A woman never reveals her secrets." Freddie smirked at her and Sam raised her eyebrow. "What are you plotting inside that little mind of yours, Benson?"

"Oh? Would you like to know? A man never reveals his thoughts. I guess I'll just have to tickle your secrets out!"

"What! No!" Sam's eyes widened with excitement as Freddie began tickling her sides. "Freddie!" Sam bent over and started laughing as Freddie's fingers worked up and down her sides and ribcage. "Ah! I can't stand it! Lavender and Peach! I use a mix of Lavender and Peach!" Freddie laughed and Sam fell backwards onto the soft ground.

"Aha!" Freddie fell with her and landed above her. Sam laughed again and Freddie merely smiled, taking in her beauty. "I told you I'd get it out of you, Sam." Sam's laughter silenced to brief one laughs as her chest rose and fell with her pants.

"You cheated! You're a mean and sly person, Freddie. Of course, that's why I love you so much."

"Hmm, maybe you just have that effect on me."

"Or maybe I got my ways from you." Freddie laughed and shook his head. Either way they looked at it, they complimented each other and made up for whatever the other lacked. "Freddie, how do you always get us into these situations?"

"I don't know." Sam tilted her head back slightly and laughed, she was amazed by him. Freddie continued to gaze at her, becoming intoxicated with her beauty and the smell of Lavender and Peach shampoo wafting to his nostrils. He would forever love that smell. He gazed more as she looked back up at him, her bright and blue eyes boring into his deep chocolate ones. Her hair was sprawled out underneath her, surrounding her head in a golden bed. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you look?"

"Yes Freddie, I don't think a day goes by that I don't." Freddie smirked and moved his body and head closer to hers, causing her to blush.

"Well I'm telling you again. You're extremely beautiful. Your hair even looks like a halo around you." Sam chuckled and a smirk formed at her lips.

"Sometimes I think you think my hair is my best asset."

"No, that would be your eyes. Though, your hair _does_ come in as one of your greatest physical traits. I think I'm more in love with your personality than anything else, though."

"I'm glad you don't think my boobs are my greatest feature." Freddie laughed and shrugged his shoulders, thinking up a joke.

"I don't know, they're pretty good too. Maybe they are your best feature."

"Freddie!" Sam laughed and playfully slapped him. Freddie laughed with her and then gazed deeply into her eyes. They grew silent and soon they felt heat starting to surround them. "I love you…"

"I love you more." Sam smiled and Freddie started to lower himself, his lips just barely touching hers. She closed her eyes, but the experience was soon short lived as the alarm clock began to ring.

"Ah! My ears, that thing is loud! Turn it off!" Freddie sighed and quickly rushed over to turn off the alarm. Sam sighed as well and looked to the clock, her eyes widened when she realized they were going to be late for their own date. "Hey, don't we have a date to go on!"

"Uh, yeah, the park…you think we're going to be late, Sam?"

"Well, yeah!" Freddie laughed and placed his hand on the small of her back. He knew they couldn't be late for their own date at a park, especially since the park was open at all hours.

"Then let's go. I think we're both ready." Sam nodded as they began to walk toward the door. Freddie grabbed his jacket off of a coat hanger and tossed it over his shoulder as Sam looked out the peephole. "Checking to see if Carly's looking? She _should_ be asleep at this hour, wouldn't you think? I mean it is a Saturday and it's only nine in the morning."

"Yeah, but you can never be too sure."

"This is true." Sam opened the door and the couple quickly exited and made their way to the elevator. Soon, they reached ground floor. Lewbert was at his desk, fiddling with some items.

_"I can't take it anymore,"_ Lewbert thought as he rapidly threw some papers aside. _"I have to tell them what really transpired that day!"_ Lewbert had seen the webcast of his wart, he felt bad about it at first, but then he didn't care. He glanced up from his desk and saw Sam and Freddie pass him. "Wait!" The couple stopped just a few steps ahead of him, Freddie glanced back and gave him a very serious glare. "Wait, I need to tell you the truth. I'm not guilty, honest! It wasn't I who did the deed! I didn't kill Mr. Puckett!" Sam froze and Freddie clenched his teeth.

"What are you saying?" Freddie started walking toward Lewbert's desk, causing him to gulp. Sam followed close behind, eyeing Lewbert closely. "You must have some nerve to bring up such a matter and say that you didn't do it. Sam saw it with her own eyes."

"She saw the wrong person!" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam's mouth opened in shock. "My older brother, Ryan…it was he who shot Dave. I was trying to save Mr. Puckett's life."

"You expect us to believe that!" Freddie roared with anger, feeling that Lewbert was trying to weasel out of something.

"Please, hear me out! Ryan looks a lot like I do!" Lewbert took a picture frame from his desk and showed it to Freddie and Sam, it was of two people and a much older woman. "That's me, the man next to me is Ryan, and the woman is our mother." Freddie eyed Lewbert with suspicion and took the photo, it was definitely genuine. The man next to Lewbert did look surprisingly like him. "The reason they couldn't find enough evidence on me was because there wasn't. I was trying to save Mr. Puckett by stopping my older brother."

"I'm still not convinced that you aren't a cold blooded murderer and a liar. How dare you open up one of Sam's old memories like this, and placing blame on your brother…I can't respect that. Besides, were you not smitten with Mrs. Puckett?"

"Okay, it's true that I pined for her, but that was six years before Dave's death! If I was a calculating murderer, I would have…too be honest, I would have taken him out not long after the marriage was done. I didn't, I tried my best to move on while still remaining friends with Dave." Sam paused and looked into Lewbert's eyes, looking for any sign that he was deceiving them. She couldn't find any.

"Freddie, I think he's telling the truth," Sam said while softening her grip on Freddie. "Maybe we should hear him out…" Freddie looked at her for a second, then gave a stern look toward Lewbert. He knew she would have trouble dealing with it, but at the same time, he knew she needed to hear the truth, if there was truth.

"You heard her, finish your story," Freddie said as he crossed his arms.

"Okay, thank you," Lewbert replied. He sighed and closed his eyes, recalling the memory. "Ryan loved money, he loaned it out to people all the time because he was richer. He also kept every receipt or business deal he made. I know for a fact that he keeps this stuff in a black box…anyway, he was also a con artist, and a good one at that. I found out once when I went looking into that black box, allowing curiosity to overtake me. He nearly killed me when I found out that he was conning people. His latest con had been…" Lewbert looked over at Sam, she was trying her hardest to keep a hard face.

"Go on," Sam said in a shaky tone. "I'm listening."

"He once conned Mr. Puckett out of the man's money, I found that out when I looked through Ryan's black box. Then I found out he loaned Dave some money as well, but he hadn't received any money back…" Sam was starting to shake, if Lewbert was telling the truth, her father's killer had roamed the streets freely all these years. "Dave threatened to go to the police with this information. I would have done the same, but Ryan had tried to kill me!"

"So you didn't go to the police…"

"I was afraid of my own death, more then than I am now. I learned that Ryan intended to go on a hunting trip with Dave, and it was then that I found out he was going to kill Mr. Puckett. Sam, you saw two different faces that day. You saw my face, but then you saw my brother's vicious look. You then saw him with his shotgun aimed toward your father, and I had hidden away to point my gun at Ryan. I wanted to kill my own brother, I'll admit it."

"I-I can see why…" Sam had tears starting to form at her eyes, all she had known about what happened that day was wrong, and she couldn't begin to fathom it.

"I'm so sorry…" Lewbert frowned and stared at his desk, clenching his hands with anger. "He shot first, and then when I tried to shoot, my gun had a misfire. As a result of that, my arm, leg, and even my chest to stomach burn scars from the explosion. It took me a couple of days to recover, and I was arrested when I did recover."

"Your gun misfired? Can I…Can I see the scars?" Lewbert nodded and rolled up his right arm sleeve, revealing a long scar on his arm. Next he lifted up part of his shirt, revealing a large scar there. "That's okay, that's all I needed to see…" Sam couldn't believe it, Lewbert was innocent. "I guess you were knocked unconscious?" Lewbert nodded his head and Sam merely clenched her fists. "You look like your brother. That can be easily confused, then. Why…why did he have to kill my dad!"

"Hey," Freddie said in a quiet voice as he wrapped his arm around her. Sam turned around and buried her face into his chest, sobbing for the loss of her father. Freddie wanted to find Ryan, he wanted to find the man that did this to Sam and kick his ass, but he knew Sam needed him most right now. He looked over to Lewbert as he continued to rub Sam's back, massaging and comforting her. "I'm sorry we misjudged you, Lewbert…but I would still like for you to keep our relationship a secret. You know, my mom is a cop, perhaps she can bring Ryan to justice, but you may want to give your testimony."

"I understand," Lewbert replied. He could actually do that, he didn't mind. "Ryan actually lives close to this area, he works over at that small hot dog and hamburger shop. What's it called?" Lewbert tapped his chin trying to recall the name, he quickly remembered. "Well it's the stupid one…Frank and Patty." Freddie coughed and gave a slight chuckle, it was an interesting name to call a hot dog and hamburger shop. "I believe he's the only one that works there, he may be rich, but he doesn't believe in those high corporate jobs. Oddly, he'd rather work at a low income place than a higher one…but, I do know for a fact that he keeps his black box on a shelf next to a closet."

"Do you know why you took the blame for him? I think you plead guilty…"

"He forced me too, and made me sign a contract as well, stating that I would plead guilty for him and never tell anyone about what had happened."

"He drafted a contract? I'm starting to think he's an idiot…well, unless he burned it."

"He would never do that. Chances are he keeps it in that black box…"

"I see." Freddie narrowed his eyes and tightened his muscles. "Sam, I need you to stay here a second while I go to the restroom."

"Okay," Sam replied. She watched as Freddie turned and walked toward the men's restroom. He entered and pulled out his cell phone.

"Okay, three way conversation…" Freddie found two of his friend's numbers and quickly called them using the three person talk method. Both of his friends answered. "Jake, Jonah, how are you two doing?"

"Very tired," Jonah said while letting out a yawn. "I had a long night with my girlfriend last night."

"Aw, were you two canoodling all night?" Jake asked while laughing.

"Shut up!" Jake laughed again and Freddie merely rolled his eyes.

"So why are you calling us both?"

"You know my friend Sam, right?"

"Yeah, she's sort of our friend too…though she never talks to us. You should actually introduce us to her!"

"Maybe I don't want her to meet you, Jake." Freddie smirked and Jonah snickered while Jake made a mock hurt tone.

"What! I'm offended! Of course, you probably wouldn't be able to get her to even _talk_ to you long enough for you to introduce her to us."

"I don't know about that," Jonah said in a quiet voice. "Those two…"

"Jonah, would you and your girlfriend stop trying to see if there's anything going on between Freddie and Sam? There really isn't any logic behind it, those two hate each other with a passion!" Freddie chuckled inwardly at the statement. Jake got one part of it right, there was a lot of passion in his relationship with Sam. "Seriously, sometimes I worry about you."

"Hey, the day Sam tells Valerie that she and Freddie are together, or Freddie tells me, we're going to laugh at you. Maybe we won't tell you, but hell we will laugh." Freddie rolled his eyes and heard his two friends sigh. "So what's up?"

"I need you two to bring out a little rat for me," Freddie responded.

-NEW SCENE-

Jake and Jonah stepped in front of the doors of Frank and Patty, they had the okay from a local police station to do what they were about to do. They were wiretapped and ready to begin their little investigation. They entered and found a middle aged man cleaning the counter, the man looked at the two and did not smile.

"Hey, do you know where Ryan is?" Jonah asked as he placed his elbow on the counter. "We would like to speak with him."

"Yeah, it's important," Jake said while nodding. The man blinked and shrugged his shoulders.

"I am Ryan. Do you need something?"

"Yes, we were told to find you here," Jonah stated as he stood up straight. "We're a bit short on cash and we need to purchase a new game console, nobody wanted to lend us any money and someone told us that we could come to you. Do you think you could lend us some money?"

"Hmm, I suppose I can." Ryan walked over to a shelf and took a large black box from it, he took the lid off of it and both Jake and Jonah spotted a receipt with Dave Puckett's name on it. Their eyes widened and Jake quickly leapt over the counter. "What the hell are you doing!" Jake grabbed the man's arms and held them behind his back. "Why are my hands behind my back?" Jonah narrowed his eyes and looked up.

"We see the name of a man that has been murdered, it scares us. We think that now that we know you're a danger, you will perhaps kill us."

"What? No. I wouldn't do that."

"Really? Do you know Dave Puckett?"

"Yeah, I knew him, I did business with him. Look, I'm not out to hurt kids, so you guys can just let me go."

"I'm not so sure…you had nothing to do with Mr. Puckett's death?"

"I did, but I'm not a killer any longer."

"Whoa, you did have something to do with it? Jake, I think we better leave this man." Jake nodded and released Ryan's wrists, quickly rushing over the counter.

"Hey, I said I'm not a killer anymore."

"But you just said you had something…"

"Yes, I killed Dave Puckett over money issues, but he threatened to turn me in for conning him out of money. Then my brother figures it out, I got no choice but to put the blame on my brother, but you know…It really doesn't matter anymore. It was just a man who meant little to this world…"

"I know people who would beat you up for saying that." It was true, if Freddie heard Ryan's words, he would go ballistic. "Well, I'm not sure if we want to do any business with you now…"

"Oh come on, it doesn't matter. Wait, you're not planning on telling anyone, are you?"

"We don't have to." Ryan raised his eyebrow and quickly looked over at Jake. Jake was at the door and held a smirk on his face while holding the doorknob, he quickly opened the door and revealed Emily with her arms folded over her chest. She lifted her arm and pointed at Ryan, he could only stare in shock and bewilderment.

"Arrest him, men!" Emily shouted. Several police officers ran into the building and surrounded Ryan, he growled as he felt handcuffs being placed around his wrists. Emily narrowed her eyes and walked up to Ryan, glaring into his eyes. "So, bastard, Dave was insignificant? You killed my best friend's husband and put more trauma on her daughter by forcing her to watch her own father get shot...I'll make sure you get a nice _cold_ jail cell." Emily looked at the black box and frowned. "Officers, that box is evidence. Everything is-"

"Sherriff!" An officer shouted. Emily looked over at an officer who was standing near the closet, he had a glove on and was holding a shotgun in his hand. Emily smirked and looked at Ryan.

"Oh, could it be you kept the murder weapon after all these years?" Ryan chuckled and looked toward Emily, not showing in sign of remorse.

"It's the only gun I've owned in ten years," Ryan replied.

"I see. Take him away!" The officers did as ordered and Emily turned toward Jake and Jonah. "You boys did well."

"Thanks, if Freddie wants something done, we'll do it," Jake said while smirking and crossing his arms over. Jonah slapped his forehead then slapped the back of Jake's head. "Ouch! What was that for!" Emily raised her eyebrow and stood up straight.

"_Freddie_ told you to contact the police to allow you to get that man to confess?"

"I wasn't supposed to say that, was I?"

"No," Jonah said while placing his hand to his face. "It doesn't matter now. Anyway, yes, Freddie told us to do this. He said that 'though he didn't like her,' he wanted us to bring the killer of Sam's father to justice. He led us step by step, and hey, you have to like the fact that he's a pretty eloquent speaker. By the way Ms. Benson, do you know if there is anything going on between him and Sam? I'm really sure-"

"Jonah, stop trying to suspect these things!" Jake sighed and Jonah merely rolled his eyes. Emily chuckled lightly and turned around.

"I guess it's fine if Freddie told you," Emily stated. "At least he told you guys to come to the police first, who knows what that guy could have done. I'm proud of my son being smart enough for that."

"Yeah, he's a good kid." Emily nodded and walked outside, glaring at Ryan. She saw a smirk on his face and ignored it.

"Why'd you do it?" Emily knew that Sam would want to know, and personally, she wanted to know what reason Ryan thought was good enough to kill Dave.

"I didn't want to go to jail for nothing," Ryan said while closing his eyes and shrugging.

"That's the reason you killed him?" Emily narrowed her eyes and held her glare. "That's why you felt necessary to take this man from his wife, child, and friends?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"You're a bastard, I hope you know that."

"Yeah, well you're a bitch." Emily kept her calm demeanor and crossed her arms over her chest.

"That won't get you anywhere. Tell me, do you have any other reason for taking this man's life?"

"He didn't pay me back. Besides, I didn't thank that hot wife of his or that cute little daughter he had actually deserved someone like him." Emily made a slight huff sound and kept her eyes narrow.

"What kind of bastard are you to talk about Sarah and Sam like that?"

"Oh, was that their names?" She knew this man was trying to spite her, but she was skilled at keeping her calm. It normally took a lot to get her real angry. "Tell me, are they still around?"

"No. Sarah died years ago."

"Too bad, I would have liked to screw her, it would have been nice to take that cute little kid of hers and tear her limbs apart though." Emily clenched her teeth together as Ryan snorted. "God that kid was too damn disgusting. She was so damn cute that it was _hideous! _I just wanted to take that kid and tear out her eyes and shove them down her throat." Emily's eyes opened and then narrowed as she swiftly gave Ryan a hard slap across the face.

"How _dare_ you talk about Samantha like that, I never want to see your face again." Two officers rushed over to Emily's side and she held her glare into Ryan's eyes. "Officers, take this man away…" With that, Emily turned around and walked off.

* * *

I hope you liked that chapter. Yes, there's a valid reason Jonah and Jake are Freddie's friends. You'll see why, there's only one way for me to do the iHate Sam's Boyfriend and iWill Date Freddie episodes that I could think of. You'll like them when they come.

Oh, and Note to Kate K. Sure, it's fine, Lewbert has to be a bit OOC anyway given the circumstances. There's also a line between OOC and how the author feels a character would act in a certain situation. Like a character on a show that never appears to cry can still be emotional and if someone they cared about died, they would cry. That wouldn't be OOC. Also, if there is a reason for something to happen, then it will, such as a character becoming angry at being tormented, they can become violent.


	9. Stressful Situations

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

A/N: **READ THIS NOTE**: This chapter involves the Duke part of the Chick episode. I'm going in order of my DVD, and apparently the chick episode is listed as the third episode in the show, rather than the sixteenth. Fortunately, it's not as important to worry about.

* * *

Chapter 9 (Stressful Situations)

"Why did you do that, Freddie?" Sam asked as she sat on the couch. She wasn't happy that Freddie made his friends go after that man, but she was pleased to know the man was behind bars now. "You could have killed your own friends, what if something happened to them!" Freddie sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"I did it because I was angry. I knew they would be okay, because I strictly forbade them to do what they did without going to the police first. I did it because I wanted there to be justice for you and justice for Lewbert." Sam frowned and slowly stood up, she knew Freddie was concerned, but sometimes it just wasn't necessary. "I wasn't going to let that man roam the streets freely, not when he didn't deserve to." Sam sighed and slowly walked over to Freddie, her eyes meeting with his stern and slanted ones. She lifted her hand and cupped his cheek.

"I know you care about me, but you need to care about other people as well. You put your friends in danger because of me…" Sam knew that Freddie and his friends would put themselves in danger for her without any hesitation, but she never required it. She never wanted them to be put in that kind of situation. "I mean you sure can be a dork at times and you can be smart, but that's just dumb. To risk your life for someone like me, as flattered as I am, I still think it's stupid. I don't want to _lose_ you, nor do I want you to lose your friends."

"I don't mean to worry you." He didn't want to worry anyone, to be honest. Even Saturday, when Ryan had been arrested, Emily didn't seem thrilled. She had told him that he probably didn't need to get his friends to do that rather than just telling the police from the start. Of course, she did understand that he actually wasn't thinking completely straight at the time. Sam knew that as well, since she could distinctly remember his anger rising more and more when Lewbert was telling the story.

"Freddie, you should ask me before making such rash decisions. You know that." Freddie moved the corner of his mouth back a bit and Sam gave him a slight smile. "You know I'm not mad at you, but I would have preferred you to ask me before getting your friends to do that for you. Besides, what if they figured out that we're dating? Jonah and Valerie already suspected it." Freddie gave a slight chuckle at that, both Sam and Freddie loved how hard Jonah and Valerie tried to figure out their secret. "You know, I kind of wish we could tell them about it."

"Yeah, I agree. Yet, you and I both know it would be too risky. Well, at least there's a chance that it could be risky." They weren't sure if Jonah or Valerie would ever be a problem for them, especially since they were such good friends. Well, at least Valerie and Sam were good friends, she never really talked much to Jonah. "Jake and Jonah both want me to introduce you to them." Freddie smirked and Sam slightly tilted her head. "But they both suspect that you'd maim me if I even tried to suggest such an impossible task."

"Oh, be very careful with me then, they could be right!" Freddie laughed and Sam put on her most dangerous smirk. It was the very smirk that Freddie loved seeing on her, it looked so dangerous and so cute at the same time. "Well, I think there's only one reason in this world that I would have to maim you." Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam held her smirk. "I can't really think of it…well, if you were to do something really bad to hurt me, I might have to maim you."

"Yeah, but I'd destroy myself before I would ever hurt you." Sam smiled softly and Freddie glanced over at the clock, he sighed and glanced back to Sam. "We better hurry and get to school. You're walking Carly to school today, I think…you'd better get moving."

"Okay, I'll do it, but I think you should try to flirt with her again for the morning, like you usually do. Then, walk away feeling dejected when she does actually reject you."

"This, I can do. As long as you're not going to be hurt by it. I noticed you've been getting a little irritable with Carly lately, why is that?"

"What do you mean?" Sam raised her eyebrow and Freddie gave a small sigh.

"Remember Lewbert's wart and when we were trying to compete for the whole idea of getting more viewers. Whenever she said something to you, you would just shrug her off or something. Like when you said Lewbert was arguing with a pomegranate and she corrected you, you scoffed. Not only that, but didn't you tell me you were flicking used food on her floor?"

"Heh…well…" Freddie raised his eyebrow and gave Sam a small chuckle.

"Sam, maybe you're being bothered by this more than you're letting on."

"Nonsense, I'm just fine with your fake love for Carly." Sam kissed Freddie's cheek and smiled. "You know, when are we going to be able to capture that first kiss, anyway? Every time we come close to sharing our first actual kiss, something stops us." They never did consider skin kisses as a first kiss, so technically, they never had their first kiss.

"It'll come when the moment is right."

"Yeah...I'll see you in a bit!" Freddie smiled and watched as Sam left the apartment. He sighed and folded his arms over his chest.

_"Maybe I should be more subtle, but still pushy with Carly. That way, I don't appear to be coming off too strong for Sam. I really hate having to hurt her like that."_ Freddie glanced out the peephole and watched as Sam knocked on Carly's door, she turned around and grinned, knowing he was watching. The grin surprised him, so he fell back and nearly tripped on something, causing an item to crash on the ground. _"Even still, she can make me clumsy…"_ Freddie looked out the peephole and saw her laughing, it was a pity that he couldn't hear her precious laugh.

He started to open the door so he could hear her laugh, he wanted to give her another hug and kiss her. Sadly, Carly opened her door and he had to close his. "Hey Carly, how's it going?"

"I'm good, and you?"Carly replied. Sam nodded and smiled, but then started to fidget.

"Hey, um…what do you think of arranged marriage, by the way?" Carly raised her eyebrow and scoffed.

"Arranged marriage is dumb, of course. Anyone that practices it is probably on the stupid side as well." Sam paled as Carly glanced toward the side. "Anyone dating someone who practices it is stupid also, because they're putting themselves in a bad position. It's just not right, and it is entirely unacceptable. Just be glad you don't practice it or anything, I'd probably have a little trouble with it…" Sam's mouth opened and she took a slight step back. "My Granddad says that arranged marriage is like slavery!"

"I-I see, well yeah, I don't practice t." Sam let out a small sigh and swallowed silently, there went any hope that she could tell Carly about her dating Freddie. Freddie had heard what Carly said from behind the door, he swallowed hard and felt like he was about to sweat. If anything, they would have to continue keeping it secret from Carly, or else they were in trouble. He sighed and opened the door, stepping outside and smiling. He made sure not to look at who he wanted to smile at, since it would incite Carly's suspicions.

"Good morning, Carly." Freddie looked to Sam and frowned. "Hello…uh…" Sam raised her eyebrows and Carly gave a sigh. "Person."

"What are you wearing?" Sam asked as she narrowed her eyes and stared at his clothes. "Those clothes on you look hideous! Not only that, but you look even dumber today that you were yesterday!" Freddie winced inwardly, he knew she didn't mean it, but she definitely was believable. "So, have you come out to daze at Carly yet again?" Freddie scoffed and crossed his arms over.

"That is none of your business, I'll gaze at her if I want to." Even though he really wanted to gaze at Sam.

"Gaze too much, and I'll light you on fire." Freddie did know that she was most likely serious, so he chose not to test her on that.

"Do I _have_ to bring out the spray bottle again, children?" Carly asked while narrowing her eyes. Sam and Freddie both winced and looked at each other with wide eyes, they actually hadn't ever anticipated her to ever bring out one of those things. Freddie actually hated how he acted during the competition. He figured that was the reason for Sam acting less than pleased with Carly. He remembered when Sam and Carly came back from their failure, Freddie actually kept saying 'no offense' to Carly. Sam gave him the dejected look and he felt really bad.

Even after that, when he asked Sam about it, she said that it had bothered her a tiny bit, but he was not to worry about that. She wanted him to continue being pushy and hopefully Carly would lose her crush over him. She always told him to not spare her emotions when it came to Carly, but she knew full well that it was impossible for him to do. Freddie wanted to go ahead and leave at that moment, but he had yet to think of something to say to Carly.

"Um, Carly…" Sam watched and wanted to go ahead and leave now. She knew that Freddie was feeling bad, and she was still feeling really bad about it. She could tell Freddie was having trouble thinking of something to say, and she just wanted to take him in her arms and kiss him, telling him that he didn't need to worry about it anymore. She knew Carly, though. The instant she did that, Carly would get upset. Not only that, but Carly would tell Spencer and Spencer would tell Mr. Shay, then Freddie and Sam would be torn apart. Sam had told Freddie about her nightmare, and he had promised her nothing like that was going to happen.

"Stuff it, dork," Sam said as she placed her hand on Freddie's chest and pushed him to the side. She smirked and grabbed his collar then pressed him up against the wall, glaring into his eyes with a look that he loved. Though to Carly, it looked like Sam was about to do something cruel. "Get over it! Carly will never love you! Stop being so damn pushy about it!" Sam lowered her voice to a whisper that only Freddie could hear, Carly didn't even pay attention. "I love you. I would so kiss you right now, but Carly's right there. I can't believe she's against…"

"I understand," Freddie whispered back. "Maybe you can ask her again in time, she might change her mind after a couple months…God, you look cute right now." She agreed with that, chances were likely Carly might change her mind, and if she did, that would be a good thing.

"Thanks." Sam smirked and felt Carly grab her backpack. "Aw Carly, what are you doing!"

"Come on, Sam," Carly said while sighing. "We have to get to school." Sam limped her body and let Carly drag her down the hall. Freddie watched as Sam smirked at him, he placed his hand on his chest and gave a small sigh.

"See you at school!" He meant it for Sam, but it could also be interpreted as for Carly. The look that he gave Sam told her all she needed to know.

-NEW SCENE-

Sam and Carly walked to their lockers after class, they had to do some science project and had to be paired up together. Sam actually wanted to be paired with Freddie, but she was fine with the fact that she had been put with Carly. "At least the teacher paired us up together." Carly gave a fake smile and looked toward Sam.

"Uh huh," Carly replied. Sam blinked and frowned with surprise at the obvious fake tone in Carly's voice.

"Don't tell me you're upset that he put us together."

"Well it's just that every time we get put together, I end up doing all the work." Okay, so Sam usually got caught up with Freddie distracting her. Last time, she was fixing to get started with Carly and Freddie called her over. She had to think of a distraction and go meet Freddie. It would be then that Freddie would start talking about how he did some research on the topic she was looking at and how he could help her out, then something would happen and they'd nearly start kissing, and then Carly would come and wonder what was taking Sam so long.

_"How perfect, Carly always seems to interrupt us."_ Sam sighed and shrugged her shoulders, smiling at Carly. "Well don't worry about that."

"So you'll help me this time?"

"Of course not." Carly rolled her eyes and Sam snickered inwardly. Okay, so that was cruel, but she would seriously help Carly this time. Carly knew Sam was joking, despite it being a cruel joke.

"Hey," Freddie said as he walked around the corner. Sam and Carly both turned around and saw that he looked saddened. Sam felt for him, knowing full well that he wasn't thrilled having a large school wrestler as his partner. Sam was about to open her mouth to say something, but Carly greeted him first.

_"Damn it, I wanted to greet him first…"_ Sam smirked and grabbed a hold of Freddie's cheek, he had to stop himself from nearly beaming with joy at the touch. "Aw, look who's all grumpy because he didn't get paired up with Carly for the science project."

"Untrue." Freddie took Sam's hand and pulled it off, Sam had to keep herself from sighing in delight when he touched her hand. Keeping a secret relationship did these things to you.

"True."

"So." Sam looked at Carly and sighed, Carly had a big smile on her face and was looking at Freddie. She wanted to yell and shout, she wanted to cry even, but most of all, she wanted to tell Carly to stop crushing on her boyfriend and future husband. Though in a way, the jealousy was thrilling for both Sam and Freddie. Since it made them wild and mad to be with one another. Whenever they got home and away from Carly, they would instantly begin flirting with one another to make up for a lost day.

"I'm sorry you feel bad," Carly stated. Sam groaned inwardly and Freddie's eyes darted over at Sam for a split second before darting to Carly. This was causing so much pain for Sam, and he knew it. He wanted to end the pain. What he wanted to do was scoop Sam into his arms and tell her everything would be okay, he wanted to tell her they didn't need to pretend to Carly anymore, and they could just ignore her silly crush. A crush un-fueled usually dissipates. Freddie's heart was breaking whenever he told Carly the things he said, and his heart broke every time he saw Sam look as though she was about to cry. A kiss, that's what he wanted to give her, that's what he could use to make her feel better.

"Yeah, well, I'm grumpier with who I did get paired up. You try getting paired up with a psycho-" It was then that Freddie felt two hands on his arm, Sam paled when she saw Freddie's partner, Duke begin shouting in Freddie's ear.

"Hey!" Duke exclaimed. "What's up!" Freddie groaned as Duke began to massage Freddie's head. Sam was about to step in when she felt a hand go into her backpack, she looked over and saw Carly take out a slice of beef jerky.

"Hey Duke!" Carly said as she held up the jerky. Sam suppressed a moan as Carly began to negotiate with the large person. "Here's some jerky, I'll give it to you if you let my friend go."

_"I was going to do that," _Sam thought while looking toward Duke and Freddie.

"How did I end up in a hostage negotiation!" Freddie cried out. "Get me out of this!" Duke quickly grabbed the jerky and started munching on it. Freddie stood up straight and rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks."

"Well it was my jerky," Sam said while looking from Freddie to Duke. "He owes me three bucks." Freddie chuckled lightly and Carly raised her eyebrow at the happy eater.

"I've never seen jerky make a boy so happy before," Carly said. Duke finished eating and then looked at Freddie with a happy grin.

"Hey!" Duke shouted. Freddie jumped slightly and Sam arched her eyebrow. "What's our project going to be about?" Freddie thought for a minute and started to list an idea, Sam actually liked his idea pretty well. "You know what I think it should be about? Knee pads! Like why do knee pads smell so bad!" Sam's eyes widened as Duke pulled his kneepad out and pressed it to Freddie's face. Freddie started yelling and Sam quickly jumped into action.

_"Let my boyfriend go!"_ Sam wrapped her arms around Duke's waist and started pulling at him, managing to pull him away from Freddie. Freddie took a breath and glared at the person.

"Why did you shove your kneepad in my face!" Freddie exclaimed.

"Because it reeks!"

"Great explanation." Duke laughed and started walking off, Freddie sighed and slowly shook his head. "You owe Sam three bucks for the jerky!" Sam blinked and glanced over at Freddie with raised eyebrows.

"No he doesn't." Carly and Freddie both raised their eyebrows and watched as Sam took out a wallet. "I took his wallet."

_"Impressive."_ Freddie smirked and caught Sam's gaze. _"You bet we're having a talk about this after school."_ Carly walked off a bit and stopped to chat with someone nearby, Freddie took that opportunity to say something to Sam. "Remind me to start heading back to the gym."

"Hah, you gaining muscles…you've already got some…"

"I can always use more." Freddie glanced back at Carly and shifted his yes to survey the surrounding, checking to see if there was anyone nearby. "So, do you want to grab a bite to eat after school? We can go to Cotton Patch, Hunan, Jalapeno Tree, or Johnny Carino's."Sam's eyebrows rose with impression.

"Ooh, you've got two lavish places on the list. Let's see, you've got American, Chinese, Mexican, and Italian dining options. Cotton Patch and Hunan are cheaper, and I really could use one of their baked potatoes, they have the _best_ potatoes ever!"

"Cotton Patch Café it is." Sam smiled and glanced over to see Carly stop talking to the person she was talking about and starting to turn around.

"Hey, Carly's coming back!"

"Damn. Uh…You're ugly!"

"Yeah, we'll you're not so hot looking yourself!" Freddie and Sam smirked with their eyes as they heard Carly groan when she stepped next to them.

"_Why_ do you two always fight?!" Carly asked. Sam and Freddie both shrugged and turned their backs to each other.

"I have my reasons," Freddie stated while crossing his arms.

"I don't like him," Sam said in a blunt voice. It was true, she didn't like him, she loved him with all her heart. If Carly knew it, then she would be devastated and probably hate her. Carly rolled her eyes and groaned as she walked off, annoyed with her two friends. They stared at her with frowns, wondering what would happen if they did ever tell her their secret. She was against arranged marriage and anyone that ever practiced it, that was hard to deal with.

* * *

More reason for them to keep their secret. By the way, the restaurants I mentioned are real restaurants. Cotton Patch is my favorite! I hope you liked the chapter, stick around for more

By the way, this one is important also. The only way I could make it so people would see more of a reason to keep the secret was for Carly to be like her father and grandfather, she's influenced by them and doesn't like arranged marriage. Also! I never intend to have Carly look "bad" or anything in any of my stories, yet every time, I seem to get someone saying something like: "oh my god, you've made Carly look so bad!" Personally, I find that OFFENSIVE! If I have to hear one more "Carly's looks so bad in this." I'm going to go insane. If she looks bad, I'm sorry, that is not my intention. I hope you can overlook that and enjoy the story.


	10. Almost Perfect Date

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 10 (Almost Perfect Date)

After school let out, Sam and Freddie both made their way to the Cotton Patch Café. It had been a while since Freddie and Sam actually went out to eat, so it was a nice place to choose. They met at the doors of the restaurant, since they had taken separate routes, and grinned at each other.

"Hey handsome," Sam said while giving Freddie a quick peck on the cheek. He smiled and returned her kiss by giving her a light peck on the cheek as well. Freddie surprised her yet again. They had just gotten out of school, and Freddie looked like he had taken a shower, combed his hair, put on cleaner clothes and smelled like he was wearing cologne. "Freddie, I'm impressed. Where did you find the time to get out of the last class and get ready for a date?" Freddie smirked knowingly and placed his hand on Sam's lower back.

"Remember Sam, a man never reveals his secrets." Sam laughed lightly as the two entered the establishment, they waited as the host looked up and smiled at them. Freddie held up two fingers and grinned. "It's just me and my lovely date, we'd like a secluded booth if you have one. If not, a booth by the corner works out just fine." The hostess smiled politely as she picked up two menus and led them to a table. It wasn't secluded, but it was well hidden to the point that if anyone they knew walked in, they probably wouldn't see them all that well enough to recognize them.

"Today's special is chicken and dumplings for 3.95," the hostess stated. "Your server will be right with you."

"Thank you," Sam said to the hostess. The lady smiled and walked off. She smiled and moved into the seat that was positioned with its back toward the wall. Freddie sat in the seat that had his back toward the rest of the restaurant. The chairs had a wooden piece that towered upwards, but not higher than the top of Freddie's head. "Wow Freddie, it's been a long time since I've been out to eat, and I'm _starving_." Freddie chuckled as he and Sam opened their menus. "This place always has the greatest stuff, too…"

"Well, I say the best for my Angel." Sam blushed at the statement and read the menu choices. She knew she was going to get full no matter what she got, but she also didn't want to outdo Freddie's budget.

"How much money do you think we should spend?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and glanced up at Sam, he didn't think money was a problem at all.

"Well, you do realize that the prices _are_ rather cheap for good meals, so you can order anything you like. Money isn't an issue." Sam smiled at Freddie and continued to look through the menu.

"Sometimes you are too good to me, Freddie."

"You're my angel, of course I'm going to be good to you." Sam blushed and continued to eye the photos of specific menu items. She spotted one that looked perfect, it was the CPC Sirloin Steak, and it came with a loaded baked potato. Just as she was about to say what she wanted, the waitress walked up. "Speedy service…"

"Hello, I'm Tricia, and I'll be your server," the lady said while smiling. "May I start you off with anything to drink?" Sam looked up and smiled at the waitress, Freddie did the same.

"I'd like an iced tea, please," Sam stated.

"I would like a glass of water, no lemon needed," Freddie answered.

"Okay, now are you ready to order, or would you like some time to decide?" Sam looked at Freddie and he met her gaze.

"Are you ready?" Sam asked. "I'm thinking about the sirloin steak."

"Hmm, that is a good choice. I'm ready to order." Freddie looked to Tricia and nodded. "Yes, the sirloin steak for the lady and I'll have a trailblazer."

"Okay, that sounds good," Tricia said while writing down the orders. She turned to Sam and positioned her pen over her paper. "Now, the steak comes with a house salad before the meal and a baked potato, would you like it to be loaded, or is there anything you don't want on it?"

"No, I would like it loaded, please," Sam replied. Tricia nodded and Sam started to take the silverware from her napkin. "And could I have Italian dressing for the salad?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Thank you." Tricia smiled and walked off. Freddie undid his napkin and placed it on his lap while Sam carefully positioned the silverware around her plate.

"It is nice to come out here and get our mind off of other stuff," Freddie said while tilting his head back slightly. "So, I heard you and Carly were planning to do a segment in swimsuits?" Sam smirked and tilted her head, it was true. They were thinking about doing a segment of iCarly where they would wear bathing suits.

"Yes you lovable dork, we _are_ planning to wear swimsuits. Carly's wearing a two piece." Sam smirked more and Freddie groaned, hating the tease.

"Yeah, but what will you be wearing?" The waitress came back with a tray, the two drinks and the salad positioned neatly on the tray. She set the items on the table and promised the food to be out soon. "Thank you. So, what _will_ you be wearing anyway?"

"You really want to know?" Freddie blinked and blushed when he realized how perverted the statement sounded, and if he said yes, that would sound even more perverted. "After all, I would think you'd be interested in that two piece that Carly's wearing. You've seen me in a bathing suit once…" She had various bathing suits, some two pieces and some were a one piece suit.

"Yeah, I'm not to keen on what she's wearing. I'm more interested in what people will be seeing my girlfriend wearing." Freddie smirked and Sam merely giggled at his obvious jealousy.

"So, is that you being jealous, or am I mistaken?" Sam took her fork and pierced a tomato and leaf with it, she then brought it to her mouth and began to chew.

"You know I would be insanely jealous if another man looked at you the way I do." Sam nodded her head back as Freddie took a bite of her salad.

"A feast for the eyes."

"That statement is usually used when referring to food, I don't believe you're food." Sam smirked again and took another bite of her salad.

"You never know, maybe I am, maybe I'm not." She looked into his eyes, daring him to make the comeback she knew was in his head.

"If you are food, then let me eat you so I know that you will be for me and me only."

"Ooh, nice one. I can't say I was expecting that." Freddie smirked and took another bite of the salad, Sam did the same. "Well, I _was_ thinking about wearing a two piece, but Carly insists on being prettier, so I'm going to wear a one piece. Of course, I get the feeling my boyfriend might object to me wearing a two piece bikini on the internet." She smirked and took another bite of her food. "Plus, my breasts aren't really that impressive." Freddie raised his eye and took a slow bite of his food, he had _no clue_ how to respond to that one. "I mean if you look at me, then you look at Carly, who has the bigger chest? It looks like Carly!" Freddie coughed and placed a napkin to his mouth.

"Well Sam, at the risk of sounding like a brazen pervert, I'm going to have to disagree with that. I do not believe you have a flat chest at all, rather than it is perfect the way it is." Sam placed her hand to her mouth and snickered, feeling bad to have put Freddie in a situation like that.

"Well, I can't say that was a _bad_ response."

"Yeah, but seriously Sam, don't worry about your chest size." Sam snickered again and glanced over as the waitress returned with the two entrees.

"Here you go," Tricia said while placing the plates in front of the respected customer. "Enjoy the meal, and I'll be back to check on you."

"Thank you." Tricia walked off and Freddie took a sip of his water. Sam looked at the food on her plate and grinned, there was plenty for her to eat, and enough to make her feel stuffed when she was done. Both instantly began eating, hunger soon overtaking them.

"You know Freddie, I just thought of something," Sam stated as she lightly tapped her plate with her fork. "Wouldn't it be odd if we never each individually had another date? I'm not suggesting dating someone else, but faking the whole having a boyfriend or girlfriend."

"Yeah, but there's no way to do it," Freddie said as he took a bite of his food. Sam hummed lightly and took a bite of her potato, she couldn't help but agree with him, it was far too risky to try. "The only way _to_ do it would be to get permission from mom and try to find a friend close enough that we can trust to keep their mouth shut and manage to go with that."

"Good point. By the way, did you hear your mom last night?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and watched as Sam took a bite of her steak. She swallowed and glanced up. "She seemed _really_ angry with someone. I don't think I've ever seen her so angry before!"

"Well I do get my calmness from her side of the family, actually. No, I didn't hear her, what was she upset about?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest." Sam shifted her eyes to the side in thought, recalling how Emily was shouting in the phone. "I think it was about her culture, though."

"I see…well she does have a lot of people that seem intolerant of her and her family traditions. It's really improper." Sam nodded and took a few more bites of her food, Freddie did the same. Sam looked past Freddie and spotted Jonah and Valerie entering the restaurant, her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh no, Freddie!"

"What?"

"Jonah and Valerie are here!" Freddie's eyes widened and he sat up to look over the chair, he saw the hostess leading the couple to a table near the exit. "What are we going to do? They can't see us!"

"Shh, relax. I think I'm at least out of their view, so they probably won't even know who you're here with, if you're here with anyone."

"It's still dangerous, if Valerie sees me, she'll probably want to come talk to me."

"True…" Sam looked over to see Valerie looking her way, she gave Valerie a small smile and quickly gestured at Freddie to get down. Freddie slouched slightly and Sam blinked at him.

"Wow, you look cute even when slouching…just remember Freddie, if your back's not erect, you'll get no respect."

"Hah, hah, I don't need respect from that many people." Freddie smirked and Sam raised her eyebrow. "Anyway, find a moment so I can sneak to the restroom. If Valerie comes your way…well, I guess I can just hide until it is safe."

"Good idea. I'll let the waitress know not to take your food."

"Thanks." Sam smiled and looked over at Jonah and Valerie, they were talking and looking out the window.

"Quickly, they're not looking in our direction!" Freddie nodded and quickly got up. His next move consisted of very precise and skilled dodging of waiters, food, and tables until finally reaching the bathrooms. Sam let out a small sigh and decided to move Freddie's plate closer to her, just in case Valerie came over and questioned there being two meals.

Of course, it wasn't long before Valerie did come over. Sam looked up and saw her friend standing right next to her. "Sam, what are you doing here, I didn't think you'd be here!" Sam chuckled nervously as Valerie took her seat. "That's a lot of food you have...You're eating all this?" Valerie raised her eyebrow and Sam merely nodded her head in reply.

"Yeah, it's all for me."

"Odd, Jonah said he thought he saw someone else over here, but I guess he was wrong." Valerie glanced at the glass of water on the table and raised her eyebrow. "Then again this whole seat I'm in smells like cologne, and…" Valerie looked at the glass Sam was taking a drink of. When Sam set it down, she could see smudges on the glass, as though from lip balm or lipstick. "There's no smudges on that water glass and you can tell it's been used." Valerie smirked and crossed her arms. "Sam, are you here on a date with someone?"

"Heh, not exactly…" Sam chuckled nervously and stared at the water, she knew she was in trouble if Valerie figured it out. Even still, Valerie was pretty good at keeping secrets. She had to think of a good change of conversation. "So, how is your date going?"

"Oh it's pretty great, Jonah is _such_ a romantic!" Sam chuckled and leaned back in her chair, if only Valerie met Freddie. Come to think of it, it was possible for Freddie and Jonah to rub off on each other, especially if they talked about their girlfriends. Most likely, it was Jonah affecting Freddie, since Freddie couldn't talk about his girlfriend.

"I'm glad you're so happy with him." Sam frowned and stared at the table. "If only I could have a boyfriend, but they always seem to ignore me. Actually, a lot of guys like Carly, and it seems like they like her more than they do me. It disgusts me, I'm sick of being treated like a side order!" Valerie sighed and moved over to Sam, giving her friend a hug.

"It's okay, I'm sure there will come a guy that will not treat you like that. You deserve that guy when he _does_ come." Sam smiled at her friend, Valerie was right, but she didn't know that that guy had already come for her. "Who knows, maybe Mr. Right is already here…" Valerie glanced at the glasses once more and smirked. "Perhaps said person is already here and making you feel like the greatest woman on earth. Tell me, does he put you on a pedestal? Jonah does that to me, even though we do have our disagreements." Freddie actually did do that for her, and they did have their arguments, but they always rose above them. Sadly, they had yet to experience their first kiss, and Sam was hoping they might at the end of the date.

_"Looks like that won't be happening…"_ Sam took a bite of her food and glanced over to where Jonah was. "I think your boyfriend may be getting a little lonely over there."

"He was the one that asked me to come talk to you…well, I kind of wanted to talk to you before, but was reluctant. You know, you have to love our guys, I'm sure."

"Heh, I'm still not dating anyone, Valerie." Sam knew that Valerie was good when it came to detecting lies from her best friend, but oddly she didn't seem to detect Sam lying about not dating. Valerie sighed and gave a small smile, she knew she wasn't getting anything from Sam, but she didn't really mind. If Sam was dating someone, she would tell her when she was ready.

"Oh hey, doesn't Freddie's mom practice the tradition of arranged marriage?" Sam raised her eyebrow and looked at Valerie with interest. "I bet that would be cool, depending on how she goes about it…"

"I wouldn't know. I think she judges all the girls in Freddie's life then makes a decision, after that, she may run the decision by Freddie and see what he thinks. I'm not too sure, really…that's just what I heard him talking to one of his friends about."

"Oh. Do you know if his mom has chosen anyone yet? I think her tradition starts once puberty hits, and Freddie turned thirteen months ago."

"He's almost fourteen."

"Right." Valerie looked over at Jonah and then back to Sam. "I have to get back to Jonah, we'll talk later!"

"Okay, that's fine by me." Valerie hugged Sam and then stood up, smiling softly.

"You know what would be fun to do sometime?"

"What?"

"An improvising act. I think it would be fun!"

"Improv…yeah, that would be fun. We could make everyone believe something, and we'd get our laughs from it. Anyway, I'll talk to you later, Val." Valerie nodded and hurried over to Jonah. Sam spotted Freddie peeking out of the bathroom area and staring at her, she quickly motioned for Freddie to flee the restaurant. "I'll pay the bill," Sam mouthed. Freddie sighed and slowly nodded his head, sneaking out of the restaurant. _"Heh, well, the date was _almost_ perfect."

* * *

_Well, I hope you enjoyed that chapter, drop a review and stick around for the next!


	11. Preetish: King of Love

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 11 (Preetish: King of Love)

Another few days had passed and the group was now searching for chicks that had hatched and become lost around the apartment. Freddie was searching in the upstairs apartment when he thought he found one of the chicks, but when he pulled the object out of the small car object, he found it to be an old and moldy corndog.

_"Ugh, that's where Sam hid it,"_ Freddie thought while tossing the corndog aside. "Silly, beautiful, perfect but imperfect angel…that's what she is." Freddie continued to look for the lost chicks and started to grow fidgety, he knew they had to be around somewhere. He thought about how much Sam loved animals, he knew she'd be desperate to find them. _"I wonder if she'd like to keep one of the chicks…at least until it is grown up, then we'd have to give it to a farm. She would be so sad, but at the same time thrilled to have one."_

Freddie stepped out of the loft for a second and onto the stairway, he saw Sam about to blow into a drainpipe. He was astonished when a chick came flying out of the garbage disposal via Sam's blow. _"She has some powerful lungs, that's for sure."_ Freddie then turned back into the loft and continued to search for the missing chicks, his search was halted when Sam stepped into the loft with him. "Hey Sam, you've left the others?" Sam shrugged and lifted a pillow from the ground. "I already searched there, there wasn't a chick underneath."

"Where _are_ they?" Sam asked while sitting on the pillow. "I mean come on, I don't want to lose any of them!"

"Me either, but don't worry, we're going to find them." Sam frowned and slowly stood up, she couldn't give up now. If they weren't frantically looking for the chicks, they would love having this moment alone upstairs, but they knew they didn't have a lot of time. "You know what, I don't think there are any chicks up here." Freddie glanced up at the ceiling and frowned, they definitely weren't up there. "Chicks go all over the place, though, so we'll have to check here again. I promise we'll find them all."

"Yeah, we have to. I suspect they'll all be downstairs, though." Sam lifted a blanket off of the floor and looked at it. "Yeah, no chicks here. I guess I'm the only chick in this room." Sam smirked and Freddie gave a small laugh.

"Only you would use a degrading term on yourself…" Sam looked at Freddie and smiled, she had to love how he never referred to girls, especially her, as 'Chicks' or called them 'Hot' or 'Sexy.' It was impressive, since most guys tended to use such demeaning terms when speaking to girls.

"You always know how to impress me, Freddie. Have I ever told you that?" Freddie smirked and looked at Sam while giving a shrug.

"Nope, I've never heard it before in my life." Sam laughed and tossed the blanket onto Freddie. He gripped the edges of the blanket and wrapped it around him like a cloak. "Look at me, I'm the mysterious boyfriend of Sam Puckett!" Sam laughed again, it was a joke they had referring to the fact that Valerie was so sure Sam had a boyfriend. "I hide in the shadows and wait for my beautiful girlfriend to come see me. If I am spotted, _bad_ stuff could happen."

"Freddie, enough joking!" Sam laughed again and Freddie wrapped the blanket around him more, concealing all but his eyes and nose. Sam took one look at him and started laughing up a storm. "What are you going to do if Carly comes in and sees you wrapped up in a blanket? Surely you're not going to pretend to be a pig in a blanket." Freddie took a step toward Sam and she took a step back, both of them gazed into the other's eyes until Sam felt her back touch the wall.

"If she comes up here, I will oink as _much_ as the mysterious boyfriend and pig in the blanket can oink!" Sam laughed and Freddie closed in on Sam. "Perhaps if the mysterious pig boyfriend's oink is not pleasing enough, the beautiful and mystifying blonde shall chop him up and turn him into ham!" Sam held her stomach and began laughing harder, she couldn't get enough of his jokes. "Ah, the mysterious boyfriend sees the mystifying blonde. What shall happen next, you may ask?" Sam raised her eyebrow and grinned as Freddie leaned in closely. "The mystery man shall strike and find ways to please the blonde head."

"Freddie!" Sam laughed and Freddie quickly opened his arms out wide, appearing as though he was a vampire. "Oh no! He shows himself! The mystery boyfriend commences his strike upon the unsuspecting angel!" Sam laughed and felt herself scooped against Freddie's chest as he wrapped his arm and the blanket around her. Sam's cheeks turned a light pink as she gazed up and into Freddie's eyes. "The blonde has made eye contact, and appears to have a blush on her face. Alas, the boyfriend has had an effect upon her!"

"You know, you might make a great seductive vampire…" Freddie smirked and pressed Sam against the wall, she let out a small gasp as Freddie leaned in.

"So, the mysterious boyfriend is found out to be Dracula!" Sam giggled as Freddie lowered his lips to her neck. "Perhaps Dracula will satisfy her before giving her a bite full of nothing but love."

"Careful Freddie, we don't want Carly to see me with a hickey when we get back down there." Freddie blinked and pulled his head back. That could be troublesome. They had to wonder if Carly knew Ms. Benson's culture. If so, they really couldn't reveal they were dating.

"Oh yeah, that might take some of the fun out." Freddie shifted his eyes upward slightly and then back to Sam's eyes. "It appears the vampire is overcome and enchanted by this mystifying angel's beauty." Sam laughed and decided to play along.

"Oh, dear vampire, you have caught me in your cape…whatever do you intend to do to me? I am captured and I cannot free myself."

"That would be the point, fair maiden. I cannot release you, for you are _mine!_"

"Oh, but you are just a cruel and vicious vampire lord, so powerful as well. Yet, what am I? I am but a poor village girl without much of a home to go to. Why would you choose me?"

"You are the most beautiful of all the village women that I have seen, and you have enchanted me with your beauty. I wish to kiss you and make you mine." Sam inhaled and softly exhaled, it was a moment that they both wanted. After all, half of the time they dated, consisting of before the talk with Ms. Benson and at least half a month after they were slated to be married, they exercised control. Then they decided to look for an opportunity to have their first kiss, and that was usually a rare opportunity. Hopefully, this would be it.

"Then take me, oh great vampire lord. Transform me from a mere, pitiful village laborer and into your fierce and powerful mistress. First, I will need your name!"

"I am the one known as Lord Freddie."

"Then you shall know me as Sam, a humble servant of her greatness, Madam Emily Benson. I am friend and sister to Valerie Williams and Carly Shay."

"I will transform you into my lady, you will be forever known as Lady Sam. I shall not tear you away from your life down here, but take you to live in a life of luxury, you will still be permitted to see your friends and family for as long as you shall choose."

"Then I graciously accept your transforming kiss." Then, all grew silent as Sam felt his breath hitting her face. He gazed into her eyes and his voice lowered, it appeared that their game had ended, and they were back to being Freddie and Sam. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, calling for his embrace.

"Then, we will kiss…" Freddie's heart was thumping as well, he felt as though he would have a heart attack if anything dared to interfere with this moment.

"Think about it…we might not get this moment again for a while. After this, though, perhaps we can kiss more often."

"Yeah, because we will have reached that special milestone in our relationship. You know I love you, and I know that you love me."

"No matter what, at the end of the day, we always come home to each other. So…before this moment is ruined…"

"I understand." Sam slowly closed her eyes and pressed the back of her head to the wall, she could feel Freddie's breath on her and flowing down her body. The breaths quickened as his lips continued to close in on hers. Her heart started pumping faster with each passing second. The thrill of the moment was so great, because she knew that anything could happen in the next few seconds, and whatever happened could either make or break the rest of the day, if not more. She felt him pause just when his lips were mere centimeters from hers, it was hardly the time for teasing. "I love you Sam. My Angel, my girlfriend, my fiancé, and finally, my wife…"

"Freddie." She was starting to become breathless, and her chest was slowly moving out and in. "I love you. You're my dork, my shield, my lover, my boyfriend, but we're not married yet." She just knew that he had a smirk on his face at that instant, and she wondered what he was thinking.

"Not _yet_, but we will." With that, their lips connected. Freddie released the blanket and let it fall to their feet as his grip around Sam tightened. She let out a soft moan of pleasure as she lifted her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, grabbing tufts of his hair in her hands. It felt like light was flashing near them as fireworks exploded in the sky. Warmth was being poured into their bodies and soon the fiery flames of passion began liking at their heels. It was the first and greatest shared kiss of their life, and the feel of it caused all their current worries to vanish. It was a moment that neither wanted to end, but they knew it had to. Fortunately, with the milestone taken, they could have millions more kisses just like it.

They parted lips and opened their eyes, gazing into each other's eyes. "Finally, you are mine," Freddie said in a soft voice.

"I always was, Freddie." Freddie lifted his hand and brushed Sam's hair back slightly.

"Yes, but the kiss sealed it, and I know that nobody else can ever have that." Sam chuckled softly and quickly kissed his lips. Freddie gave a contented sigh and smiled. "Still so great. It's a pity that we have to keep it secret, but that's fine, our friends don't need to hear of our first kiss."

"True." Just then, a thumping sound was heard, and both remembered the lost chicks. "Oh no! We have to go downstairs!" Freddie nodded and both of them quickly rushed out of the loft and down the stairs, seeing Duke and Carly staring at Spencer, who was, oddly enough, stuck in the heating vent. Sam knew she was going to be in a trancelike state for a bit, and Freddie would have a slight daze as well, but hopefully, nobody would notice. "What happened?"

"Did you find another chick?" Carly and Duke looked up at them, not noticing the slight glaze in their friends' eyes.

"Spencer found another chick in the heating vent!" Carly said in a quick voice. Duke continued to stare at Sam and Freddie with a stupid look on his face.

"I arrived moments ago," Duke stated in an almost robotic voice.

"Good to know," Freddie said without really caring. Sam suppressed a laugh, quickly remembering she wasn't supposed to laugh when Freddie said something funny.

-NEW SCENE-

Sam and Carly were up in the loft, and Sam was constantly remembering the moments that had transpired moments ago. She would never forget it, it was her first kiss and truly one of the most beautiful moments of her life.

"Where's the chick?" Carly asked as she glanced over at Sam. Sam shrugged and looked around, hiding her triumphant smirk. She had kissed Freddie and Carly did not. Normally, she wouldn't subject her best friend, Carly, to her triumphant grins, but she couldn't control herself this time. It was as if beating a long time enemy at something, or winning that race that you tried so hard and so long to beat. It was like one of those times when you knew it was wrong to laugh at the others, but despite all your self control, you still couldn't help but to laugh, even if it was only on the inside.

She wasn't going to laugh at Carly on the outside, it would be wrong and hurtful to do so, but she still could feel happy to know Freddie was even more, never going to go to Carly's side. Despite the fact that he couldn't anyway, and he was only acting whenever he told Carly how he felt, it still felt real at some times. So when it felt real, despite being faked, the kiss that wasn't faked was what confirmed all those fake acting moments as just that.

_"He's mine, I know he's mine, and Carly will never have him!"_ Sam thought while closing her eyes and smiling softly. She thought about how she wanted that blanket that was now positioned near the wall, in U form as it was when Freddie dropped it. It was filled with powerful memories. She would have to remember to ask Carly if she could have it, but first she needed to find the source of the chirping that now hit her ear. She looked up and saw the baby chick on the beam. "Carly! There he is!"

"What? How are we going to get up there?"

"Here, I'll boost you up." Sam cupped her hands together as Carly positioned her foot onto her hands. Sam grunted lightly as she pushed Carly up. She watched as Carly grabbed the beam and pulled herself up. Sam felt something odd on her hand and looked down, seeing gum on her hand.

"Ew!"

"What!"

"I think you had gum on your shoe."

"Shut up Sam!" Sam was taken aback, she hadn't expected Carly to snap at her. Of course, what she didn't know was Carly felt that triumphant aura that Sam was giving off, but she didn't know what had happened. All she knew was it felt as though the aura was directed against her.

"Sorry…just be careful!"

"I'm trying!" Carly spotted the chick and extended her hand. "Here chick." The chick then bit her finger and she let out a shrill scream.

"What happened!"

"He _pecked_ my finger!" Sam blinked and glanced over at the blanket, she then smiled at the memory of finally being able to share a mutual kiss with Freddie. It was the greatest experience ever, of course, it seemed to incite her hormones. Who knew how long they might have kissed and began to make out if they didn't remember the chicks.

_"Thank you, Freddie…"_

"Wipe that grin off your face!" Carly shouted. Sam quickly frowned and looked elsewhere, she needed to focus on the chick, anyway. What she didn't know was Freddie and Duke were having the same basic experience. Freddie was focusing on finding the chicks, but still becoming lost in the kiss while Duke was tearing apart the house and freaking Freddie out at every turn. It was just Duke's way of getting Freddie back to reality, and still being too dumb to question why Freddie would zone out every now and then.

_"Is Carly mad at me or something?"_ She figured Carly was just frustrated by the chicks being all over the place. She would be frustrated as well, if she didn't have the memory of her moment with Freddie to keep her calm. He always had that way about him, a way that under any given pressure, she could remain calm.

"Just walk toward me you nutty chick!" Sam looked up as Carly groaned.

"Try to grab him!" Carly moaned and rolled her eyes, annoyed by the fact that Sam seemed completely out of it. The chick glared at her and quickly ruffled its feathers.

"Gee, if only I had thought of _that_._"_ For a minute there, the girls felt as if they were speaking of something completely different than the chick. Could it be Freddie they were talking about? "Come here chick"

"Be careful!" Carly placed her hand around the chick but it didn't want to be with her, it quickly fluttered and jumped off of the beam, toward Sam.

"Sam, grab him!" Sam was right on it, she quickly leapt into the air and extended her arms, cupping her hands together. She landed on the ground and the chick landed safely in her hands.

"I got him." Sam smiled as the chick looked at her. _"Yeah, I got him. I definitely got him…"_ Sam looked up as Carly started to try to come down. "Be careful coming down." Carly rolled her eyes and then screamed as she fell off, Sam quickly covered the side of the chick and rolled slightly to the side as Carly landed next to her. Sam sighed and slowly sat up, smiling at Carly. "That wasn't careful."

"Whatever." Carly glared at her and groaned as she placed her head on the floor.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah I'm fine, let's find the rest of the chicks." Sam nodded and glanced at the blanket, smiling at the memory.

"By the way Carly, can I have that blanket over there? It's really comfortable and warm." Just like Freddie's arms. Carly looked over at the blanket and raised her eyebrow, it was the one that looked raggedy and filthy. She had no clue how it could be warm and comfortable, but two different people could see different things in the same object.

"Yeah, if you want it, go ahead and take it. I don't mind at all."

"Thanks!" Carly raised her eyebrow again and slowly shook her head, baffled by her friend's enthusiasm. Sam stood up and looked at the chick, she loved it. _"This is the one we named Yoko, but I want to rename it…so I'm going to name it Preetish. I think I remember Ms. Benson once telling me that the name Pree was given to a pet that her husband gave her, and she named it that in honor of her husband. The name means "King of Love." Her husband was the king that gave her love, and Pree was found here, which is where Freddie and I kissed…and is also symbolic of Freddie, I realize that now. Carly grabbed at him, and he flew into my hands. Carly wants Freddie, but Freddie comes to my arms instead…so this bird is Pree._"

"Okay, let's get going." Carly pushed herself up and held her hand out.

"I think I'm going to hold onto him." Carly shrugged and crossed her arms.

"Suit yourself. Let's just get him into the incubator." Sam smiled and looked down at Pree as she and Carly left the room, Pree was the lightest of all the chicks, easy to remember. As they stepped out, Carly looked at her with pitiful eyes. "Can I at least hold the bird for a little."

"Here, you can hold the bird." Sam smiled and handed Pree to Carly. They walked out and saw Freddie standing near the incubator with the other chicks.

"We found Yoko," Carly said in a happy and pleased voice.

"Preetish," Sam corrected under her breath. "His name is Pree." Freddie raised his eyebrow and looked over, Carly hadn't heard her, but he did. Sam shifted her eyes to the side and whispered once more. "And he represents my king of love…Freddie." Freddie smirked and heard Carly say for him to search downstairs for the rest while she and Sam went back up, he nodded and looked around.

_"Okay, when these chicks can come out, I'll talk to mom about bringing 'Pree' home too you, Sam."

* * *

_I hope you liked that chapter. Sam and Freddie got their first kiss, without any interruptions! Sam is also getting a pet, huzzah! Drop a review and let me know what you thought. I hope you caught the symbolism of Preetish. You shall enjoy the next chapter, at least I believe you shall.


	12. A Real Fight

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 12 (Real Fighting)

"Leave me alone, Freddie!" Sam exclaimed as they stood in the hallway of their school, it had been at least three weeks since they had saved the baby chicks. She and Freddie were having their first major fight. "I don't want to talk to you right now, just go and talk to Carly!" Freddie stepped back and his eyes were large.

"Sam! No, I will not talk to Carly!" Freddie exclaimed in return. "Besides, wasn't it _your_ idea in the first place for me to pretend to like her? What did I do anyway?" He wasn't completely sure what happened, since it all happened in a flash. He knew they both needed to calm down and relax, and he wanted to give her comfort and tell her that nothing happened. "Sam, we need to talk about this." He couldn't remember anything other than talking to Carly and trying to ignore the fact that she seemed impressed with what he was saying.

The next thing he remembered was he wasn't saying anything more to her, he had stopped talking completely. She was actually impressed by the fact that he hadn't actually said anything about liking her or made any move toward wanting to date her. Then it happened, while he was messing with his homework that was due later that day, she bent over and kissed his cheek. When he looked up, he saw a flicker of golden hair, and all he knew was he had to talk to Sam, and he had completely forgotten the fact that Carly kissed her cheek.

Sam had yelled at him about what had just happened and he said something about the fact that she had to play pretend and it was getting harder to do so. "Damn it," Freddie said as he ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated with what had just happened. "Look, Sam…about what you saw back there." Sam turned back around and glared at him. Her eyes were filled with hurt, anger, and even jealousy.

"Shut up! I can't even talk to you right now!" It wasn't like she was mad at him, she was mad at Carly. She was mad that Carly wanted Freddie, and here she was blaming Freddie for something completely out of control.

"Sam, please!"

"No! Not right now!" Freddie sighed and watched as Sam ran off toward the cafeteria, he knew it was best to give her some space.

"Damn it, Carly!" Freddie growled and quickly punched the locker next to him, angry with Carly and angry at himself for even allowing Carly to be around him. Freddie blinked and realized he had just punched a dent in someone's locker, and of course, the locker belonged to Gibby. _"Oh look, the locker to vent frustration on…"_

"Dude, are you okay?" Someone asked. Freddie turned around and saw Gibby eyeing him as well as the locker in shock. "Why did you just punch a dent in my locker!" Freddie wasn't in the mood to talk, he merely let out a small scoff and brushed past Gibby.

Sam made her way from the cafeteria and into her classroom, she was on the verge of tears and wanted to eat alone. She made it into class and sat at the desk, not caring about her surroundings. As she ate, she sobbed, and as she continued to eat, her sobs grew less. Soon, the one person she didn't want to see at all showed up. Sam looked up to see Carly staring at her with a look of disbelief on her face, Carly continued to stare at her and soon her annoyance began forming again. "What?" Sam asked as she put a spoon of her cereal in her mouth.

"You're eating breakfast in _class?"_

_"What's it to you? You wouldn't care, you'd probably lynch my boyfriend if you learned about him…Why are you kissing him even?"_ Sam shrugged and continued to stare at her. "Uh-huh." Carly then went on to scold her, which was most likely a bad idea.

"You can't just have breakfast in the middle of-is that turkey bacon!" Carly quickly sat in her seat and took a bite of bacon from Sam's plate. Sam didn't care much, she just kept trying to get the image of Carly kissing Freddie's cheek out of her head, but it wasn't doing so well. She then remembered, she didn't even want to see Freddie, so she couldn't go back home very well. She needed time to think and blow off some steam. Soon, Freddie walked up and greeted the two girls.

"I'm eating!" Freddie jumped back slightly and sighed. He still wanted to talk to her, but he knew it was a bad time. He would have to wait until later. Sam watched as Freddie sat down in front of her. _"Great, he's in front of me and she's next to me what else is there? Oh yeah! This is Mrs. Briggs's classroom."_ Sam sighed and took another bite of her food. She knew she shouldn't be angry with Freddie, he hadn't cheated on her after all, but it still hurt to see Carly kiss his cheek. She knew he was probably taking it hard as well, but now she was scared. She was scared because it was their first fight and she had no idea what would come of it.

"Why do I smell bacon?" Mrs. Briggs asked. Sam looked up and saw the teacher staring at her, as well as Carly. "Put it away!"

"Fine." Sam was angry and not thinking, so she pushed her food into Freddie's backpack, probably angering him more. "It's away." Freddie looked over at her and did not appear to be happy.

"Into my _backpack_," Freddie stated. Sam gulped lightly and wanted to apologize, but she knew he was mad and she was afraid of another fight. This wasn't play, this was real, and it hurt. Sam leaned back and gazed at the back of Freddie's head, she had to suppress her tears. Nobody was allowed to see her cry, but it was difficult not to cry. Mrs. Briggs went on to talk about Scottish Highland Dancing and soon brought some dancer into the class, but Sam wasn't paying much attention. That was quickly changed when the music started up, and Sam once more felt annoyance shoot through her. She may have been taking her anger out on too many people, but she didn't know. All she knew was the music was not going to help ease her frustration, so she booed and the entire class joined her.

"What! Stop that!" Mrs. Briggs shouted as she turned off the music. The dancer stopped and she shouted that he didn't have to stop. "How dare you children boo a dancing Scotsman!" Mrs. Briggs crossed her arms and glared at the class. "Who started the boos?" Not really wanting to get into trouble, Sam pointed at Gibby.

"I did not!" Gibby protested. Freddie narrowed his eyes and shifted his glare toward Gibby. "It was Sam!" Freddie made a threatening growl, but Gibby apparently missed it. He leaned over and looked at Sam. "I will _not_ be a victim!" Freddie growled again when Gibby turned back into his seat, apparently this time he heard Freddie's growl and quickly silenced himself.

"Sam, you have detention!"

"Fine, I'm used to it," Sam said while giving off a tired sigh. Freddie wanted to stand up and shout that it wasn't fair to give her detention, even if it was. Her detention messed with his capability to talk to her after school and make things right again. As long as she was with Carly, she wasn't going to forget. Not only that, he wanted to punch Gibby in the face as well.

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie entered his apartment and let out the frustrated shout that he had been holding in for so long. He then took off his new backpack and threw it into the couch. He wasn't angry about the backpack, he was just angry that he hadn't been able to talk to Sam at all during the day. How was he going to make things right with her if he never got any chances to talk. Not only that, he too was afraid of the first fight.

"Freddie, is something the matter?" Emily asked as she stepped into the living room. She had never seen Freddie so upset and angry, and this matter concerned her. "I see you have a new backpack…so, would you mind telling me what happened."

"Sam dumped her breakfast into my old backpack and I had to buy a new one." Freddie sat on the couch and groaned loudly while pressing his head against the back of the couch. Emily could tell that something more was bothering him, so she sat down next to him and gave him a hug.

"Tell me what's really bothering you. Did something happen with Sam today?"

"Yes." Freddie glanced to the side and narrowed his eyes. "I was talking to Carly about some homework that she wanted to know about, okay?" Emily nodded and Freddie continued on. "She said she didn't manage to understand some of it, so I was explaining the concept of how the circumference of a circle…that's not important! The important thing was apparently she was impressed. She thanked me and then kissed my cheek! Sam saw it and the we started to get into an all out argument about Carly and the whole idea of keeping the relationship secret from her and pretending to like her."

"Did you try to talk to her?"

"I tried to talk to her at every opportunity, but the first time she said she didn't want to talk to me, and most of the other times were matters of inconvenience…like her not being somewhere during lunch, or her having detention." Emily tapped her chin lightly and gave Freddie another comforting hug.

"I don't think she's mad at _you_, Freddie. She may be mad at Carly. Believe me, keeping a relationship secret and having your best friend like the person you're supposed to marry _can_ be frustrating. These are things that I know you two can rise above. Love can overcome any test at all."

"I hope it can overcome _this_. I mean…we've never had a fight before. I know that if I could talk to her, then maybe I could make things right again."

"Give her a little time and a little space, and things will work out. Trust me, _every_ couple has their first fight, and then their second, then their third-"

"Not helping, Mom." Emily sighed and gave Freddie a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"My point is, you can overcome this fight, and you can overcome anything thrown your way. You just have to trust each other and believe in your love. After all, aren't you her 'Preetish?'" Emily smirked and Freddie gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, you are. You're her King of Love."

"It sounds corny, but I really do like it."

"Right. Now give her some time and I promise you, things will get better. Right now, I know I have to go pick her up, as well as Carly." Emily sighed and held up a mask.

"What's that for?"

"I'm posing as her mother…and I need to smell up the car." Freddie laughed and Emily slowly stood up. "Sam will be with Carly for a bit, which I find odd, but she chose to do that. I know it won't be good for her, because she's going to keep replaying that scene in her head and the anger will stay there."

"Aw man! You know, times like these…Carly…ugh!" Freddie clenched his fists and Emily placed a soft hand on his shoulder.

"It's going to be okay, sweetie. Just relax, take some time to think, and then you'll be able to talk to Sam." Freddie nodded and took a deep breath as Emily left the apartment. He closed his eyes and thought about Sam, he needed to make things right, no matter what. He dreamed he was giving Sam a rose along with a paper rose, and she was smiling at him. Freddie opened his eyes and grinned, he had the perfect idea. He stood up and rushed over to the door, then he heard voices. Sam was talking about her "mom" while Carly asked if she and her mother were fighting. She was half right, that's for sure. Freddie opened the door and walked forward.

"Hey," Freddie said, of course he was still miffed.

"Hey, you missed a smelly ride home with Sam's mom," Carly said while she and Sam looked over at Freddie. Freddie laughed inwardly, knowing that it wasn't Sam's mom at all, but his own mother. Sam, of course, didn't say anything. Not thinking properly, Freddie brought up the wrong topic.

"Well I had to buy a new backpack because _someone_ dumped her breakfast down mine!" Immediately he knew that was the wrong thing to say, but it was too late. Sam turned around and glared at him.

"You're lucky I didn't dump it down your pants," Sam stated. Freddie winced and Sam turned toward the counter. To Carly, she couldn't even tell they were actually fighting. This was one time that Carly wouldn't be making her best friend feel any better at all.

"Does anyone want some iced tea?" Carly asked. Sam and Freddie both agreed and Sam grabbed three glasses. After the pant statement, Freddie seemed in the argumentative mood, as did Sam. Carly placed a lemon in Sam's glass and handed it to her.

"Aw, you see how Carly placed a lemon on my glass, how does she think of that?" Freddie then responded in a sarcastic manner. He hoped Sam would pick up on, whereas Carly wouldn't.

"Oh, because Carly's classy..."

"What? And I'm not classy?" Freddie rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Classy people don't clean out there ears with their cell phone antennas." It was meant to be a joke, but Sam didn't realize it. He was joking because Sam had done it one time during that day, and he just realized that anything that happened during the day was supposed to be dismissed.

"That was your cell phone antenna." Sam walked to the sink and Freddie quickly pulled his cell phone out. He was shocked and wondered when during that day she got a hold of his phone. Then he remembered, the only thing she said to him was when she asked to borrow his phone to call Ms. Benson earlier.

"No wonder I keep dropping calls…" Carly went on to start talking about the possibility of having people send in videos of others dancing. Sam was at the refrigerator and Freddie was picking up his drink. "Where is my straw?"

"Right here." Freddie looked over as Sam stuck the straw in her ear and then placed it in his glass. He sighed and set the drink down. He and Sam both looked away from each other, angry about what was going on. Not only that, they felt bad and feared what might happen next. It was then that Carly thought something was amiss, but said nothing. Both of her friends knew full well that if she even asked her what was wrong, they might get mad at her. Though, they were already mad enough as it was.

-NEW SCENE-

The next day, Sam made her way to her lockers and was far too frustrated to even realize which locker she was at. She started dialing the combination for her locker, but didn't realize she was one locker over, and the one she was at had a small dent in it. _"Damn locker, come on!"_ Sam thought as she frantically tried her combination. She was far too frustrated and quickly removed her backpack, unzipping it and removing a hammer from her backpack. She originally had the hammer because a teacher needed it for something, and she had forgotten to remove it whenever she made it back home. With the hammer, she began banging on the locker, soon forgetting her combination and using it to vent her frustration about the fight with Freddie.

She glanced to the side and saw Carly walking toward her, then she began hitting the locker at a slightly harder pace, frustrated even more with the memory of Carly kissing Freddie on the cheek and the thought of Carly's intolerance. She stopped when she felt Carly's stare on her, breathing a small sigh, she spoke her first word to Carly.

"Hi."

"Why?" Carly asked. She had to ask that, it was the very question that made Sam want to tell her that she was angry that Carly kissed her boyfriend. She wanted to say how Freddie was hers and Carly couldn't have him. She wanted to tell her that she was fearful and angry that Carly would be intolerant of the relationship she had with Freddie, but she didn't.

"My lock is broken, I've tried the combination ten times and it won't open."

"Oh." Sam gave a brief smile and then went on to hit the locker again with the hammer, continuing to use it to vent her frustrations on. She knew it was wrong, and Freddie most likely would tell her that she didn't need to vent her anger on a locker. Even still, it was better than the person she wanted to vent her anger on. Then, Freddie stepped next to Carly.

"Hey!" Freddie shouted out. Sam stopped and looked over at him, lowering her hammer and frowning. Carly didn't catch the sad and apologetic look that Sam had given him. Her look then turned to pain when Carly started talking to him and he turned to her. "Anyway, we got over three thousand dance clips for our segment!" Sam laughed lightly, glad that it seemed that the dance would go well. They figured they would need to watch five hundred each day until their scheduled day.

With that, Sam continued to beat the locker with the hammer, not stopping until Gibby walked up to her. "What are you doing to my locker?" Gibby asked. Freddie glared at Gibby, he wasn't sure why, but he just didn't want Gibby to talk to Sam. Sam turned around and looked at Gibby.

"This is my locker." Gibby sighed and pointed toward the locker right next to the one she had been hammering.

"No, _that's_ your locker."

"Oh." Sam walked to her locker and opened it up, tossing the hammer inside. "Sorry about that, Gibby." Freddie scowled at the statement, he was angry that Gibby had caught her attention. Of course, there was nothing he could do about it at the time, but he would talk to her soon. That was what he was hoping, because he absolutely had to make things right with her and apologize.

* * *

Well, they're having their first fight, stick around to see what happens next.


	13. Making Up

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 13 (Making Up)

During lunch, Sam went toward the cafeteria and saw Freddie sitting alone at a table. She pressed her lips together and took a step forward, but stopped when she saw Carly walking toward him. Freddie looked up, but didn't smile when Carly sat down next to him. Obviously, she was impressed that he wasn't being pushy, but the reason for it was obvious.

Sam knew that the instant Freddie started being pushy again, Carly would back away from him and start rejecting him. She figured that maybe he felt bad about their fight and so he didn't feel like pretending to like Carly. Watching her next to him, talking to him was bothering her. Despite the fact that he wasn't responding, Sam couldn't take it. She quickly turned around and decided to walk away from the scene, she needed to find a place to cry, a place to be alone and not worry about anyone seeing the "tough" one break down.

She left the building and sat down on the front steps, nobody was outside, so she didn't have to worry about anyone finding or seeing her cry. She then pulled her knees to her chest and rested her arms on top of them, burying her face in her arms. It was there that she released her tears of frustration and anger. She couldn't stand what had happened and wanted to make up with Freddie. She knew he probably didn't mean anything by what had happened, and it wasn't even his fault to begin with. She hated fighting, there was no doubt about that.

With each sob and each tear that fell, Sam cursed herself. She cursed herself for being so uptight lately, she cursed her monthly visitor, she cursed Mrs. Briggs and the school, and finally she cursed Carly. She didn't want to curse out her best friend, but it was times like these that she had no real choice but to be angry at Carly. Carly didn't know, so really she shouldn't have to be angry with her, but she was. She thought it would be easy, but apparently she was wrong. Of course it wasn't easy to keep the secret, but it had to be kept. That wasn't the hard part, though. The hard part was dealing with Carly having a crush on Freddie, and having to have him pretend to like her in order to dry up the crush she had on him.

"Why can't she just get over him? She would hate him the second she found out about his culture, wouldn't she?" Sam asked as her body shook. "Why does it have to hurt so badly? Why does she have to crush on the person that's supposed to be my future husband! Can't she like someone else?" As she sobbed, she didn't hear the door scrape open. She did feel two gentle arms wrapping around her, but they did not belong to Freddie.

"It is okay, Sam." Her eyes widened when she realized who the voice belonged to, it was Valerie. Sam gasped and looked to Valerie, hoping that her friend hadn't seen or heard anything that she just said. "You can cry, it is very healthy."

"W-What did you hear?" Valerie paused and gave Sam a reassuring smile.

"Enough to confirm what I already suspected. That's not important right now, though."

"Oh no, it's very important. This can't happen." Sam stood up and Valerie stood with her. "Our dating is supposed to be secret, nobody can know."

"I won't tell anyone about you, I promise." Sam looked into Valerie's eyes and saw that she could trust her. She always was able to trust Valerie, it didn't matter what the situation was. "I'm guessing Ms. Benson chose you to be his future wife."

"Yeah, but she chose me because we got along so well, and now we had our first fight. God, who knows what will happen. What if she chooses someone else because of this? What if he requests that she choose someone else? I _love_ him! I don't want to lose him."

"Sam. Sam, relax." Valerie placed her hands on Sam's arm and looked into her eyes. "You love him, and I believe he loves you in return. You think Jonah and I don't see that it's fake whenever we hear him talk about his love of Carly? I did a little investigation, and I've seen the looks he gives you. Girl, that boy loves you more than life itself, that's what it looks like. You're not going to lose him over a fight…hell, Jonah and I have fought at least a dozen times by now!" Sam chuckled and Valerie pulled a napkin from her pocket. "Here…"

"Thanks." Sam took the napkin and quickly dried her tears. "I wasn't supposed to let anyone see my tears…"

"It's okay. I'm your best friend, there's two people you can cry with."

"Who?"

"You're allowed to cry with your best friend, and the ones you love most."

"So, you and Freddie pretty much. Ms. Benson too, I look up to her pretty well. I mean, she treated me well over the years." Valerie smiled and gave an understanding nod. "I never did tell you about my mom…"

"We can sort that out later, first…how long have you and Freddie been together"

"Well, we've dated for a little while now, I'd say in total it has been seven months."

"Well damn, you've passed Jonah and I up already. Seven months in and you're only just now having your first fight? Jonah and I are about five months in and we've had a lot, but let me tell you what keeps us together."

"What's that?" Valerie smirked and crossed her arms.

"The fact that we love each other is really all that it takes to keep us together. Each time we fight, one of us caves in…but he usually does something to make things right with the world. He's a guy, he can't stand fighting with the one he loves without doing _something_ to make it right. A rose, a gift of some sort, anything at all and he just washes all that past stuff away. Look, do you believe Freddie cares about you?" Sam looked toward the ground and felt herself blush, she knew he loved her and would do anything for her, no matter what.

"Yeah, he loves me. It's kind of obvious, too…"

"Then I'm betting this fight has him hurting a lot and is probably causing him so much grief until he actually gets the chance to talk to you." Sam chuckled lightly and placed her napkin to her nose, blowing.

"You know, I also blame Aunt Flo…" Valerie laughed and shook her head.

"Yeah, you're going to want to explain to Freddie eventually about all that."

"I think he can do without."

"True, but anyway, don't be surprised if he plans something great."

"You know, why did I let this bother me? It wasn't bothering me before when we faked his liking of Carly, then she kisses his cheek, he doesn't react, and I'm bothered by it."

"You just explained why you were bothered by it." Valerie smirked and Sam nodded in reply.

"Maybe I should just stay away from him for the week…"

"Something tells me that's _not_ going to work. Oh, and Sam, I promise not to say a word of this to anyone, not even Jonah. Unless you want me to tell him."

"We'd have to talk to Freddie about that one…" Valerie looked up to see Freddie standing behind the front doors, looking out at them. "Sam, let's go inside."

"Yeah, thanks…but I still don't want to talk to Freddie right now."

"Understandable." The girls walked toward the door and Sam did not make eye contact with Freddie. She passed him and he looked hurt, Valerie stopped next to him and smiled softly.

"Learn how to make some chocolate, get some flowers, and talk with kind words. I suggest watching one of those chick flicks as well."

"Wait…you know about our relationship?" Freddie's jaw fell and Valerie gave a brief nod.

"I figured it out on my own, and Sam just confirmed it for me. It wasn't her fault."

"No, I'm the one that made her cry…" Freddie looked down and Valerie merely chuckled.

"No, this is the time that her aunt comes to visit."

"Wait, what?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Valerie let out a small sigh. "She doesn't have an aunt that visits regularly."

"You are but a guy…"

"Yeah, I figured that out when I was born, but it doesn't tell me anything." Valerie smiled and turned toward Freddie, crossing her arms.

"Let me explain all about it, and what you should do for Sam."

-NEW SCENE-

That night was the night to review the dancing clips, and everyone was tired. Sam was still irritable and Freddie was still slightly upset, but at the same time calm and shocked by what he had learned from Valerie. He now knew what he had to do to try and be the perfect boyfriend and future husband for Sam, and he was going to take her by surprise. He hadn't even paid attention when Carly commented on a dance, and Freddie said the same thing she had said. "Weird you would agree with Carly," Sam said while giving off a slight moan. Freddie raised his eyebrow and looked over.

"Weird you would say that…" The clips continued until a good looking guy came on the screen and caught the girls' attention. Freddie groaned and rolled his eyes at the person who was named Zeke. The fact that Sam just moved forward bugged him, though he knew she was just playing along with Carly so that her friend wouldn't suspect anything. "I don't like him." Carly gasped and looked over at Freddie, shocked that he would actually say something like that about such a good looking guy. Sam merely looked over at Freddie and smiled slightly, knowing that the reason he was jealous was because of her.

"Are you insane!" Carly said in a quick voice. "He's totally hot!"

"That boy's got moves," Sam said in an impressed voice. Freddie groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Please, he's a total nub!" As the clips went on, everyone's positions changed on the couch and soon they all had fallen asleep. Each of them were starting to have weird dreams. Yet, it was only Carly's face that had a look of pleasure. Sam and Freddie were both having nightmares. In Sam's dream, it involved her losing control with a bunch of Scottish Highland Dancers, ending with Freddie leaving her for some reason.

Inside Freddie's dream, he couldn't control anything. Instead, he was dreaming about Carly, and having a dance off with Zeke. He was screaming, unable to control what he was doing. His eyes shifted frantically for Sam, but he could see her nowhere, and this troubled him. Where was she? Why was she gone? Toward the end of the dream, it looked like he and Carly were about to kiss. He quickly opened his eyes and stifled the scream that had come out. His chest heaved and he looked over to see Carly lying on top of Sam. That was it, he couldn't stand it any longer. No more would this fight be happening, he was ending the fight at that very moment.

Sam opened her eyes and saw that Freddie had left the apartment, she raised her eyebrow and slowly moved from Carly. Carly's position had changed and she was now sleeping while sitting straight up. Sam slowly walked toward the door and carefully opened it, making sure Carly did not awaken. She slowly slipped out of the room and closed the door. "Freddie?" Sam asked in a hushed one.

She stepped across the hall and placed her hand on her home apartment door, getting ready to enter it. She stopped when she felt someone tap her shoulder. Quickly she turned around, ready to defend herself if she had to, but she was surprised to see that it was only Freddie. Her breath shortened as she gazed into Freddie's eyes, she didn't want to fight any longer. Freddie smiled softly at her and placed his hand on her back, causing her to raise her eyebrow. He covered her eyes with one hand and led her around the corner. "Freddie, where are you taking me? Listen, I don't want to fight anymore! It's not your fault, I shouldn't have gotten upset."

"Hush, Sam," Freddie said while whispering. Sam quickly silenced herself and felt Freddie stop her. He then removed his hand from her eyes and she spotted a stuffed bear with a heart sitting on the ground. It was surrounded by a large number of strategically placed roses. In front of it and the roses sat a tray of chocolate fudge. She was shocked, she didn't know what to say, so Freddie decided to speak the next words. "I don't want to fight anymore, either. I shouldn't have let Carly kiss me, and I should have paid attention to how she was acting. It's not important anymore. I love you."

"Freddie…how, where did you find the time…" Freddie handed her what appeared to be an empty cone.

"The flowers that belong in here are around the bear, I placed them there for you. I want you to collect them." Sam nodded and proceeded to collect the roses, carefully placing each one inside and completing the bouquet. She noticed a total of twelve roses. Eleven of them were real, and the final was a beautifully crafted paper rose. Sam turned around to Freddie and he smiled at her. "I will love you until the last rose in that dozen die." Of course, it meant forever, because the paper rose would not die. Sam smiled and felt tears starting to fall from her eyes.

"Freddie, thank you so much." Sam sniffed and quickly gave Freddie a hug, thankful that their fight was finished. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug and gently kissed her forehead. With that, they stood in place for the next few minutes, not daring to leave or ruin the moment. They knew they would eventually head back into Carly's apartment, but they wanted to have some time alone. Sure, many more fights would come, but at least both of them knew that they could easily overcome those fights. Sam would also be sure to talk Carly into gaining a crush on other guys, just in case Freddie didn't want her, and he didn't.

* * *

I hope you liked that chapter. They've made up, and they're going to consider getting Carly interested in other guys. Now, read my author note right down there.

A/N: **READ THIS: Okay, I've been getting complaints about Carly "looking bad" AGAIN. Let me get one thing straight here. In the show, Freddie "loves" Carly. I HAVE TO WORK THAT INTO THE STORY SOMEHOW. The only way is to fake his love for her. Keep in mind, Carly is against arranged marriage because of her grandfather, as you'll see him later. Chapter 21 "meeting the tyrant." That's the only info I'm giving on future stuff. I AM NOT TRYING TO MAKE HER COME ACROSS AS BAD, I LIKE CARLY. Keep in mind also that yes, Freddie is annoyed with her and Sam is hurt by her liking him. This is not bad, this is NORMAL. In any relationship, there will be that hurt, or jealousy if a best friend happens to like the person that you are with. Freddie and Sam cannot tell Carly because, as you'll find, Carly is close to her grandfather. Also keep in mind that Carly DOES NOT KNOW SAM AND FREDDIE ARE TOGETHER, she doesn't know that Sam likes Freddie. So she's not "shoving it in Sam's face" or anything, it is the equivalent of a best friend talking to another about a crush. So please, stop complaining about Carly and just enjoy the story. I can't do anything about how Carly is being perceived. All I can say is in the future she will get better. Before things can get better, they may get worse. Just please bear with me and try your best to enjoy the story if you can. Thank you to everyone who is reviewing this so far, I'm glad to have your reviews!  
**


	14. Perfect Moments

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

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Chapter 14 (Perfect Moments)

Sam awoke from her slumber at Carly's place, she was sleeping on a blanket laid on the ground. She hadn't put a blanket over herself, but there was one. It was the same blanket that had been wrapped around her when she shared her first kiss with Freddie. The stuffed teddy that he gave her was with her as well, a sign that Freddie had been by during the night.

_"God he never ceases to amaze me,"_ Sam thought as she slowly stood up from her position. She grabbed the blanket and the bear, wondering what time it was. It seemed that it was only two in the morning, so she had been asleep for probably one hour. She looked over at Carly and smiled, she wasn't angry at her anymore, so Carly didn't have to worry about the possibility of her friend snapping at her. _"I kind of feel bad; she didn't even know I was angry with her."_

Sam slowly stepped out of Carly's bedroom and walked down the stairs, she wanted to be with Freddie, even though she knew he was most likely asleep. She slowly crept to the front door and opened it, stepped out, then walked into the Benson's apartment. She closed the door and locked it. She slipped by her own bedroom and glanced in to see the moonlight shining in to touch the bouquet of flowers and the brownies that Freddie made for her. He told her that he skipped the last few hours of school, which actually surprised her even more. To think he'd skip school just to make things right with her.

She smiled softly and carried the blanket and the bear into her room, placing them neatly around the bouquet and chocolate. She started to walk out and stopped when she heard footsteps, possibly belonging to Emily. Someone opened a refrigerator and then closed it. Sam waited for about five minutes before exiting her bedroom and heading for Freddie's. She slowly opened his door and smiled as she looked to him, her beloved fiancé lying asleep in his bed. She didn't want to wake him, so she carefully closed the door and slowly crawled into his bed, cuddling close to his chest. She curled up slightly and started to close her eyes, opening them only when she felt Freddie's arm around her waist.

"Hey Sam," Freddie whispered softly. Sam smiled and shivered when she felt him gently kiss her neck. "Aren't you supposed to be asleep at Carly's right now?" Sam felt the bed shift as Freddie leaned his upper body slightly off the bed and over her so she could gaze up into his soft and gentle eyes. "I'm guessing you couldn't sleep well, either."

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep. I wanted to find you. I also noticed you put Teddy next to me, along with the blanket." Freddie smiled and gently kissed Sam's forehead.

"I'm surprised I didn't wake Carly, but I was trying to be as quiet as possible."

"Carly is a very hard sleeper. Speaking of her, can we never fight about her again?"

"I won't fight about her if you don't want me to. Besides, I don't want to fight, and I don't think you do either. Sam, if you want me to stop pretending to like Carly, I'll gladly do it, and you know that."

"Yeah, but we can't stop or else that crush will develop more…I mean, she doesn't like it when you're pushy, but she likes it when your not. If I tell her not to have a crush on you, she'll think I'm trying to steal you away, and I'm not." Freddie chuckled lightly and kissed Sam's cheek.

"How can you steal me away when you already have me?"

"Good point!" Sam turned her body so her back was on the bed and she could look up at Freddie. "If I tell her that you're my boyfriend and the one meant to be for me, then she's going to get angry at me, and I don't want to lose my best friend."

"Yeah, that's true. Especially don't lose your best friend over a mere and insignificant boy, right?" Freddie smirked and Sam giggled lightly.

"You're not insignificant. You're the most important guy in my life right now, and you always will be."

"Well that makes me feel better."

"I'm glad. You know, she's also probably going to get mad at me for lying and being involved in arranged marriage..."

"There is a good reason that you had to lie to her. One, you didn't want her to have a crush on me, but you can't tell her that we're dating because of her father and grandfather. If you told her, you know she would probably be excited that you have a boyfriend and would tell Spencer."

"Yeah, and Spencer would probably tell his father…"

"Of course, since Mom does say that Mr. Shay asks Spencer about us me all the time." Sam nodded slightly and closed her eyes, relaxing.

"I still can't believe you would actually cut class to bake fudge for me."

"I would do a lot of things for you, Sam. None of which I could ever think to do for Carly."

"In a way, I'm glad for that." Freddie chuckled and lay back on the pillow. Sam turned onto her side and gazed into Freddie's eyes. "I don't know how you do it…how is it you manage to be so amazing to me?"

"The trick is simple, I love you. I love you more and more each passing day, so I want to do something to sweep you off your feet each time." Sam smiled and Freddie gently kissed her lips.

"You don't know it, but you make me fall deeper in love with you whenever you're near." Freddie lifted his head and moved his lips over Sam's ear and whispered.

"That's my goal; I want to please my Angel more than anything." Sam blushed lightly and Freddie moved back. "I promise you, unless you say so, Carly will never kiss me again. Though she might try, I'll move away from her if I have to."

"I won't worry, I know she'll do it again, but that's because of her crush on you. Though I can probably try and talk her into looking for other guys, just in case she can't win you." Freddie smirked and brushed a strand of hair from Sam's face.

"I think that would be a great idea. Oh, and we may want to talk to Valerie about her knowing the secret."

"She's my greatest friend, so I believe her when she says she won't tell anyone. Now, if she says she won't tell Jonah, then she's definitely honest." Freddie nodded and closed his eyes, thinking for a brief moment.

"Perhaps we should let Jonah know, so Valerie doesn't feel guilty for keeping stuff from him. Besides, it might be fun…we could actually double date, and they could even be fun for the role playing."

"Oh yeah, you're right. I love role playing, especially if it's with you." Sam smiled softly and brought her hand up, running her hand through Freddie's hair. She thought telling Jonah and Valerie would be okay, especially since they were the better friends and could be trusted with keeping secrets. "Valerie is actually pretty skilled at role playing. I'm guessing she does it with Jonah all the time, just like you and I do. Though, we haven't done any role playing for a while…" Freddie smirked and stood up from the bed. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Just a second…" Freddie stepped out of the room and Sam slowly stood up from the bed, sighing and crossing her arms. She rolled her eyes and smiled while glancing over at a desk near the wall. She started to walk over to the wall and stopped when she heard the door fly open; she quickly looked over and saw Freddie with his shirt pulled up. She giggled as Freddie eyed her. "Hello, I am the one known as the Midnight Bandit!" Sam laughed again as Freddie took a step forward. "I shall swing by during the night when you least expect it and I will take whatever I feel suitable for me!"

"Oh my, and what will you take from me tonight, dear bandit?" Sam smirked as Freddie took another step toward her.

"Do you have any precious jewels?" Sam tapped her chin and shook her head.

"No sir, but if I did, I would surely give them to you. For, you are a most fearsome bandit." Freddie took another step closer and narrowed his eyes, eyeing the necklace around Sam's neck. She saw his gaze and quickly placed a hand over her necklace. "No, you mustn't take my necklace! It means the world to me!"

"I see." Freddie's eyes danced with joy, since he knew it was the necklace that was supposed to symbolize that she was his. "Then I shall _not_ take your necklace, for I am not a cruel-minded bandit. Yet, I absolutely _must_ take something, for I can never leave empty handed." Sam blinked and looked at a paper on the desk, she quickly grabbed it and held it up.

"Then take this! This is the deed to my summer house, I'll gladly give it too you if you do not hurt me."

"I am no villain either, I will not hurt you, nor will I remove the deed to your home." Freddie took the paper from Sam's hand and placed it on the table. "No, I do not want the deed to your summer house, for it is not valuable enough to me."

"Then _what_ do you want, Midnight Bandit?" Freddie smirked and stepped inches away from her body.

"The one thing that would be most valuable to me, it is more precious than the finest diamond. I want your heart." Sam let out a gasp and Freddie circled to her back while placing his hands on her waist. "Tonight, the midnight bandit shall steal your heart and take it for his own."

"No, for I must give my heart to my beloved…I cannot allow you to have it!" Freddie then placed his hands on Sam's arms and turned her around, gazing deeply into her eyes.

"Who is this beloved one that you wish to give your heart to? Let me know who it is that I am robbing."

"Oh, he is a wealthy man in this town. His name is Lord Freddie Benson! He is the greatest of all men in this town."

"Aha, but you do not know the identity of the midnight bandit." Sam cocked her eyebrow and Freddie placed his hand over the shirt covering his mouth and nose, he pulled it down and Sam let out a shocked gasp. "For it is I, your beloved." With that, Freddie pulled Sam close and graced her lips with his. They held the kiss for five seconds before Freddie pulled back. "Now, I have taken your heart as my own, you are _mine_." Sam laughed lightly and gave Freddie a quick peck on the lips for giving her a great time just then.

"Let's get to bed so we don't wake your mom, 'Bandit.'" Sam snickered and Freddie shrugged his shoulders.

"That'd be fine with me. So, do you want to talk to Jonah and Valerie tomorrow?"

"Yes, I believe they're good at keeping something like our relationship a secret, but only they should know. After all, Jonah's only going to know because Valerie found out."

"Yeah, she caught me crying and heard me talking about you pretending to like Carly." Freddie nodded in understanding; he could see how Valerie would have figured that one out. "I hate crying, it just feels weird."

"You're only human, and all humans cry. Though, I'd hate to have you crying over me." Sam nodded and both climbed back into the bed. "You think Carly would wonder why you are gone?"

"Nah, I'll think of something in the morning."

-NEW SCENE-

Emily awoke in the early morning and moved to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee, she took a mug from off of the counter and grabbed the coffee pot. Once she finished pouring the coffee, she walked toward Freddie's bedroom to check on him. She slowly opened the door and saw Sam curled up next to Freddie; she smiled softly and walked over to her.

"Sam, wake up," Emily whispered. Sam slowly opened her eyes and yawned. Sam blinked and looked up at Emily, her eyes growing wide.

"We didn't do anything at all, Ms. Benson!" Sam said in a quick voice, hoping that Emily didn't think they did anything more than just cuddle and fall asleep with each other. "I just couldn't sleep well, so I came and cuddled next to Freddie." Emily smiled and watched as Sam slowly stood up, she didn't mind at all, since she suspected the couple wouldn't be having sex or anything.

"So, have you two fixed your differences?"

"Yeah, we're not fighting anymore." Emily then gave Sam a hug and patted her back.

"I'm glad. You may want to go over to Carly's, so she doesn't see you missing and wonder where you've gone."

"Oh yeah, I'll do that right now. But…" Sam looked at Freddie and smiled at him. "Ms. Benson, we're going to talk to Jonah and Valerie, because Valerie found out about our relationship."

"Oh. Well, do you trust them not to get involved in a bad way or to tell anyone else?" Sam looked back to Emily and nodded.

"Freddie and I talked about it and we trust them entirely."

"Then feel free to tell them."

"Thanks." Sam quickly rushed out of the room and out of the apartment, crossing the hall and entering Carly's apartment. She walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of milk, then she pulled out a glass and poured the milk. As she took a sip of her drink, she saw Carly walking down the stairs. "Good morning, Carly."

"Hey Sam," Carly replied. "I was just wondering where you went."

"I woke up and needed a drink." Sam put the carton back into the refrigerator and looked at Carly with a large smile. She then hugged her, baffling her friend. The reason for the hug was because Sam wasn't mad at Carly any longer, and she wanted to make sure Carly didn't feel any kind of odd feelings.

"So, I guess you had a good sleep." Sam smiled and nodded, it was better than Carly would ever know.

"It was perfect." She normally wanted to tell Carly all the details, but she couldn't. If she could, she would have said how Freddie was romantic and gave her tons of gifts. Then she would have talked about how she went to cuddle with him and then they did a little role playing before finally falling asleep. "It was the best sleep I've ever had."

"I'm glad you had a nice sleep…" Carly was shocked, since Sam was sleeping on the floor. "Maybe that floor is more comfortable than I thought."

"Mmm, well that's for me to know, my friend…" Carly raised her eyebrow and watched as Sam closed her eyes and made a small humming sound. She was officially getting freaked out. "Yeah, I had a really great dream."

"Tell me all about it?" Sam chuckled lightly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh, this mysterious bandit calling himself the 'Midnight Bandit' came into my room at night and he swept me off my feet, taking my heart for his own."

"Wow, sounds like a nice dream."

"It _was_." Sam walked off, smiling at the memory of the previous night. She would be able to tell Valerie about it later, it would be nice to actually be able to talk to someone about it. _"I'm sorry that I can't tell you, Carly, but we just can't risk it."_

"Sam, can I tell you something?" Sam raised her eyebrow and looked over at Carly. Carly seemed to be happy about something that had happened, Sam knew exactly what Carly was going to say and quickly slumped into the couch. "A couple days ago, I kissed Freddie on the cheek!" Carly walked over to the couch and sat down, thinking Sam would want to hear all the details. "Look, I know you hate him…" Sam rolled her eyes and glanced to the side, trying to distract herself from the conversation.

"Well, I'm glad you managed to do that."

"Yeah, but he left the room right after that, it was weird. I thought he would appreciate it. I mean, he's cute and all, and he has been less pushy late-" Just then the door swung open and Freddie stepped in.

"Hello wonderful Carly!" Freddie exclaimed in a loud voice. Sam had to contain her laughter as Carly merely scrunched her face up. "I love you and need you like I don't know what. Our love would impact like a meteor hitting the earth!" Sam and Freddie both got the meaning behind that, it meant for Carly to love him, it could destroy their entire world. Freddie walked toward Carly and shifted his eyes over to Sam, smirking.

It was a skillful glance, one that made it look like he was still looking at Carly. She thought he was looking at her, but Sam could tell he was looking her way instead. "I love you more than you could ever imagine. Let's go out in the hall and make out." Sam blushed at the statement while Carly cringed.

"Okay, that's pushing it," Carly said while standing up. "No! I don't want to. Ugh, I'm going to take a shower for a bit. You two try not to kill each other while I'm gone." Carly walked off and Freddie continued to smirk at Sam.

"So, do you want to go into the hall and make out?" Sam laughed lightly as Freddie sat next to her. He draped his arm around her shoulders and grinned. "Mom told me you came over here, so I just had to come. By the way, how long do we have until she gets out of the bathroom?"

"She usually takes about ten to twenty minutes. I think Spencer's asleep, he doesn't usually wake up until noontime."

"Oh, well talk about a thrill." Sam raised her eyebrow and Freddie smirked suggestively. He placed his hand on her thigh and pulled her over to sit on his lap.

"What are you doing?"

"Kissing you." Sam smiled and closed her eyes as Freddie's lips met hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed as he started to kiss her neck. He then moved his lips back to hers and leaned forward. She pulled down on him and the two fell backwards on the couch. She lowered her arms to his back and slowly traced his back muscles with her fingertips. She then dug her nails into his shirt and groaned softly.

Their make out session lasted for about five minutes before they heard the shower in the bathroom turn off, both of them instantly broke free from each other and continued to gaze into each other's eyes. Sam was blushing like crazy and looking slightly downwards. She didn't even know what to say, but she could say that she enjoyed the thrill of what had happened. "I think she ended the shower early…that's actually rare." She knew that wasn't a good topic starter, but she really had no other things that she thought she could say.

"Yeah, who knew we could get such a thrill out of the whole secret thing." Sam chuckled lightly and Freddie placed his hand under her chin, tilting her head slightly. "You're just too hard to resist, it is impossible for me to resist you." Sam chuckled nervously and glanced behind Freddie, hoping Carly wouldn't walk in.

"So, what are when are we going to talk to Jonah and Valerie?"

"I was thinking about asking them during school if they would like to join us at Hunan around five, if you think that works."

"Yeah, that works. Speaking of school, I need to get ready."

"Yeah." Freddie heard footsteps and smoothly sank back on the far end of the chair, he glanced over as Carly entered the living room.

"Oh look, you two haven't killed each other yet, I'm amazed," Carly said while crossing her arms and smirking. Neither Sam nor Freddie wanted to insult each other, even if it was just playacting. It just wouldn't fit with their current mood. Fortunately Sam's red face had gone down enough so that Carly didn't tell she was blushing. Freddie slowly stood up and walked to the kitchen, so Sam chose that moment to talk to Carly.

"Carly, can I ask you something?" Sam asked while looking up.

"Sure."

"Is your focus only on idiot boy over here? I mean, personally, it just seems so stupid to bother." Carly sighed and glanced over at Freddie, she knew Sam had a point.

"As pushy as Freddie is…"

"Do you think you'll ever date him?"

"Not when he's this pushy, I mean god it's annoying!"

"Well, his pushiness will probably go away over time, you know."

"Yeah, but who knows how long it'll be." Sam smiled softly and stood up, giving her friend a hug.

"I understand how you feel, but maybe until then, it would be okay to date other guys. Who knows, maybe Freddie will feel jealous and realize that in order to win you over, he needs to stop being so pushy."

"You think that will work?" Sam didn't want to say anything, she already felt like a bitch, even though Freddie told her she wasn't. He and Emily, as well as Valerie had told her that it was okay for her to act defensive when it came to him. They were already in too deep, so she needed to turn Carly's sights on other guys, it was the only way to not hurt her friend and feel like a bitch.

"Maybe it will, maybe it won't, you never know unless you try."

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I hope you liked the chapter, drop a review, I love reviews! They make me get up on a table and dance like there is no tomorrow! Okay, maybe they don't, but drop a review anyway. Also, check out a the poll in my profile concerning this story.


	15. Double Date

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

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Chapter 15 (Double Dating)

Sam woke and found Emily sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast, she smiled and sat down with her. "Good morning Sam," Emily said while smiling.

"Hey Ms. Benson, how are you?"

"I'm good." Emily took a bite of the cereal she was eating and swallowed. "You know, I got to thinking about something the other night…" Sam raised her eyebrow as Emily picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth. "Whenever you call me Ms. Benson, it makes me sound old. You're practically married to my son, so are you going to call me that for the rest of your life?" Sam laughed lightly and crossed her arms.

"Well, you are like a mom to me, but that might sound weird…maybe I can call you Emily?"

"Either one is fine, dear." Emily smiled at Sam and took a drink of her milk. "As long as it's not Ms. Benson or anything else that makes me feel old. Under this roof, don't call me that…" Sam and Emily both laughed and leaned back in their chairs.

"Okay mom, we have a deal." Sam smiled and moved over to give Emily a hug. "Freddie and I are going to talk to Jonah and Valerie, by the way."

"Oh, I hope it goes well for you."

"Yeah, I think they'll be very accepting. I mean, they _are_ our best friends!"

"Keep in mind, Carly's your best friend too, but that damn grandfather of hers has her wrapped around his wrinkly little finger." Emily sneered and Sam merely frowned. "That damn father of hers isn't much better, the spineless coward…"

"I'm sorry." Emily shook her head and smiled at Sam.

"Don't worry, just be on your way and have fun, you don't want to be late for school!" Sam nodded and ran off, missing the tear rolling down Emily's face. _"Damn you, Robert…"_

-NEW SCENE-

"Now I have to be pushy when I act jealous?" Freddie asked as he raised his eyebrow. He and Sam were sitting in the back end of the library, where nobody could see them and people rarely went to. "Why do you want to give her the image of me being jealous?" Sam sighed and rested her face in her hands as she placed her elbows on the table.

"I don't know," Sam said in a quiet voice. "I just don't want to act like a bitch, and here I think I am. I mean, did I just build up false hopes in my best friend?" Sam placed her hands on the table and groaned loudly, she didn't want to be the bad guy. Freddie smiled at her and placed his hand on top of hers. She shifted her eyes from the table and looked into his soft and comforting eyes. "I mean, I feel so bad…"

"Sam, you not wanting to be a bitch already shows that you aren't. If you were one, you wouldn't even care. Hell, you would most likely tell Carly straight in her face that she couldn't have me." Sam sighed and Freddie continued to caress her hand with his. "Believe me, you wanting to help her find another guy is not acting like a bitch. Not only that, you have a right, you're afraid of what Carly would say if you were to tell her we're supposed to get married. Guess what, I don't know if you had much choice other than to tell her that looking at other guys would make me jealous…because if you had simply said look at other guys and forget about me, she might have figured something out."

"I guess so. You know, that was actually pretty fun this morning." Sam smiled and Freddie gave a brief nod, he enjoyed that moment as well. "I don't think I've ever gotten that much of a thrill from something so secret. I mean, Spencer could have walked in at any time if he had awakened, and Carly…well she turned the shower off early. It was just really thrilling. Also, last night was fun too, I mean, the way you came in like that, I didn't even know we were role playing until a little bit after you entered!"

"I'm glad to please you." Freddie smirked and raised an eyebrow suggestively. "I'm also glad to seduce you." Sam laughed and Freddie lifted her hand, kissing it with his lips. "So, do you feel better now?"

"Yes, I do."

"You know what? I know Jake and his girlfriend had split up, how would you like me to talk to him about Carly? I know that since he broke up with Stephanie, he has told me that he thought Carly was attractive. If she knows he thinks she's attractive, then maybe she'll get a little crush on him."

"Would you seriously subject one of your best friends to that? Not that it's bad or anything, I just think you wouldn't want to do that."

"No, I feel it's fine, especially since he told me he thought she was good looking. Yet, I know his ex girlfriend and he had a great standing relationship, so there's still a chance that they could get back together." Freddie chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "Now I know why they say not to meddle in the affairs of love and romance, but we need to get Carly to stop crushing on me. In fact, getting her a boyfriend would help considerably."

"Yeah, it would, and I know a lot of guys actually like her." Sam looked over and frowned when she spotted a clock, class would be starting soon. "I'm going to leave now, I'll see you in class."

"Yep, see you then." Sam leaned over the table and kissed Freddie's lips, she couldn't get enough of his kisses. Freddie watched as Sam slowly stood up and started to walk away, she turned around and waved at him before turning back and leaving. He closed his eyes and let out a small sigh, he wondered how different things would be if their relationship were to be tolerable.

He stood up from the table and started walking away, thinking about how he must be the luckiest man in the world. He saw how some people looked at Sam, but they could never have her. She would reject them all, but only because she loved him and would never stray. Freddie placed his hands in his pocket and smiled as he left the library, he glanced down the hall and saw Jonah walking in his direction. Jonah spotted him and quickly walked to him.

"Hey dude," Jonah said while grinning. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, but I do have a request for you." Jonah raised his eyebrow and Freddie folded his arms over his chest. "I would like you and Valerie to meet me at Hunan after school, say…around five. It's going to be a double date with me and the greatest girl in the universe."

"Oh, don't tell me you're making us join you as you date Carly," Jonah said while smirking. He laughed and Freddie let out a small groan. He knew full well it wasn't Carly, but he didn't mind teasing his friend about that. "So, you have a girlfriend I don't know about? Nice one, dude. I can't wait to meet her, that is…if Valerie and I haven't already met her."

"We'll see dude. See you later." Freddie smirked and walked toward class, Jonah chuckled lightly and continued to his destination. Both of them were thinking the same thing, how something great was probably going to happen after school. After all, double dating for the first time was definitely interesting, and they were going to the greatest Chinese buffet restaurant ever. Well, at least Hunan was their favorite place to eat, everybody could be satisfied. All they had to do was make it through a boring school day.

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie entered Hunan and walked over to the hostess, she looked up at him and smiled as he held up four fingers. "There are going to be four of us, it's a double date," Freddie said while smiling. "My date hasn't arrived yet, she and I arrive separately. I am Freddie Benson, and the others know to ask for me. We would like a booth, please." The hostess smiled and grabbed for wrapped up napkins.

"Right this way, sir," The lady said as she turned around. "This will be the buffet, or do you want menu items?"

"The buffet is good."

"Okay." The hostess led him to a table and he quickly sat down. He wouldn't get his food just yet, he needed to wait on the others. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table and watched the door. He waited until finally, Sam entered the doors. He smiled and she looked over at him, smiling as well. As she walked toward him, he stood up to meet her. He placed his hands on her sides and softly kissed her lips.

"Good to see you," Sam said as she sat down at the table. "Are we going to wait on Jonah and Valerie?"

"Yeah, there's no reason to begin without them." Freddie sat down across from Sam and gazed at her, admiring her beauty. Sam glanced up and smiled, she couldn't help but love when she felt his eyes upon her. The waitress came by and asked what they wanted to drink. Sam asked for water and Freddie did the same. The waitress smiled and walked off to get the drinks and Sam started to move from her seat. "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah, I have to use the bathroom. I forgot to go before coming here, sorry." Sam gave Freddie an apologetic look and Freddie merely shrugged it off. "I'll be back soon. Don't start without me."

"I won't." Sam smiled and hurried to the bathroom. Freddie looked over at the door and watched as people entered and exited. Soon, Jonah and Valerie entered the door, they looked over at him and walked toward the table. "Hey guys, I thought you two would never show up!" Jonah laughed and sat next to Freddie, the guys wanted to sit across from the girls. They enjoyed gazing at their girlfriends and partaking in their beauty.

"Yeah, so where is this beautiful and amazing girl you told me about?" Jonah smirked and raised his eyebrow. Valerie chuckled lightly and Freddie smiled, knowing Jonah was probably in for a shock.

"She's in the bathroom."

"Oh, then she shouldn't be long," Valerie stated as the waitress stepped by the table. Valerie and Jonah looked up and each asked for some water. The waitress smiled and walked off. Jonah then glanced to Valerie and raised his eyebrow.

"Have you met his girlfriend already?" Jonah asked.

"Well, you could say that. I'm sworn to secrecy, so I can't tell you until they want me to." Jonah laughed and nodded with understanding.

"Well, we did suspect Freddie had a secret girlfriend. Just who we suspected as his girlfriend…" Jonah smirked and Freddie placed his hands behind his head, closing his eyes and smiling.

"Nope, you're not getting anything out of me yet," Freddie said while grinning. He was thinking about Sam and how ravishing her beauty was. Her beauty, her personality, her smile, her eyes, and everything about her was just intoxicating to him. Jonah and Valerie stared at him for a minute and both chuckled at the sight.

"You're thinking of her right now, aren't you?"

"Yep." Freddie opened his eyes and glanced over to see Sam leaving the bathroom area. He watched her golden curls bounce with her every step. He loved watching the way her hair bounced and swept across her face, it was hypnotic. "Well you two are in luck, she's coming. My beautiful, golden haired angel…" Freddie sighed contently and watched as Sam looked toward him and smiled. Jonah glanced up and his mouth formed a smirk.

"Well I'll be damned, we were right," Jonah said triumphantly. Valerie turned her head and smiled at Sam. Sam smiled back at the group and Valerie quickly got out of the seat, letting Sam scoot in so she could sit across from Freddie. "So Freddie, you didn't want to tell your best friends that you were dating Sam? How could you leave out such a splendid detail? That means you and I are definitely the two luckiest guys in the world."

"Oh hush, Jonah," Valerie said while blushing.

"Well, I have to agree," Freddie stated while nodding. "I don't think there's another girl more beautiful than my Sam."

"No other girl more radiant than my wonderful goddess." Valerie and Sam both blushed as the waitress came by and set everyone's water on the table.

"Okay, let's go ahead and get our food. We can talk when we're back." The others nodded and walked to the buffet. The one thing they loved about Hunan that always surprised them was the restaurant served BBQ ribs. They never knew a Chinese restaurant served those, and their ribs were probably the best ribs they'd ever had. So each person made sure to get a plate of a few ribs.

Freddie and Sam both picked up their favorite item from the buffet, sweet and sour chicken. Jonah and Valerie took some orange chicken, which was their personal favorite. The couples continued to fill their plates with food, and once finished, they headed back to the table. Once they were all settled, they began their conversation. Valerie took a bite of food and then recalled the memory of walking in on Sam's date, she frowned and looked over to Sam.

"Let me guess, Freddie was that date that you had at the Cotton Patch, wasn't he?" Valerie asked while feeling ashamed of herself. Sam looked at her and shrugged.

"Don't worry about it."

"Aw, don't tell me I ruined my best friend's date," Jonah said while looking over at Freddie. Freddie chuckled nervously and shook his head.

"Nah, you guys are okay," Freddie replied. "Actually, I found the whole thing thrilling. Sam and I both laughed after we got home." Valerie placed her hand to her chest and sighed.

"Okay, I'm glad you guys forgive us," Valerie responded.

"Yeah, we'd hate to see our best friends mad at us for ruining their date," Jonah said as he lifted his food to his mouth. "So you two have been together how long?"

"Seven months," Freddie answered. "Actually, it's almost eight months now. Let's see, it's going to be eight months on Saturday. We were dating for a few months before Mom decided that we should be together and set us up for the arranged marriage. Ever since even before then, I've been falling in love with Sam." Sam smiled at Freddie and took a bite of her food, she was amazed with how he remembered it was going to be exactly eight months. She couldn't wait to see if he'd remember all those important dates. "We started dating on May 10th, and January 10th is coming up pretty soon.

"I'm impressed you actually remembered that," Sam said while grinning. "After all, isn't it true that most guys don't remember these things?"

"You'd be surprised," Jonah said while letting out a small snicker. "I don't ever forget any important dates for Valerie. After all, she's too precious to forget anything." Valerie blushed and quickly swallowed another bite of her food. Jonah smirked and gazed lovingly at his girlfriend. "Personally, I'd be afraid if I did forget something. How can you truly forget something about the one you love?"

"I don't know," Freddie replied. "I don't think it's possible to do." Sam and Valerie were both blushing hard by now, both of them were unsure of how their boyfriends could make them blush so easily.

"So, I see you worked out the argument that you two were having," Valerie said while eyeing her plate and trying to remove the blush. "How did that go?"

"You wouldn't believe it," Sam said while grinning. "He made me feel so great." Freddie leaned back and Jonah listened while taking another bite of his food. "There was this beautiful teddy bear that was surrounded by roses and also a tray of brownies were positioned with them."

"Well Freddie, I'm proud of you." Valerie said while giving off a slight laugh. "You made your girlfriend feel even more special, and right after a fight."

"Aw, it wasn't much," Freddie said while rubbing the back of his neck. Sam smiled sweetly at him and shook her head.

"No, it was everything," Sam said while taking another bite. "I mean, even after that…We cuddled and then did a role play, it was pure bliss. Then the next morning we took a risk and made out on Carly's couch…" Jonah coughed and started to laugh at that, he didn't think Freddie would ever do something as risky as that.

"Not bad my man," Jonah said while wiping his mouth with his napkin. He smiled and looked over at Sam. "So, you guys are into role playing?"

"Yeah, we like to role play every now and then. We looked online and found that role playing really helps in relationships."

"Oh, believe me, it can and it does." Jonah looked to Valerie and smirked. "You wouldn't believe how many times we've played Zorro."

"Really? I think Freddie likes to play as Edward Cullen sometimes." Freddie chuckled lightly and shrugged his shoulders.

"I could do that," Freddie responded. "You know, it is nice to be able to talk to someone else about our relationship." Jonah and Valerie both nodded in response while Freddie stabbed a piece of chicken with his fork. "We don't have to keep everything bottled up. Also, this double dating thing really works well."

"Yeah, we could do that maybe every now and then," Valerie said as she glanced over at Jonah. "We could probably even role play with you guys some times."

"Acting out scenarios is fun to do, and doing in a group session could be more fun at times," Sam answered while giving a brief nod.

"You know what I did for Jonah once?" Valerie said with a subtle smirk. "It was on his birthday…you remember, Jonah." Jonah coughed and blushed lightly, he definitely remembered. Valerie had enacted the role of Marilyn Monroe's 'Happy Birthday Mr. President' song. "Happy Birthday Mr. President." Freddie laughed and Jonah blushed harder. Sam merely glanced at Freddie and smirked, her eyes glimmering with ideas. Freddie saw this and he too began blushing.

"Aw man, something tells me we're about to get a lot of interesting fun headed our way," Freddie said as he took a sip of his water. He really couldn't wait to get started, he wanted to think of the greatest romantic ideas for Sam that he could.

"You know what could be fun as well?" Jonah asked as he took a sip of his drink. "To role play involving other people, but they don't know we're really doing that."

"Yeah, that does sound like fun. Maybe once we get really good at role playing, we'll try that idea."

"Yeah…"

"Anyway, Sam and I are going to try to get Carly to like someone else and not me. That seems to be a problem lately, so we need to do something. I think getting her interested in Jake wouldn't be too bad of an idea, but I think Jake most likely will end up getting back with Stephanie, since their relationship was so good."

"Maybe you and Sam should get him role playing as well, but you probably don't want to tell him that you're dating…" Freddie sighed and nodded in response, they only wanted to tell Jonah and Valerie. They weren't even going to tell them until Valerie found out.

"Well, you do have a point. Jake and I have done some role playing pranks on other people before, so we could probably do that again. Especially if getting Carly to have a crush on him works. We could play with him being that guy that she's got a crush on, and I'm the guy that is insanely jealous. I think I'll run that idea by him." Sam chuckled and took a bite of her food, she didn't think the idea was too bad.

"I'll be fine with that," Sam said while smirking. "By the way, Freddie. I just wanted to say, if for some reason Carly ever kisses you again…"

"I'm going to turn right around and find a way to kiss you with as much passion and fire as I can." Freddie smirked and Sam blushed, wondering what he meant by that. Valerie and Jonah laughed and patted their friends on the back.

"If you guys ever have a fight about something, don't hesitate to talk to us," Valerie said while smiling softly.

"Yeah, we'll try to help as much as we can," Jonah stated.

"That's good to know, we'll keep that in mind," Freddie replied. He smirked and glanced over at his still blushing fiancé. "Of course, I don't think there's going to be any major problems that we can't fix."

* * *

I hope you liked that chapter, and we'll get to see a group role play coming up. Now, leave a review please, I'm out of witty comments to say, so I'll just have to say drop a review por favor and I shall do something!


	16. Role Play: The Fallen

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 16 (Role Play: The Fallen)

The next week, Jonah and Freddie found themselves shopping in a costume store. The group had come up with a fun role playing idea to do and the girls were going to set everything up, leaving the boys to do the shopping, despite how much they pleaded to do it the other way around. Somehow, the girls always won. Oddly, they were going to do this on the day of Carly's birthday.

They had already celebrated her birthday and had stayed for most of the party, but one by one, each of them left to get ready for the role playing. Sam and Freddie were Carly's best friends, so they made sure to stay until the party was pretty much over and people could actually leave. So Freddie left first, then Sam left about thirty minutes later. Carly was the first of the group to turn fourteen, Freddie would be next. When the tenth of January had passed by, he had done something great for her.

It seemed that whenever the one month anniversary passed, Freddie would do something different. This time, Emily left the apartment, so he set up some soft and slow music and candlelight. When Sam had entered into the kitchen, she had found only the glow of candles and the gentle music surrounding the area. Freddie had stepped behind her and handed her a rose, then he led her to the table and brought over the main course. It was a very romantic thing to do, that's what Sam thought, and that's why she loved it.

"Okay, so the girls wanted the angels," Jonah said while picking up an angel costume. He raised his eyebrow and glanced at Freddie, Freddie nodded and Jonah placed the angel costume in the basket. Freddie looked at a devil costume and smirked, he and Jonah had to wear demon ones. Jonah saw the costume and raised his eyebrow. "Well, that one looks pretty important. Tell you what, you get that one, and I'll take this one here." Jonah picked up a demon costume that wasn't as extravagant, but still decorative enough. "So, Sam and Valerie are the fallen angels, and we're the little lovable demons, right?" Freddie laughed and nodded as he placed his demon costume in the cart.

"Yeah, that was the plan." Jonah chuckled as the two started to make their way to the cashier. "Though I wouldn't mind dressing up as a suave, charming, and cunning vampire. I guess I can put what Sam terms as my 'bad boy' demeanor into this." Jonah raised his eyebrow and laughed as he patted Freddie on the shoulder. "What? You don't think Sam's right on that? I can be pretty bad when given the opportunity."

"Yeah, I don't know about that. Anyway, we've got four white robes at home and a few angel halos and outfits, so that works. I'd say we've got everything we're going to need, and this is at my house, so that's even better." Freddie nodded and stepped into the line. Jonah had a three story house, technically. It really consisted of a second floor, main floor, and the basement. "I'm glad my parents are letting us do this, too."

"Well of course, they're trusting, I suppose you could say." Jonah nodded as he watched the people in front pay for their items. His parents, as Freddie and Valerie's parents were all trusting people. They trusted their kids not to do anything that they shouldn't do. Since each of them had money, they also didn't mind their kids having fun with the whole acting that they did. "I can't wait to see how the girls have decorated that house, I bet it's going to be awesome."

"Yeah dude, we'll just have to see." Finally it was their turn to pay for the costumes. The clerk took the costumes and checked the prices, it was a total of thirty dollars. Freddie and Jonah both took out their wallets and paid fifteen dollars each.

"Alright, so your dad's picking us up and dropping us off?"

"Yep."

"Cool." Freddie and Jonah carried the items out of the shop and found Mr. Brown waiting for them in the car. The entered and rested as Jonah's father drove to the house, it was only a five minute drive. "Can't wait to learn how to drive. Mom says if she has any trouble teaching me to drive, she's going to force me to teach Sam how to drive." Jonah laughed and Freddie raised his eyebrow. "Well, we're going to have to see how that works out."

"Valerie and I are a year ahead of you guys. We have our learner's permit, so when we get our licenses, we'll be driving you guys around." Jonah blinked and sighed. "Oh great, we're going to have to be a chauffer for you guys!" Freddie laughed and placed a hand on Jonah's shoulder.

"I am deathly sorry, but it is the way things are." Jonah narrowed his eyes and flat-lined his mouth.

"Hah, hah, that was so funny that I forgot to laugh!" Freddie snickered and glanced out the window as Mr. Brown parked near the curb. He looked back and smiled.

"Okay you two, try not to have too much fun with your girlfriends," Mr. Brown said. Jonah and Freddie raised their eyebrows as Jonah's dad gave a slight laugh. "I was once a hormonal teenager myself, so I know-" The boys groaned and Jonah held his hand up in the air.

"Okay Dad, enough of that! Seriously, Freddie and I aren't going to be doing anything like that to Valerie and Sam." Freddie nodded in agreement and Mr. Brown raised his eyebrow.

"Though I will admit, and she would too, that it is tempting at times," Freddie said while giving a slight shrug. "However, we know that we're far too young, and there are all the consequences that we're just not ready for. So believe it or not, we actually have learned to use self control pretty well over the time we've been together."

"Yeah, the same with me and Valerie." Mr. Brown smiled and closed his eyes, chuckling slightly at the seemingly mature answers.

"Well then, just have fun," Mr. Brown answered. "I need to get to work, and your mom will be home later in the day."

"All right, see you later, Dad." Jonah and Freddie exited the car and watched as Mr. Brown drove off. Jonah sighed and shook his head, slightly annoyed by his father's statement. It felt awkward to hear about that stuff in the first place. As the guys walked toward the door, the girls stepped out and smiled at them. "Hey, are you two done already?"

"Yes we are," Sam said while nodding her head. Freddie placed his hands on Sam's waist and started to kiss her, but she stopped him by placing a finger to his lips. "Not yet, Freddie. You're going to have to wait." Freddie chuckled lightly and stepped next to Jonah.

"Okay, let's give them their costumes," Freddie said. Jonah nodded and pulled the two angel costumes from the bag, the girls took them and laughed as they ran into the house. "It seems like they're really eager. Let's go inside and get our costumes on first." Jonah nodded and walked inside the house with Freddie.

Freddie would have to wear a white robe first, so he put that on and headed upstairs while Jonah made his way down to the basement. When Freddie entered the upstairs area, he saw a lot of huge cotton balls resembling cotton placed around the top.

_"Nice, they've created clouds._" Freddie walked into one of the upstairs bedrooms and found both Sam and Valerie sitting on the bed. They had pouty expressions on and looked guilty. They lifted their heads up and watched as Freddie walked past them and stood at a table, pretending it was a podium. "Sam Puckett and Valerie Williams, we will hear your case today." Sam and Valerie looked at each other with wide eyes and then quickly stood up.

"Please, spare us!" Valerie said in a quick voice. Sam breathed in and nodded in response.

"We didn't _mean_ to do what we did, it was really an accident!" Sam pleaded. Freddie couldn't help but think it was cute how she pleaded her case, he would have to commend her on that later.

"You two are _Angels_," Freddie said as he pressed his fist onto the table. "Yet you have given in to seven of the earth's most cardinal sins!" Freddie held up a sheet of paper and began reading off a list of offenses. "What is this? You've even caused the death of a human being." Valerie and Sam winced and Freddie raised his eyebrow. "Do you care to explain this one?"

"Uh, well…" Sam pressed two of her fingers together and looked toward the ground. "Valerie and I were playing a game that angels play, and it got to loud up here. So, we went to the earth, but it was even louder, and we tried to quiet it. When we did, we kind of…showed ourselves. The person that saw us...died in shock." Sam looked up and clenched her fist, still pleading her case. "But it was an accident! We didn't mean any harm!"

"Angels aren't supposed to have accidents! Not only that, you're living as if you were human!"

"We were once," Valerie muttered under her breath. Freddie quickly glared at her and she gave him a toothy grin. "Hello!" Freddie narrowed his eyes and huffed.

"You two have violated far too many sins for an angel to commit. In order to regain your status here, you must be penalized. You must change your haughty ways and survive hell before you may return here." Sam and Valerie both gasped at their punishment, it was far too cruel for a couple of fun-loving angels like themselves.

"Oh please no!" Valerie said as she clasped her hands together and fell to her knees. "Please don't do this! I don't want to be a fallen angel!"

"Me either!" Sam cried out. She too fell to her knees and began pleading. "I can't possibly be a fallen angel, it seems too harsh of a punishment! I'll never survive!" Freddie narrowed his eyes and slammed the paper on the table, earning a gasp from both the girls.

"My word is final! You should have thought about this before you decided to act without rationality. Now, leave!" Freddie lifted his arm and pointed to the door. Sam and Valerie gave scared looks at the door and then begged Freddie once more.

"Don't kick us out, please! _Please_ don't kick us out! We'll be good! We promise you, we'll be good, perfect little angels!" Freddie narrowed his eyes and kept his finger pointed toward the door, speaking no other word. The girls slowly and sadly stood up, keeping their eyes closed and toward the ground. They walked out of the door and headed toward the stairs, the only way from there was down. "You're an idiot Valerie, you made us get kicked out of heaven." Sam made a sniffling sound as she and Valerie stepped on the top stairs.

"I know, but I didn't think it would be that bad." The girls took one last look before they exited the pearly gates and headed down the stairs. They hit "earth" level and then walked down more stairs, making it into hell. "Oh my, this is scary looking." Sam nodded and grabbed onto Sam, they were shaking with fear. The walls were covered with realistic looking flames, despite them being colored paper. The girls gulped and stepped off of the last step, looking around and seeing nothing. "Do you think we can go back?"

"Gee, what do you think, Valerie? We've fallen from heaven, we can't go back for a while now." Soon a shadow cast over them, they looked over and saw a demon dancing around. The demon stopped and glared at them, he had a scary look on his face.

* * *

That's part one of the role play, it was once all one chapter, but it became too long so I had to shorten it.


	17. Role Play: The Tests

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 17 (Role Play: The Tests)

"Ah, it is the two fallen angels," the demon said while cackling. "I am Jonah Brown, the right hand demon to my master!" Valerie gasped and Sam's eyes grew wide in fear. Sam had to shrug off her fear and begin the talk with this scary demon.

"Who is your master? Is he scary?" Sam asked as she swallowed slowly.

"You're in hell, do the math." Suddenly the door slammed shut and a deep and maniacal voice filled the room. Jonah clapped his hands once and grinned darkly. "It is the master!" Sam and Valerie gasped and looked at where the door had been. There stood Freddie in devil's clothing. "Master Freddie, the fallen ones have arrived!"

"Wonderful, Jonah," Freddie said as he stepped off of the stairs. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Sam. Smoothly he walked to her and gazed into her eyes, causing her to freeze.

"W-What will you do?" Sam asked with a quiet whimper. Freddie smirked and placed his hand underneath Sam's chin, keeping his eyes narrow.

"I have heard of you, Miss Puckett! You have been a bad angel, and that is an oxymoron if I've ever heard one…You must be punished. Can you survive hell?" She quickly shook her head in protest, she wasn't a bad angel. At least, she never wanted to be.

"Yes, can you survive hell?" Jonah repeated. Freddie smoothly glared at him and he quickly looked down with shame. "Sorry Master. I will not repeat what you say, Master." Freddie sighed and looked back toward the two angels.

"You must not give in to the temptations of hell, if you desire to make it back to heaven. We are here to train you with these." Freddie walked over to a table and grabbed a red blanket, he quickly pulled it off, revealing a large bowl of chocolates and various other gourmet sweets. "The vile sin of _gluttony_, can you overcome this?"

"That's easy!" Valerie said in a quick voice. "We don't have to grab at it, we'll just sit here and stare…at the delicious…tasty…" Valerie moaned and whimpered. Jonah and Freddie smirked as the girls eyed the chocolate. It was a very tempting item to them.

"Come on, you're girls, you deserve all the chocolate in the world," Jonah stated, trying to tempt them. They didn't need temptation from the demon, it only made things harder. Somehow, they had to resist, and Valerie looked like she was going to fall to it. Sam closed her eyes and placed a hand on Valerie's shoulder. Valerie looked at Sam with wide eyes.

"Get a hold of yourself, take a look in a mirror," Sam said in a quiet voice. "Gluttony will turn you into a monster. We were sent here because we have fallen to the temptation. I want to make it to heaven with you, not without you." Valerie sighed and looked toward the ground, ashamed that she had nearly fallen to the temptation. She probably would have if Sam hadn't been there. Sam stood firm and stared at Freddie in the eye. "You cannot tempt us with chocolate!" Freddie narrowed his eyes and smirked.

"Fine then," Freddie responded while walking over to another red sheet that appeared to be over a box. "Let's try the task of the great sloth!" Freddie pulled a red sheet off of a nearby television, revealing a great comedy show. "It's either you watch this, or…" Jonah laughed and pulled a red sheet from another table. "You answer ten multiple choice questions on your earthly homework assignments!" Sam laughed and crossed her arms, Valerie merely raised her eyebrow.

"Easy, we'll…" Sam looked at the television and over at the papers, moaning in frustration. On earth, this was her guilty pleasure. Well, that was actually chocolate and Freddie, but that was beside the point, she hated homework. Valerie saw how Sam was about to fall and scoffed as she placed her hands on Sam's arms and quickly shook her back to reality.

"This is temptation in its finest!" Valerie said in a quick voice. "Get a hold of yourself or we'll never get back to heaven! We must complete our homework first, and _then_ we can relax and watch television!" Sam moaned and nodded, there was no other choice. Freddie clenched his fists as the girls walked toward the homework. "You can't defeat us that easily, Master Benson."

"Fine, we will up the stakes to another of your cardinal sins! Greed!" Freddie exclaimed while grinning darkly. Freddie walked over to another table and pulled up a small cloth, revealing seven chocolate covered strawberries. Both of the girls loved chocolate strawberries. The girls eyed the delicious delights and moaned with frustration. They immediately rushed over to the strawberries and counted them repeatedly.

"There are seven of them, how will we ever split the last one!" Sam and Valerie looked at each other and whimpered, suspecting what they would have to do for that seventh strawberry. Freddie clasped his hands together and grinned, his eyes dancing with delight at the thought that the girls would fall.

"It's simple; one of you will just have to take the last one for yourself while not looking. After all, you are but greedy little devils." Sam blinked and raised her eyebrow, she didn't want to do that to her friend.

"No," Sam responded. Valerie and Sam both closed their eyes and stood up straight. "We do not want any of them. Rather, give them to the ones who have never tasted of them." Freddie's jaw dropped and Jonah merely grumbled in frustration.

"You cannot be serious!" Sam opened her eyes and narrowed them, glaring into Freddie's wide ones.

"Give them to the ones who have nothing." Freddie growled and turned around, trying to think of the next test.

"Fine!" Jonah grumbled and Freddie rubbed his chin. "I'm sure you could withstand the test of wrath…but perhaps not."

"The test of wrath!" Jonah exclaimed. "Then we shall test them. What will you do when the cheerleader comes up to you and takes your seat? Will you push her out or shall you simply move on?" This was a tough one, since he knew Sam would probably push the cheerleader out of her seat.

"I would…" Sam started but Valerie quickly covered her mouth.

"Let me answer this one," Valerie said while chuckling nervously. Jonah and Freddie raised their eyebrows and Sam rolled her eyes. "We would let her have the chair. She deserves it, most likely. After all, have you seen the routines cheerleaders have to do? I'm _sure_ they need to sit down sometimes!" Sam quickly nodded her head in agreement, not wanting to argue with logic. Jonah grumbled and looked toward Freddie.

"They've passed yet another test, Master."

"I'm well aware of that, Jonah," Freddie said through clenched teeth. "How about the test of Envy."

"I'd rather not do that one at this time," Sam said honestly. "For I still have memories of my best friend kissing my boyfriend. It is hard to not feel jealous about it, but at the same time, I know that my earthly boyfriend loved me."

"Hmm…So you wouldn't be jealous of your best friend?" Sam shrugged and crossed her arms over.

"Why should I be? I know that if I wasn't already with him, I would let Carly have him. Yet, since he is already with me, she can't have him. In turn, I wish to find another man that is suitable for her, so maybe she can move on and be happy." Freddie rubbed his chin and shifted his eyes toward Jonah, he was merely staring in slight shock.

"Do you say we give them that one, Master?" Jonah asked with a quiet voice.

"Yeah, we may as well." Sam smirked and Freddie crossed his arms over, considering what the next test would be.

"You two would most likely pass the test of pride, but let's see how well you fare against the final test." Freddie narrowed his eyes and smirked. Sam and Valerie gasped but soon narrowed their eyes, ready for the final one. "The test of _lust_."

"Now is that one fair?" Valerie asked while looking at Sam. Sam shrugged and looked toward the smirking men.

"Will you give in to your cardinal desires?" The boys crossed their arms and the girls folded their arms over as well. They were well prepared for this, since they had been thinking of this test since the start.

"No," Sam replied. "I care not how hard you tempt me, I will not give in." She smirked and Valerie nodded her head in agreement.

"Are you _positive_?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam held his gaze. "After all, do we know the roadblocks and the barriers? Do we know where to end it before it gets too far?" It appeared that this was now more than just a mere role play game, this became a question of life.

"What do you mean? Are you asking if we are to have no self control?"

"Simply Sam, in every relationship you have…there is always temptation to overstep those boundaries and go too far. There needs to be a stopping point." Sam nodded and Valerie decided to step in.

"But any moment that gets too heated, you should be able to stop," Valerie said in a quick voice.

"What if you can't stop the heat?" Jonah asked as he lowered his arms to the side, pondering the question. "What if the heat becomes too unbearable that you overstep the barrier?"

"In every relationship, both parties must know when it gets too far," Freddie said in a quiet voice. "So, do we know when we would go _too_ far?"

"Isn't self control about making decisions?" Sam asked while raising her eyebrow. "Right now, more than anything, I want to kiss you. However, that's when I ask myself…should I do it? Since I know that if I were to do it, it would be tempting to go further…especially given the lust that comes from the costumes we're all wearing."

"Precisely. That costume you're wearing, I'll admit it makes you look extremely cute-" Sam smirked and tilted her head slightly. The demon costumes were a tight red shirt with red shorts that went slightly past the knees. Both accentuated to the boys' muscles.

"Thanks." The type of angel costumes found were the only ones at the store. It had the front going up to cover the front area, but there were no sleeves or straps. The back was gone as well. The dress part of it flowed slightly past the knees, as well.

"Personally, it makes the hormonal teenager in me want to press you up against that wall and start stripping you of that costume." Sam, Valerie, and Jonah had to agree that their hormones made them want to do the same thing with their mates.

"But the better side of us says not to do it," Jonah said while looking over at Valerie. The others gave a brief nod and Jonah crossed his arms back over. "The more mature side of us knows that it would be far too pleasurable."

"A mere game could turn dangerous without self control," Valerie replied. "With self control, we won't give in to the cardinal sin of lust and we can grow in a mature relationship."

"So we all agree that we want to make out with each other," Sam said while blinking. "However, doing so would be far too pleasurable, given the circumstances. After all, we know we're alone in the house and we're just two young…hormonally shot couples."

"What I'd keep in mind," Freddie said while leaning against a wall and rubbing his chin. "Though the body may give the signals, you always should follow your values, beliefs and emotions. If you know you don't want to do something, and you know you shouldn't, then don't do it."

"Yeah, and we're all friends here," Valerie replied while nodding. "So, we all know the goal is to abstain…if someone feels pressured or anything, it might be good to talk about it with each other." The others nodded and Valerie let out a sigh. "The good thing we know is none of us will use that stupid line of: 'You'd do it, if you loved me.'"

"I think everyone here knows that what we have is love," Sam replied. "You don't need to have sex in order to determine if you love someone. So as for what we're going to have, what is that?"

"Self control, don't give in," All four said simultaneously. Freddie smiled and stood straight, the game was back on.

"How can this be?" Freddie asked in a slightly angered voice. "You have passed _all_ of the tests."

"It cannot be true, Master," Jonah said while rubbing his head in frustration. "It has been centuries since a fallen angel has passed all of the tests."

"Damn it!" Freddie sighed and slowly stood up, staring into the newly changed angels. "You are free to go, you have…it pains me to say this, you have survived my domain!"

"Of course, we would probably have fallen a long time ago if we didn't help each other," Sam said while draping her arm over her friend's shoulders. With that, everyone laughed and joined in a group hug, the role play was over.

"That was great! We have to do that again!" Sam said in a quick voice. She looked over at Freddie and smirked suggestively. "You know Freddie, I think that bad boy fits you." Freddie smirked and quickly kissed her lips.

"Yeah, well I'd say the Angel fits you pretty well too." Sam chuckled and Valerie patted their backs.

"Whatever you guys, we're done," Valerie said while grinning and turning toward the stairs. She stopped and glanced back at the others. "Anyway, who's up for pie!"

"Sweet!" With that, everyone ran out of the basement and into the kitchen, knowing the pie was in the refrigerator. They figured they would have the pie first, change into proper clothes after that, and finally just rest for the rest of the day.

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Well, that's the end of the role play, I hope you liked it. Stick around for the next chapter. Review and I won't let this horde of monkeys run all over the place and vie for world domination!


	18. His Song

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly, and I also don't own the song in this chapter.

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 18 (His Song)

"Okay, so you want me to do _what_?" Jake asked as he and Freddie ate their breakfast in the school cafeteria. Freddie was asking him to role play as the cool guy while Freddie pretended to be insanely jealous and thinking that he would steal his girl. "Dude, you're saying Carly might have a crush on me? You don't need to pretend to be jealous, I would think that'd be a given."

"Yeah, well maybe you're right," Freddie responded as he picked up his sandwich. "I would be jealous, so what." Jake raised his eyebrow and stared at his friend with confusion. Freddie bit into the sandwich and slowly chewed it. He swallowed and set the food back on the tray. "It's Carly, she's got a slight crush on you, and I'm jealous. Though I thought I'd let you know that I'll be doing a bit of role playing. Whatever Carly does with you, I'm going to act differently to you than I normally do."

"Ah, I get it." Jake crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, wondering if Freddie really would be jealous. "I guess I kind of like Carly, but I just broke up with my girlfriend a week ago. Actually, I haven't gone public with that information yet…I'm not so sure I want to." Freddie smirked and leaned forward, staring at Jake with determined and fierce eyes. Anyone that knew him could easily say that Freddie had power behind his glare, but they weren't sure why or how it was even possible.

"I would like for Carly to at date at least one person before she dates me, why do you think I always say I'll be her second husband?" Okay, so he never said that, nor did he ever believe it. After all, how could he marry her when he was going to marry the love of his life? "I have been informed by a reliable source that Carly in fact has a little schoolgirl crush on you. However, I do know that she won't act on it because she believes you are taken by Stephanie. I am well aware of the chances that you have of getting back with your girlfriend, so I am in no way saying you have to date Carly if you don't want to."

"Well…"

"It _is_ your choice, Jake." Freddie smirked and leaned back in his chair. Jake raised his eyebrow and watched as Freddie took a sip of his drink. "You don't have to do anything with Carly if you so choose. Yet, I'd give it a thought." Jake chuckled lightly and slowly stood up, Freddie did the same. He started to place fake food in his brown lunch bag, knowing Sam played a prank by giving him a locker between two wrestlers. He knew something was bound to happen.

"Okay, you can broadcast it or something, Freddie. Though you should know, a lot of girls are going to come after me…"

"Yeah, I know." A lot of girls actually liked him as well, but he wasn't about to let any of them have him. The two friends exited the cafeteria and Freddie immediately walked over to a crowd of chattering girls. Overly peppy and constantly chatty females usually got on his nerves, so he wanted to get this interaction done as quickly as possible. "Hey." No response, so he chose to raise his voice. "Hey!"

With that, the girls looked at him and gasped. "Freddie!" They screamed.

"Oh god…" Freddie closed his eyes and felt the girls start grabbing at him. _"Where is Sam when you need her?"_ He growled and quickly shook the girls off. "Damn, I'm not s-" Freddie stopped himself and chuckled nervously, he was about to say that he wasn't single. "Anyway, I just thought I'd inform you lovely ladies that Jake Krandle has broken up with Stephanie Jeffers last night." The girls gasped and Freddie quickly covered his ears. As he did, the girls all screamed and ran down the halls, informing other girls about this.

"Man, if this is the reaction these girls have when a hot guy stops dating…" Freddie slowly shook his head and walked toward his new locker, he would have to replace it eventually. He looked over and saw Sam walk through the front doors, he let out a sigh and felt himself falling into a daze. He quickly snapped out of it and moved to his locker, he didn't need anyone seeing him fall into a daze over Sam Puckett, even though she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

He opened his locker and reached into it, humming the tune of Charlie Rich's "The Most Beautiful Girl in the world?" Freddie smiled and another song came to his mind, and soon he was humming the tune of Buck Ram's "Magic Touch." His silence was disturbed by two wrestlers, one of which was duke. He sighed and tried to escape, but soon fell victim to their crossfire. _"Yep, here we go again."_ He could have pushed them off of him, but he didn't want Carly to see him portray any strength or 'coolness' that he had. Though, it was embarrassing because Sam was right there.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Freddie exclaimed. "Come on, this violates so many rules!" Sam watched with wide eyes. She knew he wasn't really getting hurt, because if he was, he would have swallowed his pride and pushed the guys off of him. Carly thought he was in trouble. Just when she was about to step in and help Freddie, Carly quickly walked over and told the wrestlers that there was free meat in the parking lot, even though there really wasn't any. Sam stiffened and slowly walked away, refusing to let her timing bother her.

"Here, let me help you up," Carly said as she took Freddie's hand. Sam looked over from a distance and saw Carly starting to pull him up when a girl walked over to Carly and informed her that Jake and Stephanie had broken up. "What? Really!" She then released Freddie and sent him crashing back into the ground, Sam's eyes were wide and she started to rush toward him, only to get caught up in the mass of girls. "Is it true? Is Jake Krandle really single?"

"Yes," the girl said while talking to the group. "Jake Krandle and Stephanie Jeffers broke up last night." Sam raised her eyebrow at that, Freddie must have gotten stressed or something and said the wrong thing, Jake and Stephanie broke up almost two weeks ago. The girls started to scream loudly and Sam winced in pain, so she quickly walked to the center of the girls.

"Wait," Sam said in a quick voice, silencing the girls. She loved how she had some control over groups of girls, it made it easy for if girls ever started to swarm Freddie. "So we're all going to lose our minds because one of us has a chance to date Jake Krandle?" The girls all screamed again and Sam quickly placed her hand to her ear. Carly sighed and patted her back while moving her from the crowd.

"Does that answer your question?" Carly asked as she smiled toward her friend.

"Yeah, and it shattered my eardrums too!" Sam winced again and looked over at the lockers to see Freddie leaning against one, smirking. _"Oh don't take that pose, Freddie! Don't flash that smirk at me. I'd rather not turn to jelly right now."_ Sam blushed at his smirk and he triumphantly walked away. Carly raised her eyebrow and stared at Sam in confusion.

"Why are you blushing?" Sam quickly shook her head and sighed, she knew it was his response to her prank of moving his locker. He knew he had that effect on her, and Carly was right there, so vengeance was his. "Did you see a hot guy or something?"

"Yeah, something like that…" What she saw was more what she would term a hot dork. "Come on, let's go see if we can find Jake anywhere." Carly nodded and the girls started walking. Suddenly, Carly stopped and her eyes grew wide. "What's wrong?"

"Wait, I have a crush on Freddie…what am I doing?" Sam rolled her eyes, but only because she was annoyed. She was trying to help her friend because she knew that if Carly continued on like this, she was only going to be hurt in the end.

"It doesn't mean you're giving up on him, it just means your sampling other guys to see what you like in a guy. Once you find that out, then you'll find out if Freddie is even your type at all. Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah, that does." Sam sighed and continued walking.

_"Good. I hope you find the guy you're looking for. I just wish I could tell you that Freddie isn't in that sea of fish."_

"Hey, there's someone singing in the choir room!" Sam raised her eyebrow and followed Carly as she hurried toward the doors of the choir. There seemed to be a small group of students surrounding Freddie.

"I'm going to devote this one to the most beautiful girl in the world," Freddie said while smirking lightly. Sam inhaled and smiled, that meant he was going to sing to her. Carly sighed and rolled her eyes, thinking he was talking about her.

"Great, why this?" Carly asked while she crossed her arms and looked away, not really paying attention.

"We had a little argument last night…" Freddie looked to Sam and smirked, she felt herself blush when he looked at her. They did have an argument, but they worked it out in the end. It wasn't a major fight, not like the one they had over Carly some time ago. "So here's this one, done by Charlie Rich. I hope you enjoy this."

_"Oh, I'll enjoy it,"_ Sam thought while placing her hand on the door. They hadn't entered yet, but they could at least hear Freddie through the windows. She pressed herself closer, hoping to hear him better.

"Hey, did you happen to see the most beautiful girl in the world? And if you did, _was_ she crying? Crying? Hey, if you happen to see the most beautiful girl that walked out on me, tell her I'm sorry. Tell her I _need_ my baby! Ooh, won't you tell her, that I love her?" Sam shifted her eyes over to Carly, Carly was leaning against the wall and staring off, not trying to pay a lot of attention. Though she could tell Freddie had a great voice. Sam loved that voice, he serenaded her often.

_"You crazy dork…"_

"I woke up this morning, realized what I had done…I stood alone in the cold grey dawn, knew I lost my morning sun. I lost my head and I said some things. Now comes the heartache that the morning brings. I know I'm wrong, I couldn't see. I let my world slip away."

_"We made up, why are you singing this?"_ Sam felt a tear falling down her face and quickly wiped it away, making sure Carly couldn't see it. Carly wasn't really watching though, she had her eyes closed and was tilting her head back against the wall. _"Freddie, if she wasn't here, I would be rushing in there to kiss you right now. Well, then again, your friends are there too."_

"Hey, did you happen to see the most beautiful girl in the world? And if you did, _was_ she crying? Crying? Hey, if you happen to see the most beautiful girl that walked out on me, tell her I'm sorry. Tell her I _need_ my baby! Ooh, won't you tell her, that I love her? If you happen to see the most beautiful girl that walked out on me, tell her I'm sorry. Tell her I need my baby." The song ended and the students surrounding Freddie applauded, Sam wiped away her tears and glanced over at Carly. Carly sighed and looked over at Sam, she never even realized Sam had been crying.

"He actually has a great voice," Carly said while smiling. "I wouldn't mind him serenading me, but not like this." Carly didn't catch the eye roll that Sam did, but that was fine.

_"Freddie Benson, you're the biggest Dork ever,"_ Sam thought as she looked through the window and smiled at him. He caught her smile and smiled back. She then felt Carly grip the back of her shirt.

"Come on, let's go find Jake. I don't know if I could stand Freddie singing another song…I mean he has a pretty nice voice."

_"And his voice is all for me."_ Sam quickly lifted her hand to her lips and blew Freddie a kiss, he lifted his hand and closed it, signaling that he caught the kiss. "Carly, can you let go of me? I can walk on my own."

"Oh, sorry." Carly let go of Sam and the two headed up a nearby staircase. Carly stopped and set her backpack on the ground. "I'm a bit hungry…" Sam raised her eyebrow and watched as her friend reached in and pulled out a brown sack, she then reached into that and pulled an apple out. "Did you want anything?"

"No I'm good." Sam was still breathless from hearing Freddie's breathtaking song, but she wasn't about to reveal that. They heard Jake's voice from down stairs and looked toward him, seeing him talk to a few friends. She didn't really care for this, she wanted to go back to Freddie and see if he was going to sing another song.

Carly immediately started talking and Sam smiled at her, listening to her. "Okay, so it's not like I'm going to get all crazy of a hot guy like Jake Krandle!"

"But…"

"Ooh, he's so hot that I just want to bake cookies off of him!" Sam chuckled and nodded her head. In her mind, she visualized Freddie and baking cookies off of him.

"Mmm…I'd eat those cookies." Sam blinked and shook her head, trying to get back on topic with Carly. "If you like him so much, why don't you say hi to him?"

"What!" Carly's mouth fell and she shook her head. "You can't just say hi to a guy like him! I mean, what if he says hi back, _then_ what do I say." Sam sighed and rolled her eyes, that had to be the lamest excuse ever. After all, she said hi to Freddie when he first spoke to her, but then again, they were six then. Sam still wanted to head back to where Freddie was, and she knew an alternate route to go than the way they had just left.

"You say…I'm sorry I hit you in the head with an apple." Sam quickly took Carly's apple and tossed it onto Jake's head, shocking her friend. Jake held the apple and looked up to Carly and Sam while rubbing his head. Sam then took the advantage to run toward Freddie. "Carly did it!" Carly gasped and grabbed a hold of her as she tried to run, but Sam's determination to reach Freddie prevailed and she escaped her friend's grasp and ran down the hall.

"Sam!" Sam hurried down the hall and laughed when she should have been looking. She immediately ran into someone and knocked him over.

"Sam, why are you running through the halls?" Freddie asked as he stood up. Sam gasped lightly and gave a nervous laugh as she looked up to Freddie, blushing under his gaze. Freddie took Sam's hand and pulled her up to her feet. "You have the dangerous tendency to plow into people if you run through the halls and not look, I do hope you know that." Freddie smirked deviously and Sam merely rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever. Hey, is there anyone around?" Sam looked behind Freddie and he looked behind her, nobody was within eye or earshot. She sighed and looked to Freddie, smiling at him. "Hey, I heard your song."

"Yeah, I thought that was you standing outside those doors. I would have sung another one, but I think you got pulled away before I could."

"Yeah, but that's fine." Sam lifted her hand and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I just wanted to say, you have a great voice, and I love you." Freddie smiled and gave Sam a tight hug.

"I love you too." He kissed Sam's lips with passion and Sam felt pleasure shoot through her body once more. He parted lips with her and she gave a soft and contented sigh. "I don't think anyone can consider that PDA, since no one's here."

"Screw the rules."

"True." Sam smirked and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back with passion. They broke apart once more and looked around, nobody was anywhere near. "I'd say that's the hottest kiss in school I've ever had." Sam chuckled and placed her index finger on Freddie's chest, staring into his eyes.

"Yeah, well it better be the only kiss in school you've had so far. I recommend it being only by me as well." Freddie laughed and nodded his head, he would never let the kiss be from someone else. "By the way, Carly's talking to Jake, let's go see what's going on!"

"Sure, why not." Freddie followed Sam toward the stairs and he leaned against the wall while Sam peered out. "Tell me what's going on."

"I think they're talking about the possibility of Jake seeing the studio. They do seem to be hitting it off. Oh, they're saying their goodbyes, I'm going to talk to her!"

"Go right ahead, and I'll see you later, my golden angel." Sam blushed and closed her eyes as Freddie walked off. She shook off the blush and ran down to meet Carly.

"What did he say? Tell me everything!"

"He said we should hang out sometime!" Carly cried out with excitement. With that, both girls began to scream. Their scream silenced when a teacher walked out of two doors. "Actually I think teachers should give us more homework."

"Right, more homework and more discipline!" Sam smiled sheepishly and looked over at the teacher, he was eyeing her suspiciously, as if he knew something. Sam hoped he hadn't seen her kissing Freddie, because just about everyone knew who his mom was, and that teacher could get them into a lot of trouble. The teacher walked into a classroom and both girls continued to scream out with excitement. Sam had her own reasons to be excited, this was a possible new relationship for Carly. That meant if she went out with Jake, maybe she wouldn't crush on Freddie.

* * *

I hope you liked that chapter, I enjoyed writing it. Let me know your thoughts and prepare for the next chapter.


	19. Disgust

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly, and I also don't own the song in this chapter.

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 19 (Disgust)

Sam and Freddie sat in the living room once more, the television was on, but they weren't watching it. It was boring, there was nothing important on anyway. Of course, they didn't have any homework to do either. Soon, Freddie had an idea. He turned off the television and stood up. Sam watched with a raised eyebrow as he walked toward a radio. "Freddie, what are you doing?" He smirked and turned on the radio, he knew what CD was in there, so he immediately turned it to Johnny Cash's song "Ring of Fire."

"You'll see, the television is pretty boring," Freddie answered. He turned off the television and smirked as he tapped his foot to the song. It was karaoke, but he knew the song by heart. He looked into Sam's eyes and grinned as he took her hand and pulled her up, close to his chest. Sam flushed when her eyes came mere inches from his. "Let me tell you something, Sam."

"Anything…" Freddie smirked and began to sing, his deep and velvety voice flowing into her ears.

"Love is a burning thing."

"Oh, you don't say." Sam became slightly dazed as Freddie continued to stare into her eyes.

"And it makes, a fiery ring." Sam giggled lightly as Freddie held her hands.

"I didn't know."

"Bound by wild desire, I fell into a ring of fire."

"You blame me?" Sam smiled sweetly and Freddie continued.

"I fell into a burning ring of fire. I went down, down, down, and the flames went higher. It burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire. The ring of fire!"

"Oh, tell me, is this love my fault?" Freddie smirked and kissed Sam as the music played. He loved serenading her, and she loved whenever he did. Sam decided to act and placed her hands to her chest, sighing after the kiss. "You are indeed a crooner and great lover."

"I fell into a burning ring of fire, I went down, down, down and the flames went higher. And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire…the ring of fire."

"Keep singing, you're melting my heart." Sam laughed and Freddie smirked at her.

"The taste of love is sweet, when hearts like ours meet." Sam's eyes danced with joy as Freddie stood behind her and placed his hand on her stomach. "I fell for you like a child. Oh, but the fire went wild!"

"Was it really that intense, Freddie?"

"I fell into a burning ring of fire. I went down, down, down, and the flames went higher. And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire. The ring of fire. I fell into a burning ring of fire. I went down, down, down, and the flames went higher. And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire. The ring of fire."

"I love your singing, I really do." Sam tilted her head back to rest on Freddie's chest as he finished the song. She sighed as she felt his chest vibrating with his voice.

"And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire…the ring of fire…" The song was over and Sam turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. She pulled back and smiled, he was smiling back. "Aw, what was that for?"

"I love it when you sing to me." Freddie smirked and kissed Sam's lips with passion as he placed his hands on her hips. They could really feel the flames of desire and the tension licking at their bodies. They pulled apart and gazed into their lover's eyes. "I'm so glad I'm the only girl you're serenading…I think I would be extremely jealous if there were others that you sung to."

"I wouldn't sing for anyone else unless it was karaoke night at a restaurant or something. You're my one and only." Sam wasn't sure how wide her smile could go, but somehow, he was making it stretch even further. "You're my beautiful princess, and I am your prince."

"Are we going to role play a-" A rapid knocking was heard at the door and Sam frowned. "Okay…" Sam quickly bounded behind the couch and Freddie walked to the door, opening it to reveal Jake.

"_Ja_ke! How are you? It's so great to see you right now…" Jake raised his eyebrow and saw that Freddie looked a little troubled.

"What? You don't want to see your best friend?" Jake asked while laughing. He thumbed toward Carly's door and sighed. "Well anyway, I'm going to talk to Carly. So uh…were you going to role play or whatever?"

"Sure, since…uh, you know, if I act jealous, she'll like me more!"

"Yeah, I don't know how I feel about looking into the girl that my best friend has a crush on, but okay." Freddie made a clicking sound and shook his head.

"Jake, Jake, Jake, my friend, I don't _really_ have a crush on Carly. Hell, I don't have a crush on anyone! I don't have time for relationships and stuff."

"So, why do you pretend to like her?" Freddie smirked and leaned against the side of the doorway.

"Simple, I get a thrill from it. I get a rise from pretending. Haven't you ever played pretend before? It's so thrilling. It's like being whatever you want or doing anything at all…it's great."

"Oh, well I'm glad you think so. What about Carly though?"

"It pushes her away, yeah. I don't really want her to like me, so I pretend to love her. Anyway, let's do a little role play. You go over there and knock on Carly's door."

"Okay, I'll do that." Jake smiled and turned around. He stepped next to Carly's door and knocked as Freddie closed his. Carly soon answered and her eyes widened, she was covered in paint. She shut the door and then opened it a second later, shutting it once more. "Um." Freddie snickered and looked over as Sam stood up behind the couch.

"She just slammed the door in his face, Sam."

"Ouch, maybe she's busy with something," Sam said while taking a step forward.

"Yeah, is there a picture of Carly anywhere?"

"Yeah, let me get one for you." Sam rushed into her room and then rushed out, handing Freddie a picture. "I took this from a photo album on my dresser."

"Okay." Freddie stepped out of the door and Jake turned around.

"How's it going?" Jake asked.

"Why are you here?" Jake blinked and pointed at the door.

"Well, I stopped by to see Carly." Freddie nodded and lifted up the picture of Carly.

"There, you've seen her. Now why don't you scurry on out of here." Jake chuckled and glanced over as Carly opened her door.

"Hey, sorry about that," Carly said. She looked at Freddie and her eyes widened, she couldn't believe what was going on. One crush had just met another crush. _"Oh crap, I have to get Jake in here!"_

"It's okay Carly, I got this situation under control."

"Come on in Jake." Jake nodded and entered the door, Freddie faked a protest once more.

"I really don't think it's a good idea to be letting this guy in." Carly smiled and shut the door. Freddie smirked and turned around.

"That's right, just keep kissing those frogs. This prince can wait." Freddie looked at Sam as she stepped into the doorway. "Cause this prince has found his princess." Freddie wrapped his arms around Sam's waist and pulled her close to him, causing her to gasp in surprise. "How's it going, my beloved princess?"

"Pretty great, I was wondering if I could have you to myself now."

"You have me to yourself all the time." Sam laughed and Freddie kissed her forehead. "You know, you ought to hear Jake play the guitar, it's pretty good."

"Have you guys ever performed?"

"No, but we really should. I'm sure if he played the guitar and I sang, we could go out on the street and earn a lot of money." Freddie smirked and placed his fingertips on her sides, causing her eyes to widen.

"What are you doing? Benson, you better not start tickling!" Freddie ignored and started tickling her, causing her to bend and laugh while trying to get away. "As soon as we're done, I'm hitting you with something!"

"If it's a kiss, I'm glad to take the blow!" Sam laughed and grabbed onto Freddie's shirt, she was trying to stop the laughing, but he kept tickling her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. The action caused him to stop tickling her and to slide his arms around her waist. He bent down and placed one arm around the back of her knees.

"Now what are you doing?" Sam raised her eyebrow and then let out a laughing scream as he picked her up off the ground. "You better not drop me!"

"Why would I drop someone as light as a feather?" Sam blushed and sighed as she rested her head against his chest. He smiled softly and walked into his apartment, closing the door with his heel. He wondered how it would sound to have Jake play a song on the guitar for them while they were dining out, too bad they had to keep their relationship a secret.

-NEW SCENE-

"Why is he attempting to sing?" Freddie asked while shaking his head.

"What's wrong with his singing?" Sam asked while raising her eyebrow. She was concerned, she didn't think Jake was a bad singer, but she never heard him sing.

"There is a reason Jake plays the guitar and I sing…Jonah plays the drums." Sam's eyebrows rose and Freddie crossed his arms over. "Either way, Jake is not a good singer at all."

"Ooh, how bad?"

"I do believe the term 'dying cow' comes to mind." He hated to refer to his best friend's singing in that manner, but he had to be blunt and honest. Sam's face fell and she ran her hand through her hair nervously. If Carly heard Jake's voice, that would be bad.

"I don't understand…I mean, Carly has heard you sing. I'm pretty sure she _enjoys_ your singing. If she hears Jake's bad singing, then she's going to fall in love with your voice more than his!" Freddie muttered to himself, it would be a bad thing for that to happen. "It's too late now, I guess. We'll just have to see what happens after this."

"Yeah, I'm going to head toward the studio."

"Then I'll be there in a few minutes." Sam smiled and cupped her hand over Freddie's cheek. "If you're going to pretend to be jealous, don't be too harsh on your best friend, okay?"

"Sure. Oh hey, think I should push her away even more by asking for a kiss?"

"Sure, and be persistent if you want, because that would probably make her feel more awkward with you and intensify her want to be with Jake. If you see an opportunity, I guess you can do it."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind." Freddie kissed Sam's forehead and left the apartment. They didn't expect anything to go wrong, so it was fine. Freddie entered the Shay's apartment and walked up to the loft, Jake was already there and tuning his guitar. Jake looked over at Freddie and grinned.

"Hey dude, that was fun the other day," Jake stated.

"Yeah, it was pretty fun." Freddie walked over to his laptop and started to type.

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention this! I heard you singing then too." Freddie paled and stared at his laptop, he hoped that Jake hadn't heard Sam's voice. "Great song by the way, it's been stuck in my head all day."

"Yeah, you don't say?"

"Yeah dude, I was in awe of it! Do you think you could give me voice lessons? I don't really have that perfect of a voice."

"My voice isn't perfect…"

"I know, but you hit every note right on the spot and everything. I'm not that great…"

"Eh, give me some time to think on that, I might go ahead and do that for you." Jake nodded his thanks and continued tuning his guitar. Freddie started working on a camera.

"You think we could do that role playing thing again?" Freddie glanced over and raised his eyebrow, he saw no reason why not.

"Sure." Freddie stepped forward and tried to think of something to use, he spotted the guitar and grinned, his idea now formed in his head. "So, you're tall, you're an athlete, and every girl in the school thinks you're hot…Now you're a musician too?"

"I guess." Jake smirked and got ready for the role play, though it probably wouldn't last long.

"Can you _fly_!"

"Well, my uncle is a pilot!" Freddie groaned and turned around.

"Forget about it!" Jake laughed and Freddie crossed his arms over as he walked toward his tripod.

"Hey, Freddie, I have a question." Freddie froze, thinking Jake was going to ask about the girl he was serenading. "Can you mask my voice?"

"Huh?" Okay, so he wasn't going to ask about it, no problem. Freddie turned around and pressed his fingertips together. "You want me to shift your voice?"

"Yeah, you know I can't sing well at all. I want the girls to hear my real voice first, though." Freddie raised his eyebrow and tilted his back a bit.

"Are you _sure_ you want to do that?"

"Yes."

"Your choice, but I'll do it for you."

"Thanks buddy."

"No problem, man." Freddie walked toward a microphone and picked it up. "I'm going to be testing these for sound." He placed the microphone up and started saying something about Cinnamon Buns. The elevator opened and Sam walked over to him as Carly walked past him.

"Why do that?" Sam asked. Freddie turned around and started to answer.

"I'm testing the acoustic resonance…" Sam blinked and found herself slowly going into a daze, she did that whenever he started talking about technical stuff. She couldn't help it if she loved the brains he had. She even loved the brawn he had. Af1ter all, he had been working out more often.

"Whoops, don't care!" Freddie groaned and hit the microphone in his hand. Sam frowned and walked past him. _"Sorry, but I couldn't fall under your spell this time. I always do, but I can't do it in front of Carly and Jake both."_ Sam stepped next to Carly as Jake walked toward the stool, he was going to sing a verse so Freddie could perform a sound check. _"I hope he's not _too_ bad."_

"This is a song I wrote for iCarly," Jake said. He began to play the guitar and soon he started to sing. He was horribly off key, and it freaked out both the girls.

_"Oh my god, that is bad. Freddie's not really going to let Jake sing like that, I hope!"_ Jake stopped singing and Jake asked how it was. _"I'm not going to say it was horrible, but it was horrible."_

"Awesome," Freddie said as he stepped forward and clapped. "I can't wait until we go live." Carly sighed and slapped her forehead, wondering what she had gotten herself into. Soon they sent Jake downstairs and Sam stepped next to Freddie as he crossed his arms and looked toward Carly.

"Well, I think we know the results of the sound check, did it sound horrible?" Sam and Freddie looked at each other and stuck their thumbs upwards.

"Check!"

"Guys, this isn't funny!" Carly said as she glared at them, she was panicking.

"Did you _not_ hear him?" Sam asked while laughing slightly.

"Cause that was pretty funny," Freddie replied.

'What are we going to do!" Carly exclaimed. Sam sighed and shook her head, she thought it was obvious.

"We're going to tell him that he can't sing on the show because he smells like a pile of crap," Sam stated. Carly grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from Freddie.

"I can't tell him that because I like him and if I tell him that then it's going to ruin everything!"

"Yeah, but if you _do_ let him sing, then everyone's going to hear it and viciously rip on him for the rest of his life!"

_"So far, Carly's not looking like good girlfriend material for Jake,"_ Freddie thought while rubbing his chin. He thought the answer was obvious, Jake preferred the more honest route. He would want Carly to be honest and just tell him that he can't sing well. _"He's lucky I'm going to improve his sound anyway, I just need to tweak the volumes and stuff on the computer."_

After some time, the girls decided to trap Jake in the elevator. Freddie waited until the girls came back up, and when they did, Jake was pushing the elevator up. This didn't surprise Freddie because he knew Jake worked out at the gym with both him and Jonah. So naturally, Jake was probably able to escape. Soon, Carly and Sam led Freddie in the hallway to get Freddie to fix Jake's voice.

"Come on, maybe we could just computerize his voice or something," Carly said. Freddie had his arms crossed and was looking away, he was finding the perfect way to get Carly not to like her. Refuse to do it at first, then he could probably do something persistent and 'jealous.'

"Yeah, too bad we don't know a computer geek that'll do anything you ask," Sam said while smirking. Freddie narrowed his eyes and stared at Sam, he then turned his head to Carly and scowled slightly.

"No," Freddie responded.

"Can't you fix his voice or something?" Carly asked.

"I could, but I'm not going to help some 'Mr. Awesome' into some 'Totally Awesome' person!"

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No." Now was the opportunity to be pushy and jealous. At this moment, it would be the wrong moment, and she would be disgusted with him.

"If I do, then will you kiss me?"

"NO!"

"Then _no._"

"Aw come on!" Sam rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"I'm fixing to puke over both of you!" Sam exclaimed. It was a sign to wrap things up and quickly. Freddie then shrugged and decided to end it.

"Just one kiss-"

"No."

"Cheek."

"No."

"Okay fine, I'll do it." Freddie shrugged and started to walk back inside, he didn't care or want her kissing him. _"I'm just going to be kissing Sam a _lot_ after this. She deserves it after sitting through that, god I feel sick…"_ Jake started singing and Freddie soon fixed his voice, Freddie glanced over at Sam and frowned because she had to hear the bad version. _"Sam…"_ He was about to lend her some headphones when Carly stopped him.

"Is it working?" Carly asked. Freddie sighed and handed her the headphones so she could hear Jake for herself. "Whoa." Freddie looked at Sam and frowned, she looked disgusted, so he was about to take off his headphones and give it to her, when the worst thing imaginable happened. "Give me that nose!" Freddie's eyes widened as he felt Carly grab his cheeks, he was taken by shock, so she kissed his nose before he could react.

_"No!"_ Sam's face scrunched up with more disgust, she hadn't expected that to happen. _"Damn it, no! No, no, no! Sam, I'm sorry, I didn't think this would happen! Crap! That's it, I don't care what anyone says, I'm _never_ discussing kissing with Carly! Never again! Crap, my nose feels like it's in extreme pain right now…god, I think I'm going to hurl."_ Sam looked over at him and saw a pained expression on his face. "Excuse me, I really have to go to the restroom." He turned around and ran out of the loft.

"Freddie!" Carly looked at Sam with shock and confusion, she had no clue what had just happened.

"Here, you listen to the singer, I'll go talk to the dork and see what's up," Sam said while rolling her eyes. _"Oh my god, she kissed him! What kind of crap is this? No, it isn't going to bother me, not this time, not again."_ Sam left the room and found Freddie leaning against a wall, holding his stomach. "Freddie?"

"Sam! I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have even bothered!" Freddie said quickly. He walked over to her and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Sam smiled at him shook her head.

"Relax, it's not like she kissed your lips. It was just a little nasal, there's nothing wrong with that."

"I _hate_ when another girl kisses me, especially if you have to see it. I feel so…"

"Look, I know it hurts, but don't worry about it. I'm not letting it affect me. I know you love me, and I know you always will, so I'm not going to worry about that little kiss. I don't think you should either." Freddie gave her a sad smile and she softly placed her hands on the sides of his face. "If it hurts, then let me kiss it to make it better." She leaned upwards and closed her eyes as she kissed his nose, he sighed and smiled as she leaned back and gazed into his eyes. "All better now?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad. Now let's get back before Carly suspects anything." Freddie smiled and nodded his head. "Just remember, I love you no matter what."

"And I love you." The couple then moved back toward the loft, when they entered, Carly still looked confused. Freddie had to make up an excuse. "Ugh, Sam tried to push my head into the toilet!"

"Sam!" Carly exclaimed while rolling her eyes.

"What? I didn't do anything," Sam replied. She chuckled and stepped next to Carly. _"We're going to find you another guy, Carly...I promise."_  
_

* * *

  
_I hope you liked that, drop a review and let me know!


	20. Tension

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 20 (Tension)

Jonah, Jake, and Freddie all sat at the gym doing some dumbbell curls. Jake and Jonah were looking curiously at Freddie, he had been acting strange for a while now and they had no clue why or what was going on. Jonah had a feeling it was about Carly, but Jake could only wonder if his friend had a virus or something.

"Tomorrow Carly is probably going to try talking to you about the show," Freddie said while he narrowed his eyes and stared at the ground. Jake nodded and set his dumbbell on the ground. "If it's possible, I would like for you to ask her out as soon as you can." Jake raised his eyebrow and Freddie stood up. He placed his dumbbell on the rack and moved over to the bench press, he really needed to vent the stress. _"I'm getting sick and tired of these damn kisses that Carly keeps giving me. I need a set of kisses from one girl, and only one girl."_

"Freddie, I can't do that," Jake replied. Freddie raised his eyebrow and lay back on the bench, Jonah walked over to the spotting position as Jake piled on the weights for Freddie. "About an hour or two after iCarly and after I got home, Stephanie called me up. She said she was sorry for the fight that we had and she wanted to get back together." Freddie gripped the bar and frowned, Jake was now dating Stephanie, and Carly's crush would go back onto him. "I'm dating her again, so I can't date Carly."

_"Damn it! That's fine, we'll just have to find her another guy."_ Freddie's face scrunched up with anger and Jonah frowned in response. Jake was still confused, but that was understandable. Freddie slowly sat up and placed his hand on his forehead, slightly covering his eyes. "Okay guys, I think I'm going to move to the punching bag. You guys want to join me?" Jonah and Jake nodded as Freddie stood up, it would be a good way for him to blow off some steam. _"How the hell can this keep happening? I want my fiancé not to be hurt, and I'm sure this hurts her incredibly."_ Freddie sighed and his friends followed him into another part of the gym. This place had bags all over. Freddie was ticked, so he went to the center bag, it was the heaviest of all the bags.

"Are you sure you want to try this one?" Jonah asked while raising his eyebrow. Freddie chuckled and took two gloves from the ground. He placed the gloves on his hand and smirked.

"Hell yeah, I need to get rid of some steam here. If I knock this bag off the ceiling, then oh well."

"Freddie, are you going to be okay?"

"Sure, why ask?" Jonah shrugged and Freddie got into fighting stance. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the bag as if it were his greatest enemy. He hated it, he hated the large bag and everything about it. He closed his eyes and sighed, focusing all of his problems and stresses into that one bag. Then he thought of Sam, the problems, the bag, it threatened her. It threatened her very life and sanity, and that was not of the greatest plan. Freddie didn't wish to put her in danger. He couldn't do it, it just wasn't done. Jonah and Jake both watched as Freddie tried to focus all of his energy. He slowly opened his eyes and growled lightly. "Okay guys, back up. I don't want to hurt you, so make sure you stay out of the way." It was possible to send the bag into the air, despite it weighing a large amount. Jake and Jonah both heeded Freddie's words and stepped out of the danger zone, they didn't want to get hit by the bag, or Freddie's attacks. Jonah thought this would be the perfect ventilation of stress, and Jake still had no idea what was going on.

Freddie shouted as he threw a right hook, hitting the bag dead center and causing it to move forward. The bag then flew back toward him, he skillfully dodged to the left and let the bag pass him. When it got back, he threw a left knife hand strike and hit the bag onto the side. "Damn you!" Freddie shouted as he leapt to the side and performed a side kick. "Quit interfering with us!" Freddie punched the bag two times and then hit the bag with a front kick. "Leave us at peace!" Freddie slammed his fist into the bag once more and turned his body to the side. "Quit hurting her!" Freddie placed his fist in his hand and hit the bag with his elbow.

"Freddie seems pretty uptight today," Jake said while crossing his arms. Jonah nodded in response and pushed his hands into his pockets, he knew why Freddie was upset. Freddie had told him about the nose kiss, but he also said Sam had made things better after it was over. Apparently, it was still bothering him greatly. "Is he talking about Carly? I mean, he said 'quit hurting her' and I would think he means to quit hurting Carly. Is something going on with them?"

"Yeah, Jake, yeah…that's one way to look at it." Jake frowned and moved his head back. Jonah sighed and crossed his arms. He knew Freddie was seriously angry with Carly right now, and he was sure Carly's crush on him was hurting Sam. He found it hard to agree whenever Sam said it didn't hurt her. Jonah slowly shook his head and watched as Freddie continued to beat the bag. It seemed to be the perfect stress relief for him, and fortunately Freddie wasn't abusive in any way. That meant if he ever got angry, he would never hit Carly or Sam.

Freddie threw a right punch followed by a left, then he did a front kick with his right leg. Next he hit the bag with a right back fist, followed by a left punch. He was performing a number of punches and kicks, it was like he was jumping right out of a kung fu movie where the bag was a supremely evil villain. Jonah tilted his head and raised his eyebrow, it seemed that if Freddie continued, he might break the bag. Of course, Freddie soon ended as well, tired from all the hitting. He wiped his face with a towel and turned around.

"All right, are you good?" Jonah asked while adding a smirk to his face. "You got all that stress worked out? No more problems or worries?" Freddie looked over at Jonah and nodded his head.

"Yeah, it's good," Freddie responded. He pulled the gloves off and exhaled slowly. "So, do either of you want to try for the bag?" Jonah looked at the punching bag and shrugged, it was tempting, but he didn't feel a need to punch it yet.

"Nah, I think I'm good for now. I'm just going to go home and get some rest, how about you?"

"Yeah, some well deserved rest and relaxation. See you guys later." Freddie waved his hand in the air and walked off, Jonah sighed and pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

-NEW SCENE-

Sam sat in her room with Valerie, they were talking about random things, but mostly about the guys. Sam confided to Valerie that it didn't hurt her much at all when Carly kissed Freddie's nose. Though it would have hurt more if she had kissed his lips, and by some miracle, she didn't do that.

She was afraid that her friendship with Carly would suffer because of this. It seemed like it already had been suffering, and Carly didn't even know it. More and more Sam felt like not going near her, and more she felt a pain in her chest when she did get around her, especially if Freddie was in the same room. She knew it shouldn't bother her since Freddie didn't like Carly as more than a friend. Of course, she was worried that Freddie may be losing his liking for Carly as a friend at all, especially since he was having to deal with everything.

She also knew that Freddie was afraid of losing her, as impossible as it was. Not only would she never leave him, desire to leave him, or even hate him, she was bound to him by his culture and her love for him. She wanted to make him happy, she wanted to love him, and she hated seeing him upset. She didn't think she could bear seeing him get hurt the way he was whenever he was around Carly. She didn't like when she saw him looking ready to vomit after the nose kiss, it broke her. Not only that, but the fear of losing Carly's friendship because of the whole arranged marriage was gutting.

"What do you think I can do to make him feel better?" Sam asked as she lay back on her bed and looked up toward the ceiling. "I think he's still bothered by what happened, and it doesn't bother me anymore, is that wrong?" Valerie slowly shook her head, she didn't see anything wrong with it at all.

"No, but he's a guy, he's afraid you won't love him anymore if you see Carly kiss him. I think that's a natural thing with guys. They want their girlfriend to love them, and if they screw up, they're afraid." Sam meshed her eyebrows together as a worried look came on her face.

"Okay, so _how_ do I go about showing him that I love him and nothing Carly, or he ever does will ever change that?"

"Just be there for him and remind him that you love him. Just do those special things for him that show he's in your heart."

"It's six o'clock, what can I do for him at this hour of night?" Just then, Sam's cell phone rang. She answered it and heard Jonah's voice. As Jonah spoke, she looked like she was sadder than before. She hung up and looked at Valerie. "Jonah says Freddie got mad and started beating up the punching bag."

"Heh, well there's a stress relief." Sam laughed lightly and nodded her head.

"Yeah, I have to do something that will lift his spirits." Valerie hummed and tapped her chin, trying to think of things that she did with Jonah when he was stressed out.

"Maybe a romantic dinner, perhaps you can serenade _him_ for a change, or maybe even giving him a nice message." Sam chuckled and sat up in the bed.

"_Me_, serenade _Freddie_? I'm not a good singer at all!" Valerie laughed in response, it normally wouldn't matter.

"He's your boyfriend, your lover, your fiancé…he's not going to _care_ how you sound. You could be the worst singer on earth, and to him it's going to sound like a Siren's melody. Also, I've heard you sing, girl. You're a damn good singer! We should start our own band like the boys are doing!" Sam raised her eyebrow and Valerie blinked, she wasn't supposed to say that. Valerie chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. "The boys are starting up a band. Freddie would play the lead guitar, since Jake gave him guitar lessons. Jake does the bass and Jonah does the drums. Really, Freddie wanted to surprise you."

"Oh, so I wasn't supposed to know about that."

"Not really." Sam chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.

"That's fine by me. When they do get it all set up, I'll definitely be surprised, if not anxious to hear them." Sam stood up from the bed and stretched, she remembered Ms. Benson helping to bake some cookies with her, they should be done by now. "Let's get the cookies out of the oven, Freddie's going to love them!"

"Cookies, a very good stress relief if you know how to serve them right!" Sam thought about how she might serve the cookies to Freddie when he got home, she blushed at the thought. Valerie raised her eyebrow when she saw her friend blush, so she placed her hand on Sam's back and led her out of the room. "Come on, let's get those cookies." The girls walked into the kitchen and Sam grabbed an oven mitt. She opened the oven and smiled softly.

"They look perfect. Do you think Freddie will like them?"

"Girl, he'll like _whatever_ you give him. Now if that's perfection, and they do look like they are, he's going to love them more than he could ever love them. That's saying something, since I'm sure he'd love everything." Sam grinned and pulled the cookies from the oven. Valerie sniffed and sighed. "Oh yeah, those smell great. Let Freddie have first bite of those delicious round things filled with chocolate." Sam giggled and Valerie gave a smirk while leaning against the counter.

"Well, I did learn to cook from Emily."

"I love cooking. I'm going to be a famous chef one day, just wait and see! I'm going to be cooking meals for the president!"

"I don't doubt that." Valerie took a plate out and set it on the counter while Sam set the tray on a cooking board. Sam began to carefully take the cookies and position them on the tray. "He'll love these, I just know he will. Anyway, when he gets here, I'm going to go ahead and give him a nice massage."

"Hey, he might give _you_ one in return!"

"Ooh yeah, pleasure for two." Valerie laughed lightly and patted Sam's back.

"You're going to do all right, that's for sure. So, where is Ms. Benson anyway?"

"She's at work right now. She'll be back later."

"Ah." Valerie placed her elbow on the counter and rested her hand on her cheek. "Sam, I'm sure you and Freddie…Have you been tempted to have sex?" Sam frowned and stared at the cookies.

"Well, we are going to be married, but we're trying to abstain. Yes, we've been tempted into it, but we've never done it."

"I'm glad. Jonah and I almost fell to the temptation last night, it got really heated."

"Wow, I'm glad that you guys didn't have sex, it would be too early to do that."

"I know…but it was kind of a scary deal for both of us." Sam's eyebrows rose and Valerie looked straight ahead. "We stopped what we were doing and just sat there, feeling awkward. We weren't even sure what to say." Sam turned around and gave Valerie a strong hug. Valerie closed her eyes and smiled. "Thanks, that's what I needed."

"If it makes you feel any better, Freddie and I are tempted almost every time we go into our bedrooms. We make an effort to not kiss when in a bedroom or on the bed, and if we do kiss while there, we don't start making out."

"Those are some good foundations to have."

"Yep, they work for us. Emily knows that we've been tempted to, and she tries to help us abstain in many ways as she can." Sam smiled and chuckled at a memory. "I remember one time, she threatened to buy some _actual_ tick lotion and bathe us both in it if we had sex." Valerie laughed and Sam snickered. "I don't know how serious she was, but she had the most serious face that I've ever seen!" The girls looked over as the door opened and Freddie entered.

"Hey, how's it going?" Freddie asked while smiling at them. Sam smiled and motioned for him to walk over, so he obliged. "What's going on?" Valerie smiled and watched as Sam moved behind him and started to give him a soft massage. "Ah, you know, you've got a great touch, I'll give you that."

"I made some cookies for you, would you like to try one? They're fresh out of the oven."

"Sure, I'd love to try a cookie." Sam smiled and kept one hand on his back as she reached over and took a cookie off the plate. She slowly brought the cookie to his mouth and let him take a bite of it. He closed his eyes and chewed it, finally swallowing it. "Mm, that has got to be one of the best cookies I have ever had." Sam smiled and placed another cookie in her mouth, she leaned forward and Freddie opened his mouth up for her to push half of the cookie in. Sam then pressed her lips to his and pulled back, swallowing her half of the cookie. "Sam, are you trying to seduce me or something?" Freddie smirked and Sam wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest.

"I love you forever." Freddie smiled and sniffed in the air.

"I smell lavender and peach perfume…"

"I remembered that you loved it." Freddie smiled and placed his hands on Sam's hips.

"You're right, I do love it. Not only that, but I love you more than life itself. You know, I can't say I'm used to having you try to romance me, but I'm loving it greatly." Sam smiled and Freddie gently kissed her lips. She moved her hands back and placed her palms on the counter as he gently pushed her against it, pressing his hands on the counter. He moved his lips down and started kissing her neck, causing her to tilt her head back and let out a soft moan. Valerie lifted her eyes up and sighed, she figured she probably should leave pretty soon.

"I think I'm just going to let you two have some privacy," Valerie said as she slowly walked toward the door. She looked back and saw Freddie still kissing Sam. "Hey, don't get too far, it's getting a little too hot in here!" Freddie and Sam both stopped kissing and realized what was going on.

"Uh…" Freddie looked down and saw that the very tips of his fingers were inside of Sam's jeans. "Crap!" Valerie sighed and slowly shook her head as her two friends pulled apart and stared away very awkwardly.

"Hey, don't worry about it. These things happen, and they will continue. You just need to know when to stop yourselves." Sam and Freddie both laughed nervously and Valerie gave a small sigh. "Would it feel any better if I stayed around and we all watched a movie or something?"

"Yes!" The couple said in quick agreement. They really needed to get over the awkward moment. Valerie laughed lightly and shook her head as Sam and Freddie walked over to the couch.

* * *

I hope you liked that chapter, be prepared for something huge next chapter. It is the appearance of none other than Tyrone. This man is going to be very important to the story, and I'm sure you'll find he's more the real villain, NOT Carly. So to all you Carly fans out there, I will say that Carly is a TRUE FRIEND in this story, but being brainwashed by a certain man.


	21. Meeting the Tyrant

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 21 (Meeting the Tyrant)

"Freddie!" Sam shouted as she ran through the halls of the school. None of the kids were concerned as to why she was shouting his name, most likely he did something wrong and she was chasing him and fixing to give him a wedgie or something. Sam turned the corner and spotted Freddie talking to a friend. The friend walked away and Freddie turned toward Sam.

"What is your problem?" Freddie asked while giving out a slight chuckle and raising his eyebrow. Sam was panting and she quickly stood up straight. "Is there something happening that I need to know about?"

"Yeah, you know Gibby's friend, Rueben?" Freddie nodded and Sam crossed her arms over. "He just hit on me." Freddie's eye twitched and his hand slowly closed. "At least I think he did. I can hardly understand what that boy says, though. Either way, when I turned him around, I felt him grab my butt!" Freddie blinked and his eyebrows rose in concern.

"What…" Naturally he was shocked, and was slowly getting it.

"He grabbed my butt, Freddie, my butt!" Anger, rage, and jealousy now surged through him. Normally they had to keep their relationship a secret, but it was in this case that Freddie wanted to shout at Rueben for doing that to his girlfriend. Not only that, he wanted to hit the guy. "Well, I gave him a wedgie and pushed him into the lockers, but I still felt violated. I mean, no guy has ever touched my butt, it felt so weird." Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam blinked. "Okay, so maybe you've placed your hands there, but that's fine."

"No man touches my woman!" Freddie started to walk past Sam, but she grabbed his arm. She didn't want him to do anything that would get him in trouble. Freddie looked into Sam's eyes and saw them filled with concern for him. He let out a soft sigh and gave her a smile. "Okay, so maybe I won't do anything to him, but he better not end up flirting with you again. If he does, I'm going to be a bit angrier with him. I already want to punch Gibby. Actually, I've wanted to punch him for a little over a month now…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well when we had that fight about a month ago, I've wanted to punch him for getting you into trouble."

"Act like a proper fourteen year old, Freddie."

"Hey, I'm not fourteen until I have my birthday party!" Freddie smirked and Sam nodded as she quickly gave him a peck on the lips. They were going to have a birthday party for him at the end of the day, because it was his birthday after all.

"You can bet to have fun at your birthday party today, Freddie. Cake, presents, and everything else you could want! Unfortunately…Carly won't be able to celebrate with us."

"Oh? Why not?"

"She said she has stuff to do, but she would make it up to you by getting you a big present later. After all…" Sam's face hardened and she stared at the wall in front of her. "Why wouldn't she want to get her crush a great present?"

"Sam, how many times have we discussed not worrying about Carly and her little crush on me? I've become more subtle with that pretending, and she hasn't kissed me again…thankfully. Besides, I've been searching through a list of guys, I'm going to need your help there since you know what Carly wants in a guy." Freddie looked over to see Jonah walking his way, Valerie was in his arms and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Hey Freddie, Sam, how are you two lovebirds today?" Jonah asked while smirking.

"I kind of want to punch Rueben, actually." Jonah raised his eyebrow and Valerie glanced from Freddie to Sam with concern.

"What did Rueben do?"

"He hit on Sam and groped her butt." Freddie narrowed his eyes and Jonah winced, that was not a good thing.

"You want me to deal with him? I can give him a wedgie for you. Personal delivery." Sam and Valerie both rolled their eyes and chuckled as they left the side of their respective man and decided to talk with each other. Jonah walked over to Freddie and placed his elbow on his shoulder. They looked at the girls and smiled. "There are two of Seattle's best."

"Yeah, I'll have to agree with you on that, Jonah." Freddie nodded in response and crossed his arms over. "Just a few more hours until the birthday party, this is going to be great! Just mom, you guys, my girlfriend, and a bunch of love to go around." Just then, Freddie's cell phone went off, he answered it and found it was his mom calling.

"Freddie, this is important," Emily said while giving a small sigh. "I don't think Sam can come home right away."

"What? Why?"

"Tyrone is here." Freddie raised his eyebrow and Emily let out a groan. Robert was actually thee name of Mr. Shay, but Tyrone didn't sound familiar. "I haven't told you about him, have I? He's Carly's grandfather, and a bit more…vicious than anyone else. Especially when it comes to my culture. He's the one that's been giving Carly all these negative thoughts about arranged marriage."

"You're joking, please tell me you're kidding." Freddie looked over at his friends, they were giving him concerned looks. Sam was especially worried, since she knew that if his mom was upset about something and it got Freddie upset about something, then it was really bad. "So, what does he want?"

"Probably to yell some more. He's not visiting his granddaughter today, but I think he wants to meet you…and your…he's calling her a whore." Freddie growled and Emily pulled her mouth away from the phone. "Damn it Tyrone, the person I chose is no whore! This is a respect…I don't have time for this crap!" Emily sighed and talked back into the phone. "He can't hear me talking to you, but he is in the other room rambling on about arranged marriage. He doesn't know who I chose for you, so tell Sam she can't come home right now…I've made sure he doesn't go into her room as well." Emily paused again and pulled her lips away from the phone. "Oh yeah, bastard! Maybe it's your granddaughter for all you know! Yeah! You could be calling your own granddaughter a bitch!"

"Uh, I'll be home as soon as I can, Mom…I'll tell her." Freddie sighed and hung up the phone. Freddie turned toward Sam and frowned, she was still looking very worried. "Sam, you can't come home tonight, Mom says you have to find somewhere else to stay."

"Why?" Sam asked, her tone was sad and slightly hurt.

"It's nothing you did, but Carly's grandpa showed up, and Mom doesn't want to subject you to his wrath."

"But…" Sam was surprised, she hadn't expected something like that to happen, and on Freddie's birthday. She really had no other choice or say in the matter, she didn't want to get yelled at by Carly's grandfather. She had a feeling that he wasn't such a great man. "So, I'm guessing he wouldn't like me, even if he met me." Freddie gave a sad nod and Sam crossed her arms over. "Fine, well if I ever do meet him, I'm taking his money and I'm going to take his food too!" Freddie laughed and gave Sam a hug. "What? I'm serious! I don't joke, you know I don't joke! I _will_ take his money and food, because I don't like him!" Valerie rubbed Sam's back and Jonah held his stomach while trying to suppress his laughter. "Well anyway, I guess I'll have to stay at Carly's or something. Is he visiting her?"

"No, Mom said he's just preaching to her like he always does. I think he'll probably be gone once he talks to me and everything."

"Okay…I guess I'll go have some supper. Valerie, do you think you can go with Freddie and see what Grandpa Shay has to say about me?" Valerie frowned and gave Sam a sad look, she hated to see her friend looking so down about herself. "You might want to take Jonah too, just in case Evil Shay thinks you're supposed to be Freddie's future wife."

"Sam, they don't have to go, it'll be okay."

"No, we'll go," Valerie said while giving her friend a comforting hug. Jonah nodded and patted Sam on the back.

"Besides, we don't want to leave you to your own misery," Jonah responded. "Though, someone should be with Sam."

"I'll be fine on my own. I'm just going to go to the diner down the street. It'd be nice if you could punch that Yakima-loser in the face, though." Sam smirked and Freddie gave a slight laugh. "I wonder if he's got his spies around here…"

"I wouldn't know, but I'm not going to worry too much about him," Freddie responded. He wrapped his arms around Sam and pressed her against his body, causing her to gasp in surprise. He looked into her eyes and smirked. "You're my precious angel, and I would never deny you or my love for you." Sam smirked and placed her hand on his arm.

"Yeah, unless Carly asks, right?"

"Well, you did say pretend to love her and whatnot. Though, she's not suspicious, nor should she ever be."

"True. Go have fun with Jerk Shay!" Freddie laughed and Sam watched as his shoulders rose and fell. He had to admit that he loved the way she thought up nicknames for the guy.

"Yeah, I'll try. Hopefully we don't end up seeing him too often." Though it was a lie, there was no doubt in his mind Tyrone was probably going to be back.

"Is it wrong-"

"Yes, it's wrong to wish bad luck on him, even if you don't like him."

"Darn." Freddie smiled and leaned forward, kissing Sam's lips tenderly. When he pulled back, Sam gave him a slightly dazed look. "How does that happen every time?"

"I love you. See you later, Sam." Sam nodded as Freddie released her and placed his arms around the shoulders of Jonah and Valerie. "Come on guys, let's head to the grandpa shark." She chuckled lightly and watched as the three walked off.

-NEW SCENE-

"Oh yeah? Well maybe you're a worse influence on your grandchildren than you think!" Emily shouted, filled with rage. "Turning them into tiny versions of you! Asshole! You can't let your kids and grandkids have minds of their own? You have to force your opinions on them? I'm sure Carly would be fine without you!" The elderly man dodged another item being tossed toward him and growled. "That's just what we need, another intolerant Shay! You'll get what you deserve, bastard! Don't you come into _my_ house and tell _me_ how to live _my_ lifestyle! If I want to practice my family tradition, then I will!"

"This is _America!_" Tyrone Shay barked. He dodged another skillfully thrown item and glared at Emily. "This is the country of freedom and _choice!_ Have you ever heard of choice, Benson? Probably not, I do so wonder what unlucky wench is being forced to marry your son. I'm going to be watching Carly, too, if she starts getting too close to your kind, I'm taking her away so I can teach her even more than I already am! She needs to know the truth of your kind!"

"Have you ever heard of butting out, Bastard!"

"Yeah, well I won't be satisfied by butting out! I'll be satisfied when you take your family and get the hell out of this country! We don't need the likes of you coming in here and forcing two people to marry."

"I didn't force anyone to marry! I made the _choice_ to practice my family tradition, and my son _chose_ to follow it!"

"Oh yeah, I'm absolutely sure that's the case!"

"Yeah, it is! Also, my son was able to _choose_ if he wanted who he got! You don't know anything about my culture!"

"Yeah, but you still forced it and arranged it!" Emily shouted again and threw a spoon toward Tyrone. Tyrone successfully dodged it and shook his fist in the air. "You know, I could have your sorry ass sued! That's where your kind belongs!"

"Oh shut the-" The door opened and Freddie stepped in with Jonah and Valerie. Their eyes were wide in shock, it looked and sounded like they stepped into a warzone that silenced when they entered. Emily looked at Freddie and smiled. "Freddie, you're here, and you brought your friends with you."

"Who's the girl, the unlucky swine that you put with your bastard son?"

"Don't refer to my girlfriend in that manner!" Jonah exclaimed while letting out a threatening growl. He just met the guy and already he didn't like him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Girlfriend…" Tyrone looked over at Emily and pointed toward Jonah and Valerie. "Now _that_ is an American couple. They're together by choice, not by force!"

"Hey, shut up!" Freddie shouted. Tyrone looked appalled and took a step back when Freddie spoke to him. "You have no right to talk to my mother or my friends like that, and you have no right to talk about my girlfriend, whom I love with all my heart, like that either!" Jonah and Valerie were staring at Freddie with wide and surprised eyes, they didn't think he would blow up like that. Of course, it did make sense for him to. "Listen here, bastard. I met my girlfriend long before my mom ever chose her, so I was falling in love well beforehand."

"Oh, come on…"

"We even talked with each other about that possibility. So we very well chose for ourselves!"

"Listen son, I know my granddaughter could use a good man for her. Maybe-" Mentioning Carly was a bad idea, she was cause to a lot of his frustration. Freddie clenched his fists, inhaled and quickly snapped back like a crocodile snaps its prey.

"The hell I would marry her, I only view her as an friend! Besides, I'm not interested in her like that, so you can take that thought and stuff it up your old and wrinkly ass!"

"Well I never!" All others in the room gasped and watched in silence as Freddie glared into Tyrone's eyes. It was almost as if he had a look of pure hatred. This was the time that Sam needed to be there, because she was always considered his 'better half' and could always successfully calm him down. "That's it, I'm taking my leave. I wonder…" Tyrone narrowed his eyes and stared at Emily. "You people do like to arrange couples that would hate each other. You better not have put my beloved granddaughter in your little web!" Emily rolled her eyes and Freddie opened the door, narrowing his eyes with rage.

"You picked the wrong day, Shay. I'm no longer in the mood for civil conversation with you. Get your old, creaky ass out of here!" Tyrone huffed and walked out of the apartment, feeling as though he had never been treated so crudely in his life. "I bet you'd like us if you got to know us better, but you'll never get that chance!"

"I wouldn't give a damn!" Freddie slammed the door shut and turned to see everyone looking at him with concern.

"What?"

"I have never seen you act like that before," Jonah said while walking to his best friend and patting him on the shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just didn't like the way he was talking about Sam. He doesn't even know her. If he met her, he'd see that she was a true angel." Emily crossed her arms and scoffed.

"Don't believe that one, it's impossible to have a civilized talk with that hardhead," Emily stated while turning toward the refrigerator. "Does anyone want any drinks? I think I have a terrible headache right now…I need to lie down." She sighed and gave an apologetic look to Freddie. "I'm so sorry, Freddie. I didn't intend for the birthday to end up like this."

"It is okay, Mom. We can't control what happens." Freddie walked over to the couch and groaned as he sat down. "I just wish that guy could see that we're not bad people."

"Yeah, like that's ever going to happen."

-NEW SCENE-

Sam sat down at one of the tables in the diner, she personally hated how the day was turning out. She had met Grandpa Shay before, but she never thought he could be so mean. But then, it made no difference anyway.

"I know he is trying to turn Carly and Spencer against the idea of arranged marriage...Carly told me already that Grandpa Shay was telling her how bad it was." She sighed and stared at the table, she felt like crying, but she did not. She was personally afraid of what might happen if the Shays were against the Bensons in this whole thing. She would be torn in between. There was really no question though, she would go to Freddie's side because she loved him. The thought of her own best friend turning on her was hard to think about. She placed her arms over one another on the table and buried her face in them.

"Why the long face?" A man asked. Sam quickly looked up to see a man about the age of Ms. Benson looking at her. He looked so familiar to her, but she couldn't place her finger on it. All she knew was he seemed kind and he probably knew who she was since he was talking to her.

"It's just some issues that I'm struggling with…" Sam shifted her eyes to the side and frowned. "Have you ever been in love with someone, but you feel like the whole world is out to kill you, so you have to hide your relationship from suspecting eyes?"

"Yeah, I suppose that's happened to me before. Not the hiding part, but the being in love with someone that people are against you for..."

"It sucks. I'm in love with someone, and we have to pretend that he loves another girl…it gets hard. That same girl even has a tendency to be our worst enemy given certain circumstances." The man smiled and slowly shook his head.

"Don't worry too much about it. Listen, if you love someone with all your heart and that person loves you back, there is nothing that can come between you. Try as they might, the world can never really rip you apart." The man sighed and closed his eyes. _"If only I believed that years ago. Doesn't change a thing now."_

"I know, but it's so hard. I'm afraid of the possibility of people lynching my boyfriend!" The man laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Try not to cry for the fact that the world may be against you, cry if you don't succeed in letting the world understand you. My father probably will never get the idea of trying to understand things that he's never seen, but that's fine. I know he's a bit of a heard head when it comes to certain people…and he's even got me acting a bit like that. Now he wants...actually he has been pushing his beliefs onto his own grandchildren."

"Now you see, that's the kind of man I can't respect right there. Why do it?"

"I agree, but he's my father, so I love him anyway. I just wish the guy could be a little more tolerant." The man looked at the doors of the diner as they opened, Sam turned around and her eyes widened when she saw Grandpa Shay step in. He had a look of pure anger on his face. "Dad, what's going on?" Sam gasped and looked toward the man, he had seemed so nice, but this was Robert Shay. Now she remembered him, the father of Carly, she had only met him a couple times in the distant past. No wonder he remembered her.

"I swear I've never been talked to so rudely in my entire life," Tyrone said as he sat down. He looked to Sam and smiled. "Samantha, how are you? How long has it been since I've seen you?" Sam froze and gulped slightly, she was sitting with the enemy.

"I-I'm good, and how are you?"

"Terrible. I'm telling you, I've never had a young man yell at me in such a crude manner!" Sam blinked and leaned back in her chair, it must have been Freddie that got mad at him. "All I was trying to do was tell them that their current lifestyle just wasn't right in this country."

"Dad, you know you don't _have_ to push your opinion on everyone. Seriously, you're going to give us Shay's a bad name." Robert sighed and shook his head, it wasn't like they already had a bad name thanks to their intolerance of the Bensons. Not only that, but he already made Robert turn into Emily's public enemy number one. "You've already made Spencer disliking arranged marriage, and now you've got Carly starting to dislike it. You're brainwashing your own grandchildren..." Sam let out a tiny gasp and stared down at the table, she couldn't believe it. Tyrone glared at Robert and he quickly froze. He sighed and closed his eyes shamefully, forcing himself to agree with his father once more. "Arranged Marriage, you can't have it here. I mean, it's all about love and all about choice."

"What if the couple is in love?" Sam asked while raising her eyebrow.

"Hah, that's impossible. How can there really be love if you're forced to marry?" Tyrone replied while crossing his arms over.

"Love can develop over time," Robert stated while giving out a small sigh. "It's also possible to look at everyone in a person's life and decide out of those that they care about…love is possible."

"Don't give me that bull. I still stand firm in my belief that the Bensons shouldn't even be here!"

"Uh, Granddad Shay, can I borrow ten dollars from you?" Sam asked while frowning and trying to hide her tears. "I need to get some food. I'll get you a sandwich too!"

"Yeah, sure." Sam stood up and took the money he handed her. She walked over to the counter and looked to the ground as she clenched her fists, she couldn't stand the way Tyrone was talking. She looked up and handed the clerk the money, asking for two sandwiches. The clerk handed her the sandwiches and she turned around. She saw Robert and Tyrone looking at her, and she felt anger coursing through her veins.

"Thanks!" Tyrone said as he motioned for her to bring over the sandwich. "Hey, did you make sure there is mustard on that?" She remembered the phone conversation and remembered hearing Ms. Benson screaming at him, she thought that she heard someone screaming about Freddie's mate being a 'whore' or something similar. This meant that Tyrone had called her a whore. Sam narrowed her eyes and glared at him, Robert took note of the glare and raised his eyebrow. Sam took her sandwich and bit into it, then she took Tyrone's sandwich and checked it, there was mustard.

"Nope, no mustard! I'm guessing you don't want it then!"

"Actually, that's…" Sam took a bite of his sandwich and threw hers away, Tyrone sighed and shook his head. "Fine…" Robert chuckled and watched as Sam exited the diner, he was impressed, and thought Tyrone probably deserved it.

* * *

Well there's Tyrone for you, not such a great man. Stick around for the next chapter!


	22. Confrontation

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 22 (Confrontation)

Two weeks later, the group was hanging around Carly's house like usual, the prior day consisted of everyone nearly being mauled by Spencer's hammer fan. Freddie remembered the terror of that, thinking that Sam had been injured, but she hadn't been. Carly hadn't been either, but she had come close to it. Currently, Sam and Freddie were sitting on the couch with Carly and eating popcorn.

They were discussing the topics of the day, but no one really wanted to bring up what had happened a couple weeks ago. Carly heard all the yelling, but she didn't know who all was involved and she didn't really want to bother to check. She did wonder why Freddie kept appearing to be aggravated when it came to her, he had never acted like it before. He wouldn't be telling her, though. He didn't dislike her or anything, he just didn't really want to talk to her at that time. Really, the only reason he was hanging around her during the time was because Sam was.

He actually did have a good birthday celebration the day after Tyrone Shay showed up, but he had still been fuming from the prior day. He'd said if he ever saw Tyrone again, it would be far too soon. He was glad when Sam returned home that day, her presence had immediately calmed him down. She told him about the whole encounter with Mr. Shay and Grandpa Shay, she said she hadn't ever been so nervous in a long time. Robert actually seemed nicer, but she still wasn't all that sure what to make of him.

As they sat on the couch and watched the television, the doorbell rang. Spencer went to check on it and Sam continued eating. "If that's Freddie's mom, don't answer the door." They still wanted everyone to think Emily was crazy, so they would still joke about his mom on occasions and she would often come in and screech about tick lotion, dangers, and various other things. Only Freddie and Sam knew that she didn't have actual tick lotion, and Freddie definitely had leg hair.

"Hey!" Freddie said in protest. "My mom _happens_ to be…" He stopped a moment and shuddered. "Yeah, don't open the door."

_"Dork."_ Sam chuckled and looked at the door as Spencer opened it. When he opened it, their worst nightmare stepped in.

"Granddad!" Spencer said while shaking Tyrone's hand and grinning. Carly looked up and smiled, but both Sam and Freddie paled considerably. That man had an eagle eye, so now they had to act like they hated each other more than life itself if they wanted to pull off the whole not dating thing. The problem was, they couldn't do that, so it was going to have to be their usual bickering sessions.

"Grandpa!" Carly exclaimed as she hurried over and hugged Tyrone. Sam and Freddie quickly and stealthily scooted a bit further from each other, hoping to curb any suspicion that might come their way.

"Carly!" Tyrone said while grinning. "How's my little gumdrop?" The loving couple both groaned inwardly at the statement, they couldn't even begin to fathom Tyrone trying to be nice.

"I'm awesome, did you see my webshow last night?" They hoped not, or else there was going to be trouble. Of course, they suspected it would give Tyrone perfect reason to tear Carly away from them.

"I did, and you were adorable."

"So what are you doing in Seattle?" Yes, Sam and Freddie really were eager to know, they hoped he wouldn't chew the Benson family out again.

"Yeah, why didn't you tell us you were coming?" Spencer asked while giving off a slight smile.

"What, I couldn't come surprise my two favorite grandkids?" Tyrone asked as he gave them both a hug. Freddie rolled his eyes and Sam looked over at him, she could hear a small groan coming from his throat.

"He's up to something," Freddie whispered. "My mom says that he _never_ comes to Seattle unless he wants something. He may be acting nice and all, but he's probably going to show his true colors."

"Yeah, I don't know if I like him all that much," Sam replied as she took a bite of her popcorn.

"Quick, say something about your nonexistent grandfather." Sam chuckled lightly and nodded her head.

"How come my grandpa only sleeps and burps?"

"Because he's related to you." Sam blinked and the others in the room looked over at them. Sam took a piece of popcorn and stuck it up Freddie's nose. He sighed and slowly shook his head.

"Oh, hey, you've met Freddie, right?" Carly asked as she walked toward the couch. Tyrone looked at Freddie and his face hardened slightly, but then he quickly turned to a polite demeanor.

"Yes, he lives right across the hall I believe," Tyrone responded. Freddie smirked and waved at Tyrone, but all he got in return was an icy glare. Carly did not see the exchange, but Sam did.

"Oh, and you've met Sam!" Tyrone laughed lightly and frowned.

"Oh yeah, she borrowed ten dollars from me then ate my sandwich!" Freddie glanced to the side and Sam gave a subtle smirk, looking and feeling rather proud of herself.

"Nice to see you again," Sam responded. Tyrone shrugged and looked over at Carly.

"By the way Carly, I've got a gift for you." Tyrone pulled out a gift card for the smoothie shop, and eventually persuaded her to take her friends out. Freddie could tell something was up, but he didn't know just what that was, so he decided to stay behind. He told the girls to go on without him, but Sam didn't appear to want that. After some persuasion on his part, Freddie convinced her to go.

"All right old man, let's see what you're up to," Freddie said as he stepped next to Carly's door. He opened it a tiny bit and peeked through, he could see Tyrone and Spencer circling around the couch. _"What is this, Tyrone's yelling at Spencer for being incompetent? Well, Spencer _is_ a little odd, but I think he's doing a good job taking care of Carly. This gramps is a bit more of a tyrant than I thought…"_ Freddie listened as Tyrone said he felt Carly should live with him. _"Is that fan of hammers his real reason for wanting to take Carly away, or is there something lying underneath that? I wonder…" _There really was no way to act around this man, he was but a true tyrant. If you want to get around him, you better try something different. _"I think I'll have a little talk with him later. He's definitely someone that should never find out about my relationship for Sam. I bet he doesn't even realize that we're in love with each other. Of course not, the selfish bastard pretty much believes being forced together means you'll hate each other."_

Freddie scoffed and saw Tyrone walking toward the door, he quickly pressed his back against the wall next to him so Tyrone didn't see him when he opened the door. He heard Tyrone say that he would be at the Parker-Nichols Hotel and then he left. Freddie narrowed his eyes and stepped away from the wall. _"So, you're staying there are you? It looks like I have my next stop."_ Freddie placed his hands in his pocket and walked down the hall, he was pondering if he should call up Sam and tell her that he'd be stopping by the hotel. _"Yeah, I probably should tell her."_

Freddie pulled out his cell phone and dialed Sam's number, he waited as it rang and started to tap his foot, soon Sam answered. "What do you need, dork?" Sam asked. Her tone stated clearly that she was with Carly. "If you're wanting to talk to Carly, I think you have her number!" Freddie closed his eyes and chuckled lightly, now wasn't really the time for the whole banter thing, so he chose to get right down to business. He could hear Sam walking, so he decided to wait until she stopped walking. "Okay, I'm in the bathroom, what do you need?"

"Tyrone wants to take Carly away and I'm bent on finding out why." Sam gasped and started to fidget, she didn't want to lose her best friend.

"Why would he do that? Carly's my best friend, I don't want to lose her."

"True, but if you think about it, I won't have to pretend to like her anymore."

"Freddie!" Freddie snickered and Sam rolled her eyes.

"I'm joking, but it still _would_ be nice not to have to pretend to like her when I don't like her. Actually, at this current moment, I'm still odd around her. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I grow tired of her crush. Though I do think of her as a best friend!"

"I realize that…so maybe you can stop pretending…but the second you do-"

"Let's not worry about that right now, Angel." Freddie smiled and Sam gave a pleased sigh, she loved how he called her his angel. "Anyway, Tyrone apparently thinks Spencer isn't a responsible adult…but something tells me there's more reason behind his wanting to take her away. He probably wants to get her away from living across the hall from me, or to teach her to hate my family. If only we could buy our own home, then he'd be satisfied."

"I don't know. So where are you now?"

"Actually, I'm heading toward the Parker-Nichols hotel." Freddie had been walking toward lobby and made it down there, so he was pretty close to leaving. Freddie looked over to see Lewbert smiling at him. Lewbert waved and Freddie raised his eyebrows before continuing on his walk. He exited the doors and glanced down the street. "Once I find him, I'll start asking him as many questions as I can think of, in order to get him to talk." He heard Sam make a giggling sound and stopped walking. "What?"

"You sound like a private investigator. I think it's pretty nice."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me of a new idea for a role play!"

"Yes! I would love to do another role play. Would it be just us or with Jonah and Valerie? It's been a while since we did one with them."

"I suppose we could always do one with them, Angel." Sam blushed at the mention of her nickname. Freddie loved it when he got that reaction from her. Even if he couldn't see her, he still loved to say things he knew made her blush.

"You know I'm not an angel, Freddie."

"Oh yes you are, you're my beloved angel." Freddie heard someone step behind him and he quickly turned around, his eyes widened when he saw Tyrone glaring at him. "Uh, I'll have to call you back, Angel. Something just came up."

"What? Freddie, hold on." Freddie hung up the phone and glared at Tyrone.

"So, we meet again, Benson," Tyrone said as he crossed his arms. "I see that girl is 'Angel.' I'll keep that in mind as I search for any girl named _Angel_ that you know, and I'll save her from your filthy hold."

"Oh give me a break, Shay! Why don't you tell me the _real_ reason you want to take Carly away, I'm sure it's not because of Spencer's irresponsibility. If he was as irresponsible as you say, you would have taken Carly away long ago." Tyrone sneered and circled Freddie, Freddie did not budge from his spot.

"I'm taking her away from your kind. She needs to learn the dangers of being around believers of forced marriage, and she needs to be trained not to accept it. Since she has this filthy crush on you, I need to cleanse her."

"If it's any consolation, she knows nothing about me or _Angel_."

"Hah, I don't know about that. For all I know, Angel could be a codename…and what if it's Carly? After all, you do tell Carly that you love her, and it's all the time! You told me three weeks ago that the person your mom picked was someone you loved, and therefore, I'm taking Carly away."

"Give it a rest. I don't love Carly, I already told you that! I love someone else, but you'll never figure it out."

"Oh, don't think I won't. I have an eye like a hawk, and I have people all around. The gangs of Seattle, I control them, so be careful with who you're messing around with."

"You think I'm afraid of you? I wouldn't be afraid of you, you can do nothing at all." Tyrone laughed and stepped close to Freddie's back. Freddie kept his eyes narrow and glared out the corner of his eyes. Tyrone's voice lowered to a slight whisper as he spoke his next words. "Believe me, your kind shouldn't be roaming around here."

"Since when did you develop such a hatred for my family's culture?"

"You know nothing."

"I shouldn't care, but I can't have you harassing my mom or my girlfriend."

"I would rescue your girlfriend, since she was probably forced to be with you. Hell, for all I know, you've probably taken her away from her family!" Freddie held his calm demeanor, he could not lose his control. He could not allow Tyrone to win. "I can find out anything I want about you Bensons. Believe me when I say this, if you feel uneasy about my granddaughter, there is a reason why."

"Oh, and why is that?" Tyrone narrowed his eyes and growled slightly.

"Ever since your mother's great grandfather, Dan moved to America, her family line has always been put under pressure. Do you know why? Because nobody likes them, nobody likes your way of life."

"I'm guessing you're about to say that the Shays have always been behind my ancestor's enemies?"

"Well, I never said that. All I know is that your family has had a lot of problem with gangs. Anyway, Carly's too precious to put near you, so I'm removing her and training her to dislike you instead of having that silly crush. If Spencer was a responsible adult, I might somehow be persuaded to let her stay with him, but I would humbly request that you get that bitch of a mother of yours to move." Freddie slowly closed his fists, he had just about all he could take of this old man.

"You know, they say old men have hard heads, I'm guessing that's the truth."

"You bet. I'll be at the Parker-Nichols, but you already knew about this! By the way, don't let the dogs get you." Freddie raised his eyebrow and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck. He grunted and blacked out, falling to the ground.

* * *

I notice less people are reviewing this, I certainly hope people haven't been losing interest! Well, nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Stick around for the next


	23. Moving Day

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Chapter 23 (Moving Day)

Freddie opened his eyes and groaned, his head was resting on something soft, it felt like a pair of legs. He focused his vision and saw himself staring into the sad eyes of his one and only love. He was still outside, so he probably wasn't out for very long. Sam looked like she was crying, or at least she had tears rolling down her face.

"Wow, I must have hit heaven," Freddie said with a subtle smirk. "I think I have, because I see a very beautiful angel. She has golden hair and blue eyes to match the oceans and the seas. Only, why is it that the beautiful oceans seem to be leaking, dripping the blue from her eyes?" Sam chuckled lightly and bent down, holding Freddie close to her. "Ah, Sam, what are you doing out here in this weather? Isn't it at all chilly for you?" Sam rolled her eyes and shook her head, she really didn't care about the weather at such a time.

"Freddie, I came to see if you had returned home and I saw you lying here on the grass," Sam replied as she ran her hand through her hair. "I'm not sure what happened, but please, if you fell asleep in the grass, don't do that." Freddie laughed and slowly stood up. He rubbed his head and winced in slight pain, apparently he hit his head pretty hard when he hit the ground. Sam placed her hands on her legs and gave a tired sigh. "So, do you want to tell me what happened? I think Carly went home some time ago. You've also been out for a while."

"That old man cold-cocked me." Freddie rubbed his neck and groaned. "He knocked me out…but anyway, I figured out why the bastard is taking Carly away. Apparently he wants to take her away from me, as I pose a threat to her. I think he also wants to train her to not like me. Truthfully, I wouldn't mind if she didn't like me, I just don't want her to dislike you..." Sam smiled and shook her head.

"Don't be concerned, you and I both know it would take a lot for her not to like me or you."

"Yeah, well he's also searching for my future girlfriend, and I _believe_ he thinks it is a girl named Angel." Sam laughed lightly and slowly stood up, she was just glad that Freddie was okay. "He'll never find out, nobody can find out our secret."

"Of course not." Sam smiled and wrapped her arms around Freddie's neck, he smirked and placed his hands on her back, pulling her close to him.

"Ah, the warmth of your body…" Freddie took Sam's arm and pulled it around, he then took hold of her hand and lightly kissed her fingertips. "I love you, I adore you, there is nothing about you that isn't loveable." Sam blushed as Freddie placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her head. He then kissed her neck and held her closer, she had to wonder what was getting him to act this way, but she loved it.

"Ooh, you're insane. You're such a good kisser, I love it!" Freddie smirked as he held her and began kissing her more. He moved his head toward her earlobe and kissed it, making a very soft sucking sound. Freddie smirked and decided to try another kiss technique on her. He brought his lips very close to hers and licked her lips very slowly, he then brought his lips back slightly and blew on them, sending a cooling sensation through Sam's body. Goosebumps formed as a result. "Freddie, are you trying to seduce me? Did that bump on the head injure you at all?"

"If I wanted to seduce you, I would try this kiss." Freddie smirked and Sam raised her eyebrow as he embraced her lips with his. He then, ever so gently, nibbled onto Sam's neck, sending an almost erotic sensation through her body. When he released, Sam gave a soft moan, she still wanted to know what got him acting this way. "Next, we have what is wonderfully called the 'teaser kiss.'"

"Freddie Benson, if you start teasing me…" Freddie smirked and gently kissed her forehead. Then he gave a sweet and soft kiss on her lips, took her arm and started kissing it until reaching her hand. The sensation of his lips on her skin caused goosebumps to form, she placed her hand on her chest and sighed. He then kissed from her hand and back up her arm, then he trailed his lips to her neck and face. Finally, he started to give very light kisses to her lips, teasing her into wanting a passionate kiss. "Oh come on, those kisses can't be it…I know you have something more…" Freddie smirked and pulled her tight against his body, causing her to yelp in surprise. He then gave her a very passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.

They then separated their lips and looked into each other's eyes. Her eyes were questioning and wondering, and his were soft, gentle, and seductive at the same time. Freddie exhaled and Sam closed her eyes as she felt his warm breath beat against her face. He smiled softly and kissed Sam's forehead. "I woke up in great pain, I saw your face and the pain went away. It looked like you were in pain, though, so I decided that I would kiss you and make that pain go away."

"Freddie, I wasn't in pain." Sam couldn't help but smile at him, she still loved what he had just done. Of course, she accepted it because he was her lover. "You sure did surprise me, though. Those were some of the best kisses I've had. It seems like your kisses get better every time we kiss." Freddie chuckled lightly and tilted his head, still gazing into her beautiful eyes. "I wonder about that, how is it possible that you seem to love me more each time?"

"Because not a day goes by that I don't love you more than yesterday and less than tomorrow. I think about you every day, and every day I want to love you. Plus, I've had great practice. I experiment on you, and if the kiss works, I'll use it again and make it better than the last."

"I see." Sam smiled lightly and gently kissed Freddie's chin. "Well then…we should probably go check up on Carly." Freddie nodded in agreement and the two made their way toward the apartment.

-NEW SCENE-

The trio were sitting around in the iCarly studio, trying to calm Carly down as she paced the floor.

"I don't want to leave!" Carly said in a quick voice. Sam was messing around with Freddie's electronic equipment and Freddie was sitting in another section of the room, cleaning his camera. Carly continued to pace the floor and Sam merely shook her head. She didn't want Carly to leave either, even though her staying meant she could pretty much kiss Freddie whenever she wanted to. However, she still cared about Carly as her best friend, and was trying to think of possible ways to calm her down.

"Carly, would you just relax?" Sam asked while pressing a few buttons on the keyboard.

"I will relax once my granddad thinks Spencer is a responsible adult!"

"Yeah, good luck with that." Sam sighed and slowly shook her head. _"If only that were the reason."_

"Hey! Would you keep your hands off my equipment?" Freddie asked as he looked over to Sam.

"I could, but I don't think I will." Sam smirked and began playing around with his equipment. Carly blinked and slowly shook her head as Freddie started to walk around her and head toward Sam. What he wanted to do was go ahead and somehow flirt with her. Over time, Freddie and Sam learned how to flirt with each other, and not give away their secret.

The elevator door opened and Spencer stepped out, he was wearing a very bad looking suit. Everyone gathered around him and gave a pitiful sigh, it was his attempt at showing Tyrone that he was a mature and responsible adult. _"Why didn't he just go out and buy a _new_ suit?"_ Freddie shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. He then looked at Sam and she looked at him, both began to flirt with their eyes. It was like a hidden code that only they had. Soon, the doorbell rang and everyone started walking toward the door. "Smells like your granddad."

"You smell like garbage," Sam said while smirking. Freddie turned around and smirked, staring into her eyes.

"Your butt's shaped like ham." Freddie held his smirk and Sam raised her eyebrow and took a step forward. She was thinking of all the things she was going to do to him, and he knew he was in for some making out later. That's what the look in her eyes told him. Carly sighed and stepped in.

"Hey, no fighting," Carly stated. Sam and Freddie both sighed and left the loft, heading downstairs. Carly knew her friends didn't want to see Tyrone, but she didn't know why. Of course, she too didn't really want them around while he was. "Quick, out the back way!"

"Okay!" Freddie and Sam quickly ran out the back door, Sam ran back in and grabbed a plate of fruit before heading out. They continued to run before stopping toward the end of the hall. Freddie looked over at Sam and smirked, she returned the smirk.

"Okay, now about that ham butt comment." Sam placed the tray of food on the ground and narrowed her eyes.

"Yes, beautiful? Actually, I think it works well for you." Freddie chuckled nervously and Sam's smirk grew devious.

"I am going to pin you to that wall-"

"I don't think you can." Freddie smirked and Sam raised her eyebrow. "After all, I'm the one with a more muscular physique since I've been working out often."

"No difference, watch me!" Sam charged toward Freddie, but he quickly took her wrists and quickly, but gently pressed her against the wall. She gasped and he smirked while gazing into her eyes.

"What did I tell you?"

"Damn!"

"I win, I pinned down the ever tough and beautiful Sam Puckett." She heaved a breath and started to pant.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"Kiss you." Freddie kissed her lips as she pressed her palms against the wall, she moaned lightly and soon wrapped her arms around his neck. As the kiss deepened, she lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist. He moved his lips back and kissed her neck, causing her to press the top of her head against the wall and squeal.

"F-Freddie, our best friend may be moving and we're making out in the hallway. Shouldn't we be mourning or something?"

"I'm thinking of a plan."

"You're kissing me, how is that thinking of a plan?" Sam panted and Freddie gave her a gentle nip on the neck, it was more in an area hidden by her shirt. "Ah! I think you just gave me a hickey…"

"They won't see it." Sam smirked and felt Freddie start to kiss her shoulder. Soon he stopped and gazed into Sam's eyes. "You know, as much as I'd love to continue, we should probably stop here…"

"Yeah, good idea." Sam's chest heaved as she took deep breaths, she could feel her heart racing at a million beats per second. "We don't…we don't want to go too far."

"Of course not, and I love you too much to do that to you." Sam smiled and lowered her leg as Freddie released her. He took her hand in his and continued to gaze lovingly at her. "What would I do if I let Gramps Shay to win? He'd take you away from me, I don't think I could bear such a thing."

"What are we going to do? We can't let him take Carly away."

"Of course we can't, he might train her to hate us…or hate me. I will never give him your name."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want him to do a thing to you. It's bad enough they know me, but if they knew you, just think of the danger you'd be in."

"I love how concerned you are about me, but I don't think you need to worry too much."

"Yes, yes I do. You're my whole world, to lose you would be to lose the world. I need you with me. I love you because I need you. As corny as the line sounds, you complete me and make me who I am. Without you, I would be nothing. I wouldn't dare risk my entire world."

"Freddie." Sam wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her chin on his shoulder as tears started to form in her eyes. "I love you."

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie and Sam stood next to Carly's locker and helping her to move her stuff into a box. It was an emotional time for her, as well as the others, but no one was going to show any tears. Nobody had thought of a really good plan yet, so as for now, Carly was still on her way to Yakima. "I can't believe you're really moving," Sam said in a sad voice.

"Well believe it, because it's happening," Carly replied. She seemed frustrated and angry with the turn of events. Not only that, she didn't really want to leave Freddie and Sam, plus she still had her crush on him. Freddie sighed as Carly put the items in the box, he really didn't like Tyrone. He couldn't stand the man, there was nothing good about him, and definitely nothing about him could be trusted. _"Spencer should never have even brought out that stupid fan of hammers."_

"You know something," Freddie said while narrowing his eyes. "I ought to tell your grandfather a thing or two." Sam rolled her eyes and glanced at Freddie.

"If only you _knew_ a thing or two." She agreed with him, she wanted to yell and shout at Tyrone for attempting to ruin their lives. It seemed pretty much set that he was ruining everyone's life and making a living hell out of everything. "I'm guessing we can't do the show anymore…"

"Well if I'm in Yakima, it's going to be pretty hard," Carly replied. Sam sighed and rubbed her chin, trying to think of something, anything that could pop up in her mind. Then it did.

"Hey, what if you did something really bad and Spencer got upset?" Freddie smirked and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, cause then Spencer would freak out and yell at me right in front of Granddad!"

"We're going to enjoy this…"

-NEW SCENE-

Sam was at the mall when she got a phone call from Freddie, he was frantic and wondering where she was, since he hadn't told her where she was at. He thought she was in the apartment, and now everyone was in the lobby but her. "Sam! Where are you? The Shay's apartment caught on fire, we're all in the lobby, I hope you're not still in the apartment building."

"No, I'm leaving the mall now," Sam said as she quickly started to run out the mall doors and down the streets. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, nobody's seriously hurt, but Lewbert is kind of freaking out."

"Well that seems a bit obvious, he needs some serious help. Though, I am glad to know that he's not the guy that killed my father."

"Yeah…oh, damn, I have to hang up now. By the way, the plan didn't go so well."

"Fire in the Shay apartment, I don't think it would have worked out well at all." Freddie made a mock laughing sound as he hung up. Sam quickly made her way into the doors. Freddie was right, the lobby was crowded with people. Emily looked over at her and smiled, thankful to see Sam was okay. First, Sam stopped by Carly to see how she was. "So, the plan didn't work…"

"No," Carly said while letting out a sigh. "I told my granddad they were fake…Spencer thought I looked good, so I'm moving to Yakima, and then the chicken burst into flames."

"Ugh." Emily was watching with a sad look, next to her was Tyrone. She had to keep from punching him in the face and he made sure not to start nitpicking at her culture and lifestyle. Sam then walked over toward Freddie, hoping that he was okay. Emily walked over with her and held up a bottle of hand lotion, pretending it was tick lotion.

"So this was your fault," Emily said in a quick voice. "Because of you I had to stop in the middle of Freddie's tick bath!" Sam smiled at Emily's demeanor, she loved how well the woman was at acting.

"Mom, I don't _have_ ticks!" Freddie protested. Emily's eyes widened and she gave a quick and concerned look toward her son.

"They hide in your leg hair!"

"I don't have leg hair." He did have leg hair, and it was growing fast, but he just decided to keep the play going.

"This worries me deeply!" Sam smirked and looked at Freddie, knowing Lewbert was right behind them, so they kept up the act.

"Anti tick lotion?" Sam asked while turning her smirk into a grin. Freddie rolled his eyes and groaned as he looked to Sam.

"It's precautionary!"

"I bet it is." Lewbert rolled his eyes and groaned as he glanced up.

"Hey, I don't care if you two make out or flat out do it on the lobby, but would you not yell?" Lewbert asked. Freddie smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"That would entertain to loud noises as well," Freddie said while tilting his head. "Yet, we're trying to abstain. By the way, how is your brother doing? Have you talked to him since he got put in jail?"

"No, and I'm not making any plans to talk to him. I hate him with a passion."

"That's fine by us."

After everything was clear, everyone went to their rooms. Sam and Freddie followed Carly into her apartment, they felt sick to their stomachs. They wanted to tell off Tyrone, but they couldn't. Instead, they remained silent and sat on the stools while Carly remained in front of them. Freddie figured that Carly would have to move on, and he knew Sam was incredibly sad about this. He would be having to help build up her spirits after Carly was gone. The good thing was at least they still had each other.

Freddie hopped off the stool and gave Carly the first hug. "Be strong, Freddie," Freddie said in a quiet voice. He wasn't pretending to like her, he was saying that because he knew he would have to be strong whenever Sam cried over the fact that her best friend had gone away. He moved back and it was Sam's turn to say goodbye.

"So, who will I blame when I put lobsters in Mrs. Briggs's car?" Sam asked.

"Would you at least try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone?" Carly asked. Freddie smirked and knew the answer to that was no.

"No." Sam smirked and Carly let out a sigh as Sam gave her a final hug. Once released, she stepped behind Freddie and smirked.

_"Uh-oh, she's planning something,"_ Freddie thought. Tyrone walked up to Carly and frowned, he looked like he was getting ready to give up on taking Carly. Of course, he didn't feel to proud, he just got through talking to Emily and needed to think about whether or not she was serious. Sam then pushed Freddie forward. "No!" Freddie shouted and his arms wrapped around Carly's leg, he groaned and felt like passing out on the spot.

"Freddie, let go of my leg," Carly stated.

"I got him," Sam responded as she wrapped her arms around Freddie and pulled him back. Freddie glared at her and she smirked. "What are you going to do about it?"

"We'll see." Freddie shrugged and crossed his arms. "Sorry, I lost my cool for a second."

"Can't lose what you never had." Sam was eager to egg him on, hoping to get a rise out of him. Whenever he "disciplined" her, it usually meant something from a small grouping of kisses to a full make out session, depending on their mood. The group then left Spencer and made their way into the elevator. Once down and out, they saw Lewbert. Lewbert screamed about there being more people and ran off, Freddie couldn't help but laugh at the sight, despite how sad everyone was.

Freddie lifted his eyes and glared at Tyrone, he was waiting for the right time to freak him out in any way possible. Maybe at least give the man paralysis in a way believable to it not being his fault. Soon, Spencer could be heard shouting across the room, everyone stopped and looked as he handed Tyrone an inhaler for Carly. After some talk, Tyrone decided to let Carly stay, Freddie took this moment to attack. He lunged onto Tyrone's leg and started tightening his grip.

_"Freddie!"_ Sam thought while her eyes grew rapid.

"Will someone remove this young man from my trousers!" Tyrone exclaimed. Spencer sighed and pulled Freddie up. Tyrone smirked and quickly slipped a sheet of paper to Freddie without anyone noticing. Freddie raised his eyebrow and read it. It said that Freddie won this time, but he would be back, and that he was lucky Emily pretty much blackmailed him into having Carly stay. Though it wasn't blackmail, she merely convinced him through fair trade not to take Carly away.

_"So my mom did something,"_ Freddie thought as he shifted his eyes upward. _"She'll probably never tell what it is, either."_ Either way, Tyrone Shay was out of his hair for a while, and Sam was still safe.

* * *

I hope you liked that chapter, but don't think this is the last we're going to see of Tyrone. I'd like to thank everyone for their kind reviews, I just get worried because I know that this story, since it follows the series, is going to be long. I'm thinking of ending the follow during the second season, but I'm not sure yet.


	24. Morning Treat

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 24 (Morning Treat)

A few days passed, Freddie woke up and walked to the living room where his mom was. She looked up from the couch and smiled as he sat down next to her. Sam was still asleep in her room, she woke up earlier but went back to bed because of a headache. Freddie wanted to make her feel better, but figured he'd let her sleep for a bit longer.

"So, did you have a good sleep, Freddie?" Emily asked as she turned off the television and placed her elbow on the top of the couch.

"Yeah, I'm sort of thinking how bittersweet this victory over Tyrone we've had was," Freddie said while rubbing his head. He called it a bittersweet victory only because they were happy that Carly didn't have to move away to Yakima, but the sorrowful part was that Carly would still have that crush on him and he'd have to keep watching his back in case she tried to kiss him. "So, what did you do, mom?"

"If he didn't take Carly, I wouldn't arrest him like I should do...Well, he had it coming old man knows he can't just get his every wish, and I believe his own son thinks he's too tyrannical." Freddie laughed and then stared at the door in deep thought. He knew Tyrone would be back some time, but he didn't know when. All he knew was he had to protect Sam and make sure that nobody was ever going to tear them away from each other. Emily sipped a cup of coffee she had with her and closed one eye while glancing at Freddie with the other. "I saw a tiny marking on Sam's neck, the rest of it is hidden by the shirt…"

"Uh…" Freddie blushed lightly and rubbed the back of his head, he had to admire the keen eye his mother had. "Yeah, about that…we were kissing in the hall, a lot, and I gave her a 'love bite' as they call it." Emily chuckled and slowly shook her head, she knew these things would probably happen, as they happened with any couple. "I guess I'll admit that I enjoy kissing her. Everything about her is great, and she's a pretty good kisser too."

"You realize you're telling your mom these things."

"Well it's not like I have a father to talk about guy stuff and relationships with, so you're the only one I got." Emily smirked and wrapped her arm around Freddie's shoulder, pulling him into a hug. "Ah!"

"Hey, you know what you're going to get from me, so go ahead and talk. Remember, don't go _too_ far, and if you do…or if you think there's any danger of it, let me know. Who knows, kiddo, I may have to send you away!"

"What!" Freddie's jaw dropped and Emily gave a laugh. "You like Sam better than I do, don't you?"

"Yes." Freddie sighed and hung his head shamefully. "Though you are my son…" Emily glanced over toward the bedroom hallway, she was sure Sam was still asleep. "Come on, we should wake Sam up." Freddie nodded and glanced upwards, he had an idea to wake her up with.

"Do we have any powdered sugar, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and strawberries in the kitchen?" Emily raised her eyebrow and Freddie merely smirked, she could see where he was going with that plan. She smiled and stood up with Freddie, walking with him into the kitchen.

"Yeah, if you want to go ahead and wake her with a snack, that isn't a problem." Freddie smiled as his mom pulled a large plate from the refrigerator. "Go ahead and get the tub of chocolate sauce and whipped cream out of the fridge." Freddie nodded and opened the refrigerator door, he could see the whipped cream at the top, so he grabbed it. "Strawberries should be in the bottom drawer, and the chocolate sauce is there too." Freddie nodded and pulled the two much needed items from the drawer. Emily had taken the powdered sugar from one of the cabinets and placed it at the top of the plate

"Thanks, Mom." Freddie placed the two tubs at the bottom of the plate while Emily started to rinse the strawberries one at a time and place them in the middle.

"Don't mention it, I think she'll enjoy this morning treat." Emily smiled and tapped her chin as she stared at Freddie. He caught her glance and raised his eyebrow, wondering what it was that she was staring at him for. "I think you're going to make a great husband one day. Not many husbands think to treat their wives to something like this in the morning."

"Thanks…I just want to try my best to make Sam happy. She said she had a headache earlier, so I think this might help out some."

"Yeah, it'll help." Freddie smiled and picked up the plate as he started walking toward Sam's room. "Oh Freddie, there is one more thing I should mention!" He stopped and looked over at his mom. "Let's try to refrain from giving her any more hickeys." She smirked and he merely blushed, he would have to try not to do any more of that. He shook his head and slowly opened Sam's bedroom door.

_"Yeah, I won't give her anymore of those…"_ Freddie slowly walked toward the empty side of Sam's bed and moved onto it. He gazed down at her head and smiled as he moved some hair from her face. He thought she was cute when she slept because she looked even more like a beautiful angel sent to him from heaven above. She always entranced him with her beauty. _"What would I do without you, Sam? I would find it very hard to go on if you weren't here."_

Slowly, Freddie bent over and kissed Sam very gently on the eyelids. He then kissed her forehead and lifted his head to gaze down at her. Her eyelids shifted slightly and her eyebrows rose. A small smile formed at her mouth, so she was either awake or dreaming of something very pleasant. He smiled and placed his hand on her arm, slowly rubbing up and down on her arm, sending a chilling sensation through her body. He could see her shiver and he saw the smile on her face grow even more, now he was even more sure that she was awake. His next step was to tenderly kiss her lips. They still held the same soft, sweet taste as they always did.

"Mm, not a bad thing to wake up to, dork," Sam said while slowly opening her eyes. Freddie smiled softly and moved some more of her bangs from her face.

"I just thought I'd come and give you a good morning treat." Sam hummed lightly and glanced over at the plate that held the strawberries and tubs. Upon seeing this, her eyes danced with sheer delight. Freddie saw what she was looking at and smirked. "Yep, I thought this would be good to bring to you. How is your head?"

"It's doing a little better than it was earlier." Sam sat up and Freddie propped a pillow against the headboard, letting Sam rest her back against it. "I'm not sure I really want to do anything at all for the rest of the day." Freddie chuckled lightly and placed his hand atop of Sam's hand.

"So, you feel like staying in bed all day?"

"Oh, do you think I can?" Sam's voice was dramatic and cute, so Freddie just laughed and lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it. "Oh, thank you for that."

"Anything for you, would you like a strawberry?"

"Oh yes, please let me have a strawberry, sir!" Freddie laughed and Sam smiled at him. He took one of the strawberries and dipped it into the chocolate sauce, he knew Sam would want to try that first. He moved the strawberry to Sam's lips and pressed the tip of it against them, she opened her mouth and let him slip the fruit inside. She slowly bit into it and sighed with delight as the juice ran into her mouth and down her throat. "Oh that tastes so good right now…"

"I'm glad you enjoy it. Would you like another?" Sam smiled at how Freddie was acting, this was just one of the many reasons she loved him so much. She tilted her head and gazed lovingly at him.

"Yes please." He grinned and looked toward the options on the plate.

"Sugar, whipped cream, or chocolate?" Sam eyed the choices and pointed to the whipped cream. Freddie smirked and dipped a strawberry into the whipped topping. She watched as he placed the fruit to his lips and glazed the whipped cream over his lips, he then leaned forward and kissed her lips. Sam giggled when she felt the coolness of the cream touching her lips and the sensation shooting through her once more.

"God Freddie, you're such a romantic." Sam smiled and Freddie smiled back at her.

"Well, it's only to please you." He then brought the strawberry to Sam's lips and let her bite into it. She swallowed and he slipped the rest of the fruit into her mouth. "I think it's true what they say, Strawberries are the true romantic fruit." Sam nodded in agreement.

"I think they were made for romantic purposes!" She eyed Freddie's lips and chuckled lightly, he still had some whipped cream on them. She then lifted her finger up and wiped off the remaining cream. Just as she was about to put her finger into her mouth, Freddie took her hand and placed his lips over her finger and sucking at her fingertips. Fingertips are a major hot spot for her, and a lot of girls, and Freddie knew this. Sam sighed with pleasure as she felt the sensation shooting down her arm and into her body. "Freddie, I have to say, you really do know how to please a girl." Freddie smiled and looked into Sam's eyes, he would have to agree.

"I try my best." Freddie then took another strawberry and dipped it into the powdered sugar. Sam licked her lips, removing the whipped cream that was on them, and eyed the strawberry with delight. Slowly, Freddie lifted it to her lips and slid the fruit into her mouth, letting her bite down and squeal with delight. Sam thought that Freddie should have a strawberry too, but he wasn't taking any for himself.

"You need to have a strawberry." Freddie chuckled and watched as Sam moved her delicate fingers toward the strawberries and picked one up. She dipped it into the powdered sugar and moved it toward his lips. "Okay, open up." Freddie kept his lips shut and smirked as Sam pressed the fruit to his lips. She laughed as he moved his head from side to side. "Come on, open up and eat the strawberry." He shrugged and slowly opened his mouth, letting Sam slide the fruit into his mouth. He stopped the transaction by placing his teeth on the very tip of the red delicacy and smirking. "Hey, you're supposed to eat the entire thing, dork!"

"We'll see about that one, my love." Freddie moved forward pressed the other end of the strawberry to her lips, she opened her lips and let him push half of the fruit into her mouth while kissing her. They both bit down and let the juice flow into their mouths. Freddie leaned back and smiled at his fiancé. "Well, I think that strawberry tasted the best, what about you?" Sam slowly nodded her head and smiled at Freddie, she couldn't help falling deeper in love with him every time he was around her. "I think Mom noticed that hickey I gave you, so I'm going to try not to give you more of them."

"Yeah, that would help." Sam laughed and playfully pushed Freddie. "We wouldn't want Carly to see, then she'd be asking me so many questions about it." Freddie nodded and heard the door open, he looked over and saw Emily walking into the room. In her hands she had Aloe Vera, a frozen spoon, and some makeup. "Uh, hey Mom, what's that stuff for?"

"The hickey that you gave your girlfriend," Emily said in a quiet voice. Freddie chuckled nervously and Sam's eyes darted over to him, laughing at the situation. "You've been in here ten minutes, it's time to doctor up this hickey, so I need you to go elsewhere for a little bit."

"Okay…but what are you going to do?"

"We need to rub the Aloe Vera on the bruise, then place the frozen spoon to the hickey for about ten to fifteen minutes, and after that we will try to conceal it with makeup."

"Okay, I guess I'll go elsewhere." Freddie got off of the bed and smiled at Sam. "You can keep the strawberries."

"Thanks Freddie," Sam said while giving him a small smile in return. Emily placed her fingers on Sam's pajama collar and pulled down, revealing the hickey.

"Holy crap, how can you not notice this?" Emily asked while staring wide eyed at the hickey. "It's like the size of Mt. Everest!" Freddie chuckled nervously and Sam's lips formed an O shape.

"I'm going to go now," Freddie said as he neared the door.

"FREDDIE BENSON!"

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Henceforth, let it be known that the Benson men are famous for giving their girlfriends really large hickeys.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, there is a lot of "cuteness" till the end I suppose. Next chapter, some ground rules will be made and some other stuff shall happen!


	25. Ground Rules

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly, nor do I own "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias.

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 25 (Ground Rules)

"We probably should be going to school," Sam said as she, Freddie and Emily sat in the living room. They were already late for school since it was around eleven. Sam didn't go because of the headache, and Freddie stayed because he wanted to take care of Sam. Sam and Freddie were sitting on the couch while Emily sat in a recliner near them.

"No, I don't think its necessary right at this moment," Emily said with a soft sigh. "You can go when your lunch begins, but right now, I think we should have a little talk." Freddie smiled sheepishly and Sam smirked at him. Emily clasped her hands together and sighed, thinking of some things she needed to say. "That was a large hickey, but the stuff I just applied on it should hide it pretty well. Unless someone looks hard enough, they shouldn't see it. Also, I think it's time we set some ground rules." Sam and Freddie blinked and looked at Emily with confusion, they thought there already were some ground rules.

"What rules are those?" Sam asked while scratching her head. "I thought we already had some rules."

"Yes, but it seems we need to establish some more." Emily closed her eyes and gave a small sigh. She loved to see how much in love the two were so close, but she knew the hickey was a sign that things were getting a bit fast for the couple. "Remember that it is okay to enjoy kissing one another, for one thing. A kiss on the lips, a kiss on the forehead, those are all nice. Making out on the other hand…you shouldn't do it too much." Freddie and Sam raised their eyebrows as Emily leaned back and sighed, she didn't want to play the bad guy, but rules needed to be placed. Of course, she also knew she wasn't playing the bad guy just because of creating rules, they were just a necessity, and the couple would have to understand that. "That hickey is a sign that you two probably shouldn't make out so much. However, I will not forbid it, since I know doing that would actually be cruel."

"Well if it's a problem…maybe we could do less of it," Sam said while rubbing her hand. "I mean, we are just a couple of teens with hormones…"

"Sam…" Emily chuckled lightly and shook her head. "Don't worry about it, actually I'm more concerned about my son." She smirked and Freddie's eyes widened in shock. "I'm kidding." Freddie blinked and gave a sigh of relief, this action caused both Sam and Emily to laugh. "Anyway, you're keeping your relationship secret, so it might be a good idea not to make out in the hallway near people you know…all that often."

"True, that does pose a problem," Freddie said as he rubbed his chin. If they made out near people who they knew, their relationship could be discovered.

"Yeah, but I think the problem is the sexual desire, you need to learn to control it." Freddie and Sam looked at each other nervously and then glanced over at Emily. She saw the odd glances they gave her and sighed in response. "I'm not saying you're going to go out and have sex, I know that you guys are too smart to do that. However, I know how strong of a pull it is."

"You're not about to give us 'the talk' are you?" Sam asked in a quiet and meek voice. "I'm not sure I really feel comfortable with it…though, I guess it is necessary." Freddie held the same nervous glance and Emily folded her arms over her chest.

"Well first, the ground rules. If you're in the bed together, cuddling is fine, kissing is okay, but let's try not to have a full makeout session while on the bed. Is that understandable?"

"So, that includes or excludes playful kissing?" Freddie asked while shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Emily raised her eyebrow and held up a finger.

"While in bed, strictly the _lips_ or cheek…kissing anywhere else on the body is forbidden. Whenever you're in the bed, sensual temptation is far too strong to resist, trust me…many have tried, and many have failed. I don't want you two to fall under that temptation. Another thing…" Freddie and Sam watched as Emily raised another finger. "If you're anywhere else and you start to kiss, okay. Make sure that kiss doesn't last longer than two minutes, I'd say that's fair, wouldn't you?" The couple nodded and Emily continued, she didn't want to be too hard, but if she was, well, it had to be done.

"It's fair, I agree."

"Good. If you're in public, and you know that place is somewhere that people you know could see you, then don't hold a kiss for longer than five to ten seconds. Make it short and sweet. After all, you do not want to risk your secret getting out, nor do we want to have another visit from Tyrone." Emily narrowed her eyes and let out a sigh of exasperation. "He said he got called by a teacher at the school that said he thought he saw some blond haired girl kissing 'Mr. Benson.'"

"Uh oh…" Freddie winced and Sam slowly glanced to the side, remembering when she had kissed Freddie after leaving Carly. Emily smiled and shook her head, the two were innocent in her mind, really.

"No harm done, he never figured out who it was. Most likely Tyrone thinks Freddie would be a multiple concubine type person."

"What! I would never!" She closed her eyes and smiled softly, she knew he wouldn't do that to Sam, it was evident in her eyes.

"I know you wouldn't, and I'm sure Sam knows it too." Sam smiled and nodded her head as she gave Freddie a quick kiss on the corner of the lips. Freddie smiled at Sam and looked toward Emily, she decided to continue with that. "Also, remember this metaphor in a relationship. Touching has five gears. Gear one is clothes on and affectionate touching, such as holding hands, kissing and hugging. Gear two is the sensual touch with clothes on that doesn't include any sexual stuff, such as a massage or cuddling. I don't want you to pass gear two."

"Gears three to five are bad?" Sam asked as she tilted her head to the side. Emily closed her eyes and nodded, those were the ones that were far too amorous for them to attempt.

"Yes, three is playful touching with clothes on...You two are not ready for those, and I'm not ready for it either. Of course, you two should make an attempt to talk with each other about it as well, that way you can establish with each other your own levels of personal comfort in the relationship. You need to have that, you also need to establish barriers and boundaries. Is there anything that you would like to say to each other right now?" Sam thought for a minute and nodded as she turned toward Freddie, he looked at her with full intent to listen.

"Freddie, sometimes I feel like…well, I feel like we're going to go too far." Emily leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, smiling as the couple spoke with each other. "I don't want to have intercourse until I'm married, and I know how much you enjoy kissing, I do too! I just think that maybe it would be best…" Sam glanced to the side and rubbed her arm nervously, feeling slightly nervous.

"Go on, I'm listening," Freddie said while giving her a small, understanding smile. Sam sighed and closed her eyes, ready to continue.

"Well, we always seem to start off with a simple kiss, and then it seems like we get excited and that simple kiss turns into something more, and soon we're making out. I mean, I don't think we should stop completely, but…"

"You think we should do it less." Sam blinked and saw Freddie giving her an understanding glance, she was happy for this.

"Yes, yes I do. It's because whenever we do, I feel this nearly overwhelming desire to take it another step further, and I don't think it's safe. I don't think you want to do that, either."

"Of course, I understand. I know that a lot of times my hormones start acting up whenever I kiss you and that's why I tend to continue on. I know that having a good relationship isn't about all that making out and whatnot, but it's so damn tempting sometimes…Sometimes I find it hard to stop, but when I think about you and how many things could go wrong if I didn't stop, I usually do." Freddie gave a soft sigh and smiled as he placed his hand on Sam's. "I understand and agree that we should probably do less of that extreme kissing."

"Yeah, and the main issue is the fact that it could also get us in trouble with others, since we need to keep this whole thing a secret." Freddie tapped his chin and smiled as he gazed into Sam's eyes.

"Then how about this, we can know where to put the red flags. Making out, what do you say about it?"

"I say it's a treat and should be something not done horribly often. Maybe once every…three days, does that work?"

"Yeah, I think it does. A kiss that lasts more than how long should be considered making out?"

"Well, a lingering kiss probably lasts for five seconds, so I think a kiss turns into making out after ten."

"So how about if we hold a kiss, we make it no longer than seven seconds?" Sam nodded and Emily scratched her head in thought, she didn't think they would be that mature about it. Then again, they did understand each other and love each other.

"That sounds good…So, what else is there?"

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie and Sam stepped into the school after being dropped off by Emily, it was about fifty minutes before lunch started, so a whole class period was in the works. Emily had called in for both of them, so they would be excused. The only problem, Mrs. Briggs taught the class period they had prior to the lunch bell, so they were still going to probably get detention after that. "Please let there be a substitute today, please let there be a substitute today," Sam whisper prayed. Freddie laughed and rubbed Sam's back, he had to hand it to her, she looked extremely cute during that moment. Sam blinked and looked at Freddie with a smile. "What?"

"We don't _have_ to get to the class," Freddie said as he stepped down the hall and put his hands in his pockets. "We only have to give our notes to the office before the last lunch bell and then we're excused." Freddie looked up at the ceiling and smirked, there was no one to see them, and he felt like singing. Of course, he felt like doing a lot of things, but none of those things included going to Mrs. Briggs class.

"You're telling _me_ that you want to cut class?" Sam raised an eyebrow and laughed lightly, she couldn't believe it. Well, she actually could, he had cut class several times before. "What are we going to do anyway?"

"Talk…" Freddie shrugged and crossed his arms. He glanced over and saw a shopping cart with iCarly advertising on it. "Like why is that there?" Sam looked over and chuckled as she walked over to it, she was surprised to see the basket there. Then again, Carly had been talking about advertising for the show, but she never did tell them she wanted to do it that day. "Also, do you think it'd be suspicious that we're both missing?"

"Frankly, I could care less if anyone was suspicious. I don't want to deal with that right now…to tell you the truth, I'm kind of scared about Old Man Shay."

"Please, I'd protect you anyway. There's no way I'm letting anyone take you away from me." Freddie tapped his chin and smirked. "That reminds me of the song that has been stuck in my head."

"Oh dear, you're not going to attempt to serenade me again, are you?" Freddie held his smirk and Sam smiled at him. "On second thought, I'm not sure if I can even use the word 'attempt' when talking about you serenading me, it's always a success."

"Yeah, it is…" Freddie stepped toward Sam and smiled at her, there was nobody else in the hallway, so they were good. He lifted his hand up and gently caressed the side of Sam's face, she lifted her hand and placed it on top of his. He then started out softly with the song "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias. "Would you dance, if I asked you to dance. Would you run, and never look back? Would you cry if you saw me crying? And would you save my soul tonight? Would you tremble if I touched your lips? Would you laugh? Oh please tell me this?" Sam shook her head and Freddie continued, he knew this song always got to her. "Now would you die for the one that you loved? Hold me in your arms tonight."

Freddie took a single step back and smiled at Sam as he took her hand. She thought he sang perfectly all the time, it was like the notes and lyrics were right in his head. "I can be your hero baby, I can kiss away the pain. I will stand by you forever. You can take my breath away." He gazed lovingly into her eyes and continued the next verse. "Would you swear that you'll always be mine? Or would you lie? Would you run and hide? Am I in too deep? Have I lost my mind?" Sam shook her head and sighed, the song was getting to her. "I don't care…You're here tonight."

"Freddie…This song…" Sam wiped her eye and smiled, noticing the twinkle in Freddie's eye.

"I can be your hero baby, I can kiss away the pain. I will stand by you forever, you can take my breath away!" Sam sniffled and smiled as a single tear ran down her cheek. "Oh, I just want to hold you, I just want to hold you. Am I in too deep? Have I lost my mind? I don't care…you're here tonight." Sam shifted her eyes to the side to make sure no one was watching, there wasn't anyone around. Freddie placed his fingers on Sam's chin and gently brought her gaze back to his. "I can be your hero baby, I can kiss away the pain. I will stand by you forever, you can take my breath away. I can be your hero baby, I can kiss away the pain. I will stand by you forever, you can take my breath away. You can take…my breath away. I can be…your hero."

"Freddie, that has to be my favorite song." Of course it was, he knew that pretty well. Sam thought he had a gift for singing, and so did everyone who heard him. Whenever he sung, the words always touched the hearts of the people that heard him. He had practiced many years to learn to sing, and it paid of pretty well.

"Then consider it our song." Freddie gave Sam a gentle and tender kiss on the lips and smiled at her. "I could be your hero."

"I think I would accept that."

"I'm glad. Maybe we should head to the office and let them know we've arrived." Sam nodded and walked behind Freddie as they headed toward the office, she was furiously trying to get rid of the blush etched across her face. "I think it may be best to do this one at a time."

"What does it matter? Your mom called us _both_ in…with the excuse that we were fighting."

"Yeah, so they probably won't know or care." Freddie stopped and turned around, smirking. "You probably want to get rid of that blush that is on your face."

"Oh come on!" The statement only made her blush harder, and that was just what she needed. Freddie tilted his head back and laughed as he shoved his hands in his pocket and continued walking toward the office. "It isn't my fault that you can match the words to music and whatever in a song…"

"Ah, what can I say? It just comes natural to me, just like my ability to make your face turn crimson."

"Hey! This isn't doing anything for my blush, you know!" Freddie laughed again at the tease and soon the couple made it to the office.

"You know, I guess we'll be helping Carly to advertise the show during lunch and after school."

"Yeah, so do you want to ride in that basket? I'll push you around in it if you'll let me!" Freddie raised his eyebrow as he placed his hand on the door.

"You think it won't raise any concerns?"

"Well all the flyers are probably in there for one thing. Also, if you ask Carly to push you and she refuses, that makes sense. That, and maybe I'll think of some way to make an insult." Freddie smirked and shrugged his shoulders as he opened the door.

"Then fine by me." The two entered the door and Sam put on her angry face as the secretary looked up at them. "Freddie Benson and the brainless blonde, arriving for duty!"

"Hey!" Freddie smirked and shifted his eyes over.

"Oh yes? What was that? I thought I heard the thing say something, but nothing intelligible came out." The secretary sighed and rolled her eyes as she held her hand out.

"Just give me the papers, sign in, and go to class," The lady said while giving a slight groan._ "I hate my job."_

"Yes ma'am!"

"You're with Mrs. Briggs this period? Consider yourselves lucky, she had a bug today, so she's sick and couldn't come in."

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Ground rules were made and Sam now has a blush that won't go away.


	26. Slow Dancing and a Date

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 26 (Angel)

Emily sat on the couch, reading a book as Sam watched through the peephole in the door, she was waiting for Freddie to come back from the meeting he had after school and wanted to surprise him. She had a new dress that Emily bought for her upon request, it wasn't much, but Sam thought it was beautiful. She hoped Freddie would like it. Upon glancing through the peephole, she saw Spencer carrying large sacks.

"I think Spencer's got large sacks of butter," Sam said while raising her eyebrow. She heard Emily laugh and glanced over. "Hey, you could use that sometime."

"How would I do I that?" Emily looked up from the book and raised her eyebrow.

"Well you could…maybe you could make something up about Freddie. Like…maybe he's allergic to fruit!" Upon mentioning the word 'fruit,' Sam recalled the memory of the early morning. "I _loved_ those strawberries. I swear I was in heaven, Pure Bliss!"

"Perhaps you were." Emily smirked and Sam glanced through the peephole once more, then she saw a flash of brown hair belonging to Freddie. He stood at the door and was starting to open it. Right as he opened the door, Sam quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Freddie nearly jumped in surprise and slowly put his hands on Sam's waist.

"Surprise!"

"You were waiting for me to come home?" Freddie asked as he raised his eyebrow. Freddie then noticed something, so he took a step back and rubbed his chin. She was wearing a new dress, it looked like a regular t-shirt with a skirt, but both were connected. It was full red and the sleeves were only about three to five inches long. It had what looked like the tops of large roses in the design. The skirt part of the dress moved down slightly past Sam's ankles. "This dress, I've never seen it before."

"I know, I saw it and Emily got it for me. Do you like it?"

"Like it? No…I love it. It's beautiful!" Sam's eyes brightened with joy as he placed one hand on her waist and kissed her lips. "Just like you, beautiful." Emily looked back up from her book and smiled at the couple.

"Okay lovebirds, come on inside." The two nodded and entered, closing the door just as Carly's door opened. Freddie blinked and glanced out the peephole, Carly and Spencer both left their apartment and started walking down the hall. "What is it?"

"Wow, just in time. Both Carly and Spencer just left their apartment, I did _not_ see that coming."

"Yeah nice save, you wouldn't want them to see you guys kiss."

"Aw, you sound like our kissing is a bad thing." Emily laughed and slowly stood up from the couch.

"Nope, I think it's just fine." She dusted her pants off and crossed her arms over. "Wasn't Jonah supposed to come over?"

"Yeah, he's on his way. We're going to do a little role play game, so it should be pretty fun." Freddie glanced at Sam and smirked, he knew she was looking forward to it. "Sam's going to be my beautiful princess."

"Oh, that should be pretty fun. I'll get out of your way then…well, at least whenever he gets here."

"Yeah, it should be a little while…What do you think we should do till then, Sam?"

"I don't know, I'm sure there's something fun to do," Sam responded while tapping her chin. "Maybe we can sneak into Carly's apartment and raid her fridge!" Freddie laughed and Emily rolled her eyes while smirking. "Okay, so maybe it's best not to do that." Emily walked over to a nearby stereo and turned it on, putting on some slow and relaxing music. Sam looked over and grinned, she would enjoy dancing, but only if Freddie wanted to. He could see the hopeful look in her eyes, so he took her hand in his and pulled her toward him.

"Shall we dance?" Sam smiled and nodded her head as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "I have to say, you look very beautiful right now." Sam blushed and Freddie gave her a soft smile.

"You're just saying that…dork." Freddie chuckled and continued to look into Sam's eyes. Emily smiled at the couple and turned around to go into her bedroom. They slid their feet across the floor and moved in a sideways position. Every now and then, they would turn and sway. Their gaze would never flee the other. "It's a shame Valerie won't be able to join us today."

"Yeah, Jonah told me that her mom needed her for something." Freddie led Sam and the couple swayed, turning toward the left. Sam literally took all of his breath whenever he gazed at her. The way her soft golden hair landed on her back and how her beautiful blue eyes seemed to sparkle at him. There was nothing about her that kept him from loving her. "You know, you remind me of the rising sun and the sunset. You're like a beautiful portrait, a beautiful piece of scenery."

"Oh?" Sam closed her eyes and smiled as the swayed to the left and turned right.

"Your hair resembles the beautiful sun and your eyes are like the perfect sky. When you open and close your eyes, it's like sunrise and sunset." Sam opened her eyes and held her smile. "How is it possible? For someone to be so beautiful and to be able to give someone like me so much love, I just don't know. Do I even deserve the love of an angel like you? What have I ever done to deserve you, perhaps you are far too good for me."

"What are you talking about?" Sam gave a soft sigh and smiled at him. "I love you, I love everything about you. You're great for me…I don't know where I'd be without you." Freddie gently pushed and the couple turned to the left. "I'm no angel, you know that. If anyone's the angel, it's you." Freddie smiled and gently kissed Sam's forehead. "I don't know what I've done to deserve you, but I'm happy with you. Sometimes I go to bed at night and I wonder…if I never met you, if Emily never knew me where would I be?"

"Where would you be?"

"That's what I think about sometimes. Sometimes I think about my Uncles and my Aunts…and how I haven't seen a single one of them in years. Cousin Annie and my cousin Greg are the only relatives that I've seen. They're siblings, but I've not seen my Uncle or Aunt that takes care of them. They say I am lucky…they say I've hit heaven compared to their family. So, I wonder if I would be alive or dead, or if I would be in a foster home, or even if I would be stuck in an abusive home, but I'm not."

"You know, sometimes I think the same thing about myself…" Sam raised her eyebrow as Freddie continued to gaze into her eyes. "You've probably made me a lot softer than I would be had I never seen your beautiful face." Sam smiled and Freddie moved his hand to clasp his other hand around her waist, slowly pulling her closer. "Some of the things I do or would have done…you've given me reason to be smart. You've given me reason to do and love the things I do. If I never met you, would I be like some greaser?"

"I don't think I can imagine you like that." Freddie smirked and the couple turned to the right.

"Yeah, imagine me with a leather jacket, a chain on the shoulder, blue jeans, and hair combed back. I bet you I could even ride a motorcycle. I might even be a bit of a flirt, maybe even a pervert." Sam giggled and Freddie tilted his head very slightly and smiled. "Who knows, maybe I'd be involved in stuff I shouldn't be. Maybe I'd be a gangster, can you imagine me as the leader of a big time gang? Seriously, I would probably be a loner who didn't trust anyone."

"So what, you're saying I kept you from being the ultimate bad boy?"

"Yeah, pretty much. After all, I never had any friends until I met you. My father had just recently died then as well, so I was probably going to end up hardening up and turning into a major ass. My heart was darkening, and maybe I would have turned dark. You came into my life and like the rising sun, you put that light into my life. Maybe my heart was darkening until you moved in, but it didn't get very dark at all because you were there. That's why I say…you're my angel." Sam blushed and felt like she was about to cry.

"I love you."

"And I, you…" Freddie leaned forward and Sam closed her eyes as she felt him kiss her lips. He pulled back and gazed once more into her eyes. "Maybe I should paint a picture of you and hang it up on my wall, so even when you're not there, you're still lighting up the darkness with your radiance."

"That was corny, but at the same time, so romantic. I'm an angel, but I give Gibby wedgies and I trash Mrs. Briggs car…I do all these things, and you still say I'm an angel. You still love me. I just don't see how you can think I'm so good…"

"You're good enough to me. I'd trade the world for you. I don't see any bad in you whatsoever, and I do not believe you can do any wrong. I'd even turn my back on my best friend if he were to say something bad about you."

"Don't tell Jonah." Sam smirked and Freddie gave a slight chuckle.

"I just love you that much. I'd give everything up and sleep in the rain if you were to tell me that I needed to do that. I give you everything and I know you would never treat me bad. I'm just sitting here and holding on to your love as much as I can."

"I'm glad." Sam rested her head on Freddie's shoulder and gave a soft sigh. It was her wish that this moment would never end. After a few minutes, they heard a knocking at the door. Sam sighed and closed her eyes. "I guess Jonah's already here…" The door opened and Jonah stepped in, he had heard music so he figured they were ready.

"Aw, maybe I should go home and let you dance," Jonah said while smirking at the couple. Sam and Freddie both released each other and turned toward Jonah, smiling at him.

"No, stay and let's get started," Freddie replied.

-NEW SCENE-

Two days later, Carly was busy visiting Nevel for some interview about her show. Sam took Freddie's hand and led him out of their apartment and toward Carly's, grinning deviously. "Come on, with this date, it's great to do it somewhere else, like Carly's place!"

"Yeah, I suppose so," Freddie said as he held the tray of food that he had. It was a large plate of crackers and in the middle was some sauce that Emily made, she didn't tell them what it was, but it consisted of olives and garlic. It was otherwise known as tapenade. Sam found the key and opened the door, upon entering they hurried over to the couch and turned on the television. "What movie do you want to watch?" Freddie placed the plate on the coffee table in front of the couch and looked toward Sam.

"How about…The Princess Bride, I like that movie!" Freddie raised his eyebrow as he walked over to Carly's movie shelf, wondering if she even had it. "If I mention it, I know Carly's got it. It's a great movie."

"I'll watch it with you." Freddie's eyes drifted toward a shelf and he spotted some hand lotion. "But first..."

"What?" Freddie grabbed the lotion and moved toward Sam, he sat next to her and smirked as he held the lotion slightly in the air.

"Would you care for some hand lotion? After all, I think that key you took was inside of that pot, so you probably have some dirt on them. You don't want to eat food and get sick from whatever's in there, do you?"

"You make a good point." Sam held her hand out as Freddie squirted some lotion onto it, she then rubbed her hands together and smiled. "Hey, maybe we can have some popcorn with these crackers!"

"As you wish…" Sam giggled and Freddie raised his eyebrow. "What?"

"That's what Westley says all the time!" Freddie blinked and walked over to the cabinet, finding the popcorn and pulling it out along with one bowl. "Westley is that one guy in the movie, you'll see!"

"Ah." Freddie put the bowl into the microwave and walked over to the couch, sitting next to Sam. "What shampoo are you using right now?" Freddie sniffed the air to see what shampoo of the week Sam had, since she recently took a shower and they always tried to guess what scent the other had. "Hmm, Chanel number five and a hint of vanilla…I love it." Sam smiled and leaned back in the seat.

"I have to admire that nose of yours, I didn't think you'd get it right!"

"Don't I always?" Sam raised her eyebrow and eyed him suspiciously. He smirked, knowing her thoughts. "I will never reveal my secrets." Truth is, he found out where she hid the key to her bathroom and took a peek most of the time. Of course, that time he actually got the shampoo without even peeking. The microwave beeped, signaling the popcorn was ready. "Ah, let me get this…" Freddie retrieved the popcorn and picked up a nearby photo while sitting back down. "Look, it's a picture of when iCarly first started…and there's that freaky sculpture Spencer made."

"Aw, you still don't like it?" Freddie chuckled lightly and sighed in response. That sculpture was the one that Spencer showed him when he first met the guy. For a second, he thought it was going to maim him, since it was a moving robot that shot flames from its mouth.

"That thing was big and it had fire involved in it. Spencer should never be a fireman. Arsonist is a good occupation, but then Mom would have to arrest him." Sam laughed and positioned the popcorn on the seat next to her as Freddie placed the picture back. "Pardon me one moment my beloved, I have to go to the restroom."

"You don't have to say it like that." Sam giggled and Freddie smirked.

"I know, but I wanted to." Freddie walked over to the movie cabinet first and found the movie, he then put it into the DVD player. "There, I'll get this started first."

"Thanks." Sam watched as Freddie walked toward the restroom, she smiled and started to watch the television. Sam watched for a few minutes until her cell phone started ringing. She quickly answered the phone. "Hello?" It was Carly. "Oh, I'm at your house…yeah, I know where you and Spencer hide the key. So, how's the interview going?"

"Well first of all, Nevel's not a man, he's a kid!" Carly exclaimed.

"What! He's a kid? How old is he?" Sam heard snickering behind her and figured Freddie was out of the bathroom. He placed his hands on her shoulders and started to massage her. _"Oh no…Freddie…"_ He always liked to give her massages whenever she was on the phone with someone, it was always thrilling to see her try to talk when he was massaging and kissing her. Personally, she got a kick out of it too.

"He's like eleven, and he's creepy." Freddie moved forward and started to kiss Sam behind the ear. She suppressed a moan but started to turn to jelly.

"Well…" Sam's body shivered and she suppressed a laugh as Freddie continued kissing her. She playfully slapped at his hands while talking to Carly. "Whatever you do, don't upset the kid." Freddie pushed her hair away from her neck and started to kiss the neck, sending chills down her spine. "Ah…Listen, millions of people view the site, just don't upset the kid."

"Yeah, but what if he…" Carly hung up and Sam stared at the phone.

"Carly?" She shrugged and placed the phone on the couch. Freddie then stopped and quickly leapt over the back of the couch and landed beside her. "Freddie, must you do that when I'm on the phone?"

"Yes." Sam laughed and crossed her arms. She frowned and rubbed them, it felt like it was freezing.

"Why is it so cold? Hold on." Sam got up and walked over to the thermostat, turning the temperature from fifty to seventy. "There, that'll work." With that, she moved back to Freddie and sat next to him. "Okay, so where were we?"

"Hmm, you want to try some of Mom's mystery sauce that she made? I think she said it was made of olives, garlic and capers."

"Yeah, I've wanted to try that." Freddie took a cracker and dipped it into the sauce, he then wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulders and slowly moved the cracker to her mouth. She opened and bit into it, chewing and swallowing. "Oh man, this is great! Have I ever said how much I love your mother's cooking?"

"Yes, a million times actually."

"Well then, I love her cooking!" Freddie laughed and Sam looked into his eyes.

"Hey, you think fireplaces are romantic, right?"

"Yeah, they are."

"Too bad we don't have one in Carly's apartment." Sam laughed and Freddie gave a small sigh. "Well, I know we have one in ours, so maybe we can cuddle by it later."

"Sounds good, I love the warmth a fireplace gives off."

"Same here, but then, just cuddling alone seems to give off good warmth." Sam nodded and Freddie turned his head toward the television. The movie seemed pretty good to him, which surprised him. "You know, I wouldn't mind putting on some music and dancing, but I think I'm starting to enjoy this movie."

"See, I told you it was good!" Freddie nodded and looked over at Sam as she watched the screen. He smiled and placed a soft and gentle kiss on her cheek, causing her to blush. "Thanks for that…"

"I love you."

"I love you more!" Freddie smirked and Sam returned his smirk while raising her eyebrow.

"Well, I love you more than you can ever love me, which means that if you loved me more than I loved you, I would still love you more you could ever love me." Freddie's smirk grew triumphant and Sam blinked while staring at him.

"Fine, you win!" Freddie smirked and continued watching the movie with Sam. He liked the character of Westley, so he knew he'd have to pick up on that. After some time, they ran out of the crackers, and Sam wanted more. "Hey Freddie, do you think you can go back and get more crackers?"

"As you wish." Freddie smirked and Sam blushed deeply. If she was right, he was most likely going to start saying that to her more often. Freddie picked up the plate and left Carly's apartment to go refill the plate with crackers and some other treats that Sam might enjoy.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and yes, Sam and Freddie are having similar date experiences as Nevel and Carly, but they're enjoying themselves. Stick around for the next chapter


	27. A Bit of Teasing

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: I'd like to apologize, this chapter once was detailing the interaction when Carly returned from Nevel's place, but my computer crashed and completely wiped out the chapter. Didn't feel like rewriting all that I had written, so I started a new chapter.

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 27 (Teasing)

"Freddie, don't call Carly a fat flower," Sam said as she and Freddie walked to their apartment. Freddie chuckled and shrugged his shoulders in response. Freddie liked the word that Spencer found, and he could use it.

"Why not, after all, that's the word Spencer looked up," Freddie stated. "She's the roux and you're the sweet, beautiful and delicate flower." Sam blushed as she and Freddie entered the apartment.

"I still don't think you should call my best friend a Roux." Freddie raised his eyebrow and plopped onto the couch, Sam followed close afterwards. She scooted next to Freddie and smiled as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Thought your best friend was Valerie, and besides, I didn't say it to her face." Sam nodded and folded her arms over her chest. She and Freddie had been surprised to find that Carly had been eating tapenade and both she and Sam had a guy trying to be romantic, one was creepy while the other was romantic.

"Yeah, Carly _is_ my best friend too, dork." Sam smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "You know, I'm kind of surprised to see that your mom is such a good actress." Freddie chuckled lightly at the statement, it was fun seeing Emily freak Spencer out the way she did. "I wish we could have finished our date, but I didn't expect Carly and Spencer to walk in. It's a good thing you were back here."

"Yeah, and who knows, we might have started making out. Wouldn't that be a nice sight for them to walk in on, you and me making out on their couch?" Freddie smirked and Sam gave him a light and playful slap on the arm. "I'm not saying we should do that, but I'm just saying it would have been interesting to see their reaction."

"True." Sam closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. "You know, that review Nevel wrote was really wrong. Hell, he even got Carly's age wrong!" Carly was fourteen and Nevel wrote her as thirteen, but it was an easy mistake to make. "Well fortunately for us, we're going to get him to rue the day himself and write a _good_ review for our show"

"He'd better. I'm just glad he didn't say anything bad about you, cause if he did..." Freddie put his fist in the palm of his hand and cracked his knuckles. Sam rolled her eyes and slowly shook her head, he was always so defensive and protective of her. She placed her hand on the side of his face and turned his head toward her. She looked into his hard eyes and gave him a gentle smile, causing his face to soften and a smile to form at his mouth. "Well you know, I just don't like it when people say bad things about you. Though you can handle it, it just makes my blood boil. If I felt like it, I'd probably end up pushing Gibby against the locker and pounding his face in. I guess you just soften me up a lot." Sam chuckled and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"I must have an effect on you if that's how you _would_ act. You act so different than that, though. Plus, I don't believe Gibby has ever said anything bad about me, or to my face." If he did, he probably figured that she would give him a wedgie. She did remember that Jonah gave Rueben a wedgie once, and then a mysterious person ended up giving Gibby a really bad wedgie one time. "I wonder who that guy was…" Freddie raised his eyebrows and looked at Sam with interest. "You know, the guy that gave Gibby that one wedgie, the one where he said he didn't even see who did it, and it left him nearly unconscious." Sam tapped her chin and smirked. "I would like to meet him."

"Weird, I wouldn't know who did that. They'd have to be pretty powerful. Wasn't it right after the time that Gibby actually started saying how he thought you deserved a wedgie? I think it was…" Sam blinked and raised her eyebrow, thinking about who could have done the deed. She opened her mouth and stared at Freddie, her lips slowly turning into a smile as he looked at her. "What?"

"Freddie Benson, you didn't!" Freddie smirked and Sam moved her lower jaw to the left as she stared at him in slight disbelief and awe. "You gave Gibby the worst wedgie of his life!" He laughed and Sam slowly stood up and crossed her arms. "What am I going to do with you? After all, you're supposed to be the nice one, and I'm the bully."

"Aw, did I still your thunder?" Freddie held his smirk and crossed his arms. "I bet that's not all I stole. How does your heart sound, though it is mine now. So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I'm not sure." Sam then climbed on top of Freddie and sat in his lap while placing her hands on the couch next to him. He swallowed lightly and kept his smirk as he placed his hands on Sam's waist. "Though I will tell you, I don't think its right for you to have to do that when I can easily take care of myself. Though I will say this, I'm glad that you care so much. Now don't give Gibby any more wedgies, because that's my job. Yours is to just sit there and look cute like always."

"Well, whatever it is that turns you on, I'm always happy to oblige." Freddie pulled Sam close to him and her lips stopped mere inches from his. Her eyes traveled to his lips, he still held a very strong smirk. Even his grip around her was powerful. She couldn't get enough of it, she needed the kiss, especially since Freddie had to act pushy with Carly and ask her to 'show his lips' what Nevel did. Now she wanted to show his lips just what she could do for him. Freddie had to admit, he thought it was great seeing Sam so close and gazing at his lips. "So…what are you going to do?"

"Uh, well…" It had been a while since they actually made out, and given the situation, she didn't want to end it with a quick kiss. She knew that Freddie wasn't going to do anything that she didn't want to be done. After all, he was her protector and the man that loved her so no matter what. Sam's mouth formed a smirk as her eyes traveled up to Freddie's gaze. "I'm going to kiss that cute little smirk of yours."

"By all means, go ahead. I really feel the need to have the taste of your lips with mine." Sam rolled her eyes at the corny line and chuckled, she had no clue where he got those lines, but she loved them. "You have got to be the most devious little girl I've ever met in my life, and I must say, it really turns me on. Not only that, seeing the way you give Gibby those wedgies and how you usually push all those guys that start flirting with you, I have to admire that."

"Are you flirting with me?" Freddie's smirk grew more and Sam raised her eyebrow. "You _are_ flirting with me, aren't you? You're trying to get me all riled up to see if what I'll do, you're teasing me. Well, you know, you are a bit better than that Rueben kid, but just a _bit._" Sam smirked and Freddie raised his eyebrow, ready to test that claim. "Oh, and that kid in your one class, what's his name…whatever it is, he seems pretty cute." She knew that would make him jealous, and she did enjoy when he was jealous.

"Yeah, well he'll never have you, now will he? You're all mine and nobody else can have you." Freddie closed his eyes and moved his head to the side. "Knowing that you're my fiancé and no other guy can actually date you, I don't care who it is…I won't get jealous." Sam raised her eyebrow and smirked, she considered that to be a challenge, she may just have to list of several names of guys. "Now, it's just the guys that look at you the wrong way that I might have a little trouble with. Who knows, I just don't see it as very good to try and deal with all those men drooling over you. I just couldn't stand that."

"You do realize most of the men out there drool over Carly, not me, right?" She was actually thankful for that more than anything, especially since she didn't want her beloved boyfriend to get jealous. She knew he wouldn't ever physically hurt anyone, he just acted tough. "You're just my special little lover who wants to take care of me more than anyone in the world, and I'm just the girl who wants to make you happy. Am I doing my job?"

"Sam, if I had to grade the work you were doing, I'd say you have a solid A+. Of course, it's not even a job and you don't even have to try to please me, I already am. I'm very pleased with my Angel. Why wouldn't I be? You're the one that's made me so mild mannered." Sam swallowed and smiled at him, unsure of how much longer she would have to go for staring into his eyes and at that handsome smirk of his. He could tell she wanted a kiss, and he loved holding it until she nearly broke. "I do want to talk to that Rueben guy, though."

"I wouldn't worry about him, he's an idiot." Freddie laughed lightly and moved his hand up, rubbing Sam's back. "You know, I think I should just go ahead and kiss you…I feel like I really need to kiss that smirk of yours." Freddie decided to keep his smirk on, enjoying the reaction he was getting from her. No matter what anyone said or thought, Sam wasn't the one in control of the relationship, it was him. "I'm sitting here waiting for you to kiss me, and you're just not doing it. Don't you know you're not supposed to tease me like that?" Freddie shrugged and Sam merely raised her eyebrow. "Come on and just kiss me, because if I have to do it, then I may just kill you in the process. I mean seriously, what do you want me to do? Beg!" Freddie grinned and Sam let out a small sigh, he wanted her to beg. "You're kidding me, but oh well, it's probably going to be worth it. It better be worth it." Sam moved down and placed her hands on Freddie's shoulders while placing her head on his chest. "Please kiss me, I need it."

"You want a kiss?"

"Yes please, just one little kiss, that's all I ask for." Sam pushed herself up and looked into Freddie's eyes. "I just want a kiss, Freddie. I'll do anything if you just grace my lips with yours." It was like role playing again, truly it was fun.

"Fine then, I shall." Freddie quickly turned over, Sam squealed and laughed as her back touched the cushions and her head lay on the armrest. Freddie was on top of her and staring into her eyes. He then bent down and kissed her lips with passion, she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. After some time, they sat up and gazed into each others eyes while still holding on to each other. "Well, did you enjoy it, Sam?" Sam nodded her head in response and Freddie gently kissed her lips. "I'm glad you did. You know, I would give you another hickey, but I think I'd get in trouble if I did, so none of that for you." Sam laughed and Freddie gave her a kiss on the forehead. "You're amazingly beautiful. I just can't tell you how in awe I am of your beauty."

"Well, you're pretty handsome yourself. I don't suppose you could give me your secret on how you stay so good looking. After all, I'd love to know the thing that causes those dumb girls in the school to dare look at you in the same manner I do." Freddie laughed and slowly shook his head, there was nothing that he did to get girls surrounding him, at least nothing he knew about. All he ever did was act himself, and it got him a bunch of girls acting silly with him.

"I don't need them, I only need and want you." Sam smiled and looked over at the door as Emily entered. Freddie glanced over at his mom and smiled. "Hey Mom, nice job with Spencer, I was surprised you could act so well."

"I was in drama when I was in school," Emily said while crossing her arms and grinning. "You know I'm going to have so much fun with this."

"Yeah, I think I should be scared." Emily laughed and walked past the couple.

Over the next few days, the issue with Nevel had been resolved and he wrote a good review for iCarly. To think, all they had to do was go and talk to his mother and that was the end of that. They wouldn't have to worry about the bratty little eleven year old kid again.

* * *

I hope you have enjoyed the chapter. It would have been different, but I had issues and didn't feel like rewriting what I had, haha. Let me know what you think.


	28. Meeting the Family

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 28 (Meeting the Family)

Sam and Carly sat at the lunch table in the cafeteria, Freddie wasn't with them because he needed to do some research in the library. It was a shame, since Sam didn't get to see much of Freddie after lunch, but that would be fine because she always saw him when she got home. Sam took her drink and sipped out of it, thinking about what she was going to do when she got home.

She had some homework to finish, and she usually always had Freddie's help since sometimes she didn't understand anything. For some reason, people always assumed she was a C student, so she made jokes about her grades being at that level. Of course, when it came to Mrs. Briggs, she usually got lower grades just because the teacher didn't like her all that much. Freddie automatically didn't like Mrs. Briggs for that reason, it was just natural for him not to like those who put Sam down.

"Hey Sam," Carly said while placing her sandwich on the tray. Sam set her drink down and looked at Carly with interest. "You know what I was thinking? I have seen your aunt's home because that's where your cousins live, but I've never seen _your_ home!" Sam started to pale when she saw where Carly was going with this, but she couldn't possibly let Carly know where she lived. If she did that, then they would most likely be in trouble with Granddad Shay, and Carly would probably be pissed that Sam was living with Freddie. "I want to see your actual home."

"Uh, that may not be the greatest idea, Carly," Sam said while giving a nervous chuckle. She had no clue how to respond to Carly's desire to see her home. If Carly knew she lived right across the hall, if she knew she lived with Freddie, what would she think? _"She might think Freddie and I are doing…having sex. We're not, but she would never let me alone for it!"_ She had to do something, she needed to think of a way that Carly would be satisfied. _"I think I'll have to talk to Emily about it."_ Sam straightened herself up slightly and gave a small smile to Carly. "Well, you know my mother! So let me _try_ to talk to her first, and then we'll see when you can come over!"

"Okay, that's fine." Carly smiled and Sam went back to her food, sighing as she took a bite. She had no clue what was going to happen now, especially since they would have to come up with something. Of course, maybe if Sam told her she didn't want Carly visiting, but then Carly would be hurt and wonder why Sam didn't want her to see her home.

_"Must I always get put in these situations?"_

-NEW SCENE-

Sam hurried back home and quickly entered the apartment, she was still being plagued by the fact that Carly wanted to see her house. Carly would be able to tell if Sam was showing her a fake house, given if someone else lived there. She walked toward the couch and set her backpack down on it, she looked up to see Emily walking out of a hallway. "Emily, I need a house." Emily halted and stared at Sam with her mouth hanging open, Sam chuckled nervously when she saw the shock on the woman's face. "I don't mean like that, this is my home, but…"

"What seems to be the trouble, dear?" Emily asked as she walked to the couch and took hold of the back.

"Carly wants to see where I live." Emily raised her eyebrow and Sam merely crossed her arms. "I can't just tell her I don't want her over at my home, she'll be hurt and I don't want to do that. So, I need a fake home, and maybe even a fake mother."

"A fake mom I can give you, but I don't know about the house. I mean, you're still going to have to live under this roof."

"I know, I don't intend to live anywhere else." Emily rubbed her chin and walked around the couch. She took her seat and gave a small sigh, she was trying to think of how to help Sam out. "Well…my sister actually lives in that residential community a few blocks from here, and she can probably play a fake mother for you. I guess you can go ahead and use her home as your own. Yet, she's always on the move, and will probably end up moving out in less than a year. Not only that, I'm not so sure you'd like her, she's not exactly the nicest person in the world. Er, maybe it'd be best if we didn't consider her as your fake mom."

"Oh, well maybe we can buy a house that…perhaps Freddie and I will live in when we get married."

"That's like buying a car and not using it, Sam. There are still payments that will have to be given, someone will pretty much have to be living in the home."

"Well maybe I can talk to one of my relatives that Carly hasn't met yet. Do you think that would work?"

"Your mother didn't even trust your relatives enough to take care of you, do you think they're going to go for playing as your mom?" Sam frowned and glanced toward her feet, she had no clue who could do that for her. "Though, if it would help in any way, Freddie has an older cousin who is looking to move here. She's moving here with her mom. Her mom happens to be the sister of my former husband. She's just out of basic college and wanted to move closer to the school she's going to, and she's bringing her mom with her."

"How old are they?"

"Well, Sasha's twenty four and is in law school and her mom is fifty two years old."

"So that means I get to meet a cousin of Freddie's!" Emily smiled and nodded her head in response. "Though, I don't want Carly thinking I have a sister, because that's going too far really…"

"Sasha won't be around much, she does go to school and do other things almost all day, so Carly will probably not ever run into her. If she does, she could easily pass off as a friend of the family. In fact, if you wanted to meet them now, we can, since they've pretty much already bought the house. I was going to help them unpack."

"Yeah, I do want to meet them!"

"Then we will. Freddie's with his friends right now, so he won't be home for a while, and I'm up for leaving now if you want to."

"Yeah, that would be awesome!" Emily smiled and patted Sam on the shoulder as she walked toward the door.

"Okay then, grab your backpack and let's get going. If you have any homework, you can probably get it done there."

"Yes ma'am." Sam picked up her backpack and walked out the door with Emily, she was real excited to meet Freddie's aunt and cousin. They made their way out of the building and to the car. Once they got in, it was about a five minute drive to get to the house, so it wasn't too far away that it would be ridiculous. "So, do you think that they'll actually go through with it?"

"Maybe…If I know my sister in law, she loves acting, so she probably won't mind so much."

"Cool." Emily smiled as she parked next to a medium sized house, it seemed pretty nice and built up. "So, how would we explain the whole idea of who I am?"

"She's _very_ tolerant of arranged marriage, so she'll like you. Trust me, you'll like her when you meet her." Sam smiled and exited the car with Emily, she was still pretty excited. The two made their way to the door and before Emily could even lift her hand to ring the doorbell, her sister in law opened the door and grinned at her.

"Emily! We thought you were never going to get here!" The woman said as she gave Emily a hug.

"Yeah, I told you I'd be here, Lisa, and here I am." Lisa stepped back and smiled. She looked at Sam who waved at her.

"Who is this? Is this the girl that you're looking after?" Emily nodded and Lisa gave Sam a smile and then a hug. "It's great to meet you!"

"Thank you," Sam said while returning her smile. Lisa slowly stood up and glanced over at Emily, she was wondering if Freddie had his mate chosen yet. She had wanted to make Freddie's birthday, but she had been unable to do so because she was so busy.

"Emily, I have a birthday present for Freddie inside, I feel so bad about missing my dearest nephew's party! Sasha wasn't too thrilled with it either, she said she wanted to beat him at another video game." Sam raised her eyebrow and Emily merely laughed.

"Don't worry about it, he's fine. At least you're closer now than you used to be, so that generally means you get to see him more often." Lisa nodded and quickly stepped out of the doorway.

"Where are my manners? Come in!" Emily and Sam both smiled and entered the house. Emily looked over to see Sasha walking in from the other room, she had dark brown hair, unlike her mom who had sandy blonde hair.

"Aunt Emily, it's been so long since I've seen you!" Sasha said as she walked over to Emily and gave her a hug. She stepped back and smiled. "Where's Freddie?" She glanced over at Sam and grinned. "I'm guessing she's the girl you're taking care of, and would she happen to be related?"

"I'm not quite related," Sam said while rubbing her head lightly, confused at the statement. Sasha laughed and shook her head.

"No, I meant are you Freddie's chosen bride?" Sam blinked and her face started to turn a deep red, causing Sasha to laugh and cross her arms. "I knew it! He lucked out, he's got a beautiful wife."

"I'm not _that_ good looking…" Sam was slightly embarrassed, but still enjoying herself. She loved Freddie's family, even if this was the first time she actually talked to his relatives. She did meet Emily's sister once, and that was at his last birthday, but she didn't seem all that interested in talking.

"Don't try to lie, if I know my cousin, he's probably head over heels for you!" Sam chuckled lightly and Sasha smirked, she could tell. "You're in love with him too, aren't you? Yeah, I know how my aunt works. You two probably have the best compatibility and chemistry. There's just one question that I believe comes to mind here…" Sam raised her eyebrow and stared as Sasha lightly tapped her chin. "Oh yeah, I believe the question is this…who is Carly and why does my cousin obviously lie and appear to be in love with the woman?"

"Uh, that's sort of what I wanted to talk about. Wait, you can tell Freddie's lying?" Sasha laughed and nodded her head.

"He's my cousin, and we're probably closer than any of his other relatives, I have never known a time when that kid could slip a lie past me."

"It's true," Lisa said while giving a light laugh. "Sasha and Freddie are very close."

"Awesome…so um, what do I call you by?" Sam looked toward Lisa and tilted her head slightly. "Do I say Mrs. Benson?"

"You may not call me that since I go by my husband's name, Everett. Although, my husband and I are divorced...Actually, just call me Lisa."

"Okay, I'll do that then."

"Thank you dear." Lisa smiled and Emily gave an approving nod.

"I'm glad you're all getting along," Emily said while looking around the house. There were open boxes everywhere and furniture was scattered around the house. Apparently they got the furniture in places they wanted, but they still had a long way to go before they finished packing. "Lisa, Sam actually has a request for you." Lisa raised her eyebrow and Emily gave her a smile. "She is keeping her relationship secret from her best friend Carly, as well as anyone else that knows them…"

"It's mostly Carly," Sam said while glancing downward. "After all, if she knew, she would tell her grandfather...then Freddie and I would be split apart. She doesn't know we're dating, and she's got a crush on him, so he's pretending to like her in hopes that it will push her crush away. We're also looking for guys that she'll like better. She also can't know that Freddie and I live together, and no, we do not have sex!"

"Okay, so that's why," Sasha responded while giving a small sigh. "I'm glad at least that he isn't cheating on you."

"He would never. Anyway, Carly has never met my 'mom' or been to my house, and I was wondering…"

"You were wondering if you could bring her here, is that it?" Lisa asked while raising her eyebrow. Sam gave a subtle nod and placed her hands in her pockets.

"She won't get suspicious if I have someone to pretend to be my mom and all."

"Well I'm too young," Sasha said while smirking at her mother. Lisa gave a soft sigh and smiled at Sam.

"I would love to help you out, after all, we're pretty much family!" Lisa replied. It wouldn't be hard to pretend to be Sam's mother, especially since she was a mom. "What about Sasha, though? Do you want Carly thinking you have an older sister?"

"She doesn't even know I have a sister, so that would be a problem. I can't have a sister if I've never mentioned having one."

"Fine, I'll make myself scarce whenever she's around," Sasha responded. "I probably won't be able to be around all that much anyway, so just let me know when you're going to be bringing Carly over."

"It won't be that often, really. I wouldn't want to impose."

"I wouldn't say you're imposing at all."

"Of course not," Lisa said as she walked over to a cardboard box. "Let's get started unpacking so we can go ahead and get finished as soon as possible. By the way Sam, when does Carly want to see your house?"

"When is convenient for you?" Sam asked.

"I'd say this upcoming weekend. Tell me how you want me to act as well, in case you've ever described your mom to her." Sam nodded and gave another smile toward Lisa and Sasha.

"That sounds good, thank you." Lisa smiled and Emily patted Sam on the back. With that, everyone went to work on unpacking the boxes.

-NEW SCENE-

Sam walked down the street with Carly, it was Saturday and they were visiting Sam's "mom." Sam was currently remembering the Halloween segment that the group did back in October. (A/N: I know, I was making time go to February and forgot about the Halloween episode. So like the iHatch Chicks episode, it's going to have to be before the Nevel one). It was fun doing that webcast, but scary at the same time.

Lewbert had tricked them, and it made them upset, but Freddie let him have it because the guy was just having fun. The apartment 13B had not really been haunted, though events made them believe it was. Sam and Carly were both equally scared, and Freddie later told Sam that the whole time, he wanted to hold her and comfort her, but couldn't with Carly being there and the fact that he too was slightly scared. Freddie wanted to dress up as a vampire, preferably Dracula, but he decided to dress up as a witch because Sam wanted him to do it.

She didn't know how she managed to persuade him to do so, but originally Sam was supposed to wear it, yet she didn't wear any costume. Carly admitted that she wore the bug costume because she thought it was cute and she wanted Freddie to think it was, unfortunately he never said a thing about it. Also after what happened to Spencer, Freddie tracked down every one of the kids and gave them one small candy bar, telling them he would have given them more had they not done what they did.

"Hey Sam, what are you thinking about?" Carly asked as the two stepped onto Lisa's street.

"Our Halloween show," Sam replied.

"Oh, that was fun. I don't know why, but it seemed like Freddie had been looking at you the entire time." Sam laughed and shook her head in response to Carly's statement.

"No, he wouldn't do that." They walked up the sidewalk and Sam started to knock at the door, but remembered it was supposed to be her home. "Here we are…" Sam opened the door and stepped in. "Mom! I'm home!"

"Welcome home," Lisa said as she stepped out of the kitchen and smiled. She looked at Carly and waved. "Carly, how are you? Okay Sam, there's food in the refrigerator if you need anything. I have a headache and I need to get some sleep." Sam smirked while standing behind Carly, that was perfect, since Lisa needed to pretend to act how Sam described her.

"Yeah, okay Mom." Lisa smiled slightly and walked toward her bedroom, leaving the two girls alone.

"Well, this is a nice house," Carly said while looking around the room. "How come you never told me you lived here?"

"I don't know…it doesn't look all that impressive to me," Sam said as she walked toward the couch.

"Well it is!" Carly smiled and hurried toward the couch as well. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Do you think Freddie would like it if I were to go ahead and just go on a date with him?" Sam's eyes widened and then narrowed slightly, she didn't know how to respond to that. She wanted to say no, but then Carly would get upset and Sam would have to reveal the heart shaking news to Carly. Things could go haywire from there.

"Carly, do you _seriously_ want to date someone as pushy and obsessive as him?"

"Not really, but…he hasn't really been as obsessive lately." Sam sighed and her cell phone began ringing, she checked it and was shocked to see Freddie calling her. She answered it and started talking.

"Hello uh…Valerie, how are you?"

"Valerie? I'm not Valerie," Freddie responded.

"I know! I'm with Carly, Valerie!"

"Oh, right. Well I just wanted to ask you if there was anything you needed from the store…I'm at the store right now while Mom gets her hair done. She'll pick me up in a bit…"

"No, I don't need anything. By the way, Valerie, Carly's considering asking out Fr-"

"Don't tell her that!" Carly said in a quick voice. Freddie stiffened and listened as Sam spoke to Carly.

"Well I'm sorry, Carly. I'm still wondering why you want to go out with him, even if he _has_ been less obsessive and pushy."

"Crap," Freddie said in a quiet voice. "I keep forgetting…" Freddie hung up the phone and Sam looked toward her phone, shrugging as she put her phone in her pocket.

"Disconnected…"

"Oh." Soon, Carly's phone rang and she answered it, surprised to hear Freddie's voice. "Freddie, we were just talking about you!"

"Oh, you were?" Freddie asked in a quick voice. "What about? Did you finally realize your deep and perfect love for me in which you want to make out at every turn? Please tell me you did! I…you!" Freddie had coughed during the last sentence, since he just couldn't get the word 'love' in there, he didn't want to tell that to Carly. Carly's face fell and she let out a small sigh, he had been doing so well. It seemed he wasn't mature about his feelings yet, she had to wait until he was actually mature about them. Sam raised her eyebrows and became impressed with Freddie's punctuality.

"No Freddie, I _still_ don't like you like that..." Carly hung up her phone and sighed as she looked toward Sam. "I guess I was wrong, he's still pushy. Whenever that pushiness stops, then I-"

"It won't stop," Sam said while leaning back. "That boy is nuts. The best thing I recommend is for you to just look for someone less pushy and obsessive. You _know_ the obsessive types tend to turn stalker like and sometimes are so jealous that they start wanting to control your lives. I say don't go for the idiot."

"Maybe..."

"I'm going to the restroom." Sam frowned and felt her stomach start to churn.

"Okay." Sam got up and moved toward the restroom, once she entered she locked the door and leaned against the wall while holding her stomach.

_"God, I feel so sick…"_ She moaned and clasped the toilet as she moved to her knees. She knew the reason of her sickness was because of everything going on, so many emotions, they all scared her. In a way, just imagining Carly with Freddie made her sick to her stomach as well.

* * *

I hope you liked the chapter, Freddie's got some cool relatives it seems.


	29. Mrs Briggs

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 29 (Mrs. Briggs)

Sam awoke and quickly sat in her bed, she had the strangest dream and wasn't sure how to explain it. She glanced at the clock next to her bed, it was only a little after midnight so Emily was probably up. She slowly crawled out of her bed and walked toward her door, opening it slowly and peering out. She could see light coming from the living room area.

She stepped out of her room and glanced toward Freddie's door, recalling her dream that she had. She gulped and started to walk down the hall and toward the living room. Once she made it, she could see Emily watching some television, it was a crime drama, probably the CSI in Las Vegas. She enjoyed that show, especially the episode where there was a girl that looked a lot like her. Sam slowly stepped toward the end of the bed and saw that Emily had a notepad in her hand and a pen in the other.

"Hey Sam," Emily said as she quickly hit the pause button on the remote. Sam blinked and watched as Emily stood up, she was surprised that the woman heard her coming. "I saw your reflection in the TV." Emily turned toward Sam and gave her a soft smile. "So, what do you need? School is tomorrow, so I would think you'd be sleeping. Is something wrong that is keeping you awake?" Sam slowly nodded her head, still recovering from the fact that Emily was able to tell she had been there. "Sit down and let's talk about it."

"Yes ma'am," Sam said as she slowly walked around the couch. She was trying to get the dream out of her head and failing completely. It would probably be gone in a while, but she was still remembering it vividly. She sat down on the couch and Emily sat next to her. "Um, first I want to ask you why you have a notepad and a pen while you're watching a crime drama." Emily blinked and looked toward the items on the couch, she chuckled lightly and looked over at Sam with a calm smile.

"I'm a police officer, and watching crime dramas tend to help out. Also shows like Forensic Files are really good teachers, because that show definitely is a realistic thing."

"Oh yeah, Forensic Files is the show where they talk about murders that happened and how police and forensics helped solve the case!" Emily nodded and took the notepad in her hand.

"You know I'm a police officer, so I like to take notes and learn about these things…Anyway, let's get back to you. What's bothering you, sweetie?" Emily rested the pad on her lap and placed her hands on top of it, Sam just stared at it for a second before continuing.

"I had a really weird dream and I can't explain it. It was about Freddie and me…" She sighed and looked up, catching Emily's concerned and interested gaze. "Well I don't understand dreams, and I have no control over what happens in them. It seemed really…weird. I mean, there was a lot of visual of his…blow stick and squeeze bag." Emily chuckled at her choice of words and placed a soft hand on top of Sam's hand.

"That's perfectly fine. Dreams are merely your subconscious revealing to you what your feelings are. There is with you two, as there is with any couple in love, a lot of sexual tension. The dreams will probably come every now and then, but you shouldn't worry about them. In fact, it's completely normal to have them. However, by no means do the dreams mean that you and Freddie have to do anything in regards to that, and I highly recommend that you don't." Sam nodded and Emily gave her a hug. "Most likely the dream is there because of all that tension, and the dreams will come every now and then, but they shouldn't be too often. Remember, if you ever need anything, you can come talk to me about it, okay?"

"Yes ma'am, thank you." Emily smiled and Sam slowly stood up. "I'm going back to bed now…I was just confused about that one thing."

"Okay, goodnight, and I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight!" Sam smiled and walked toward her room, thankful for the talk she had with Emily. She always did admire the woman, she was usually very smart. At least Sam could get some sleep without worrying about the dream.

-NEW SCENE-

The next day, Carly, Freddie, and Sam all were hanging out in the studio. Freddie was talking about some new stuff he had for iCarly, one of which he was calling a pie. "Inside this box is a new piece of technical equipment that's going to blow you guys away!"

"What is it?" Carly said in an energetic and interested tone. Sam chuckled and leapt off of the stool she was on.

"Did you buy yourself a robot girlfriend?" Sam asked while smirking and raising her eyebrow.

"I don't need a robot girlfriend," Freddie said while raising his eyebrow in return. _"Especially not if I already have one."_

_"Here's your moment, use it." _Freddie gave a quick sigh and turned toward Carly.

"I guarantee you in twenty years, I will be Carly's second husband." He couldn't help but laugh inwardly, why would he be Carly's husband when he was going to marry and grow old with Sam? Of course, the joke did bother him a bit.

"What happened to my first?" Carly asked while raising her eyebrows.

"Nothing you can prove." Sam rolled her eyes and smirked inwardly, yet she still didn't feel completely right with Freddie making the joke. Standing behind Carly, she mouthed to Freddie for him never to make that particular statement again. He read her lips and gave her a very quick nod, he would never say it again.

"Just hurry up before I get bored and leave," Sam said while slowly tapping her foot.

"Okay, you guys will enjoy this one." Freddie set a box on the chair and pulled out a large piece of pie with a camera on the side. "It's a camera disguised as a piece of pie." The girls both took a look at it and started laughing, it was obvious that it was a piece of spy equipment. Freddie looked at it and frowned, even he thought it was lame. "Well, it looks real!"

"Please, it looks about as real as my Aunt Maggie's boobs, and they're ridiculous!" Freddie blinked and raised his eyebrow, he did not want to have to meet Sam's aunt anytime soon.

"Yeah, well we can still record Mrs. Briggs with this…"

"Yeah, if she doesn't see it!"

"I saw we give him the benefit of the doubt, Sam," Carly said while grinning.

"Thank you Carly," Freddie added. Sam rolled her eyes and Freddie winced inwardly, he would have to remember not to say or do anything that might get Carly impressed with him.

-NEW SCENE-

_"Somehow, I have to make myself look pathetic, stupid, and annoying,"_ Freddie thought as he and Carly sat at the gate, watching Mrs. Briggs. They were trying to record her to see if there was anything they could put on their show, but so far she was doing nothing. Freddie's eyes drifted over toward a distant bush, he could see a bee flying around it. He was almost deathly allergic to bees, but he learned to remain calm when around them. If you don't bother them, they won't bother you. Freddie shifted his eyes back to the screen and watched Mrs. Briggs vacuuming the floor. "Well, there seems to be two hours of boring crap."

"Yeah, I think we learned what teachers do when outside of school," Carly said while giving a slow sigh. They watched as Mrs. Briggs picked up a trash bag and walked toward the door. "And look, she's taking out the trash!"

"Yep, nothing to record here." Freddie and Carly stood up and sighed, they were ready to go home now. Just then, the bee he saw earlier started buzzing toward him and the camera pie in his hand. _"Dear god no…well, I do have to look stupid too, but I still can't afford to get stung. Well, this is stupid and I'm not supposed to do this, but…"_ Freddie started to swat at the bee and shout. "Go away! Get out of here!" Carly looked at him with wide eyes.

"It's just a bee!"

"You don't understand! I am _extremely_ allergic to bee stings!" Freddie moved around and continued looking like a fool. "Get out of here you stupid bee! I think it wants the pie!"

"That _is_ a stupid bee!" Freddie quickly pushed the pie into Carly's hands and fell back over the gate. She gasped and hurried over to check on him, he was fine. He quickly got up and started to go inside Mrs. Briggs's apartment. "What are you doing!"

"I can't get stung!" After a while, Carly dropped the pie and headed inside as well, she didn't want to get stung either. Freddie knew if he acted scared, that might make Carly like him less. Of course it didn't mean he wasn't afraid, he still didn't want to get stung. He knew that bee stings had a life threatening potential, and he really didn't want to scare Sam into thinking he would die. Carly quickly grabbed his arm and started pulling.

"Come on, if Mrs. Briggs catches us, we're dead!"

"No! I can't go out there!" They started to hear footsteps and Carly groaned as she started to shove Freddie into the closet, they had to hide. Once inside, Freddie took a deep breath and sighed. _"Great, now I'm stuck in a closet with Carly. You know, I'd much rather be stuck in a closet with Sam. I mean with Sam, just imagine all the stuff we could do in the closet! Okay Freddie, keep your mind off of perverted thoughts."_ He decided to take his mind off of the perverted thoughts and be pushy. "You know, this is interesting. You and me stuck in a closet, alone."

"This is no time for you to start flirting or anything, we're in a serious situation."

_"Don't say that word, I'm not flirting with you. I…I really am not all that fond of you. Actually, I'm your friend, but at the same time, I'm angry at you because of the crush you have on me and how it's hurting Sam." _Carly opened the door slightly and saw Mrs. Briggs doing workout routines, she gagged and closed the door. "What is she doing out there?"

"You don't want to know." Freddie shuddered and searched the walls for a light switch. Finally, after some time, he found one. When he turned on the lights, they found themselves surrounded by what seemed to be a shrine dedicated to Randy Jackson. Freddie gasped and Carly quickly covered his mouth, in case he might scream.

_"Oh god, gross, get your hand off my mouth. I want no contact with anything from you to my lips. These babies are for Sam to touch, kiss, and hear my voices from."_ Carly released him and he slowly glanced around. _"This would make for perfect blackmail on Mrs. Briggs. Seriously, I could use this all this."_

"Is it just me or are we surrounded by two thousand Randy Jacksons?" Freddie nodded and backed up, accidently hitting a cardboard model of Randy Jackson and causing him to talk. "Freddie! Do you want Mrs. Briggs to hear us!"

"Hey, he said it." Carly sighed and opened the door, seeing Mrs. Briggs turning around.

"She's coming!" She turned off the lights and the two quickly hid behind the cardboard model. The teacher entered and started talking to the model and eventually bending over, causing Freddie and Carly to gag.

_"Oh god she stinks! That's it, I'm so putting this stuff down as blackmail some time. All I need to do is grab my cell phone and start taking some pictures, then upload them onto my computer…_" The teacher left and the two were able to safely exit the model.

"I'm calling Sam."

"You do that." Freddie took out his cell as Carly called Sam up, he smirked and quickly flashed a few pictures of the closet. _"My cell always makes perfect pictures, so I'm good to go."_ Freddie glanced over and raised his eyebrows. _"Hm, cologne…I wonder what Sam would think of this, maybe it could make her go crazy…I'd like that."_

After some time, Freddie and Sam were sitting on the ground listening to Mrs. Briggs play her bagpipes, they hated it. Freddie would have felt a lot more comfortable if Sam was next to him, he could think of a million things to talk about with her. Whereas Carly, he couldn't think of many things to talk to her about. Sam called Carly up and informed her that she was there. After some time of talking, Sam was ready to create a distraction. Freddie had to admire her, he was lucky to have her.

After some time, both Freddie and Carly were able to leave the closet. Freddie looked at Sam with a worried look, she was trying to talk to Mrs. Briggs in order to distract her from them, he couldn't let her get in trouble. Of course, she could probably get out of it somehow. Just when they were about to make it, he tripped over Mrs. Briggs's bagpipes and alerted her that they were in. _"Crap!"_

They then tried to fake out Mrs. Briggs by pretending it was her birthday, it didn't work out so well. The teacher pointed to the couch and instructed them to sit, they did as told. She then picked up her bagpipes and started looking them over, frowning at what had happened with them. Sam didn't seem too happy about having failed to help them, so she tried her best to put on a smile, even though Freddie could tell it wasn't a good one. He wanted to tell her it was okay, but couldn't. That was the trouble of secret relationships, he couldn't provide comfort at the right time. He sighed and looked over at Mrs. Briggs, watching as she twisted the instrument.

"I'm sorry I tripped over your bagpipes." The teacher didn't respond, so Carly decided to add something.

"Are they okay?" Carly asked.

"No!" Mrs. Briggs shouted. "He dented my blow stick and punctured my squeeze bag." Sam groaned inwardly and closed her eyes.

_"You had to word it that way,"_ Sam thought while giving a soft sigh. "Freddie can pay to have it fixed."

"You think that's going to work? Please. I should have you expelled, I should call the police on you!"

_"My mom is the most important police officer in Seattle,"_ Freddie thought while raising his eyebrow. _"She wouldn't let us get arrested."_

Carly then mentioned the fact that they were doing this for the webshow and Mrs. Briggs started talking about how stupid it was. The trio then went on to say that it was very popular, and that alone grabbed her attention. "Tell you what," Mrs. Briggs said while smirking. "You let me be on your webshow and I won't have you expelled from school and I won't file a report with the police." Freddie raised his eyebrow and sighed, he really figured they would have no choice. Of course, he wouldn't forget that he could blackmail Mrs. Briggs at any given time, this left a smirk on his face.

-NEW SCENE-

The day after the webshow, the group stood at their lockers and waited for Mrs. Briggs to arrive. Freddie glanced over at Sam as she sniffed the air, trying to figure out what the scent was coming from that was enticing her nostrils. He smirked and crossed his arms, knowing full well that it was going to start driving her mad. Though it wasn't as good as the normal cologne he wore around her, it still smelled good enough that it would definitely entice Sam.

Carly was sniffing the air as well, but she didn't look too pleased. This was a plus in Freddie's book, because Sam was pleased with something and Carly wasn't. Carly quickly excused her self and went to the bathroom, leaving Sam and Freddie alone. He smirked and stepped in front of Sam, placing his hand above her head and on the locker. She blushed and held her books close to her chest as he gazed into her eyes. "How do you like my cologne, Sam?"

"So that's where the smell is coming from," Sam said in quiet and shaky voice. Her voice actually shook with temptation and nervousness. "So you got some new cologne, I see."

"Yep, and it is all-" Freddie shifted his eyes over and quickly stepped away from Sam as Carly walked toward them.

"Sorry, I had to wash my hands real fast," Carly stated.

"Yeah, that's fine." Mrs. Briggs then entered the school and started walking toward her class, the students all caught her and started applauding for her on her appearance on iCarly. They did it merely to satisfy her, even though she sucked and the funny part was the background images.

"You did great Mrs. Briggs," Carly said as the three walked toward her. She smiled triumphantly and Freddie merely raised his eyebrow at her cockiness.

"You see, that stuff you do is no match for my musical greatness," Mrs. Briggs responded.

"You are so right," Sam said in a faux interested voice. She was half dazed, still becoming enchanted by the cologne Freddie was wearing. Of course, he didn't intend to wear it that often, since it wasn't as good as his other cologne, but as long as it got a good reaction from Sam, he was happy. Mrs. Briggs started to walk off but stopped and turned toward Freddie.

"Freddie." Freddie raised his eyebrow as she walked toward him and took a quick sniff. "Hm." She stepped back and smiled. "You smell absolutely delightful."

"Thanks Mrs. Briggs," Freddie replied. The teacher walked off and the girls turned toward him.

"Randy Jackson cologne?" Carly asked while raising her eyebrow chuckling. Freddie lifted up the bottle and smirked. Sam blinked in shock, she hated Randy Jackson, but apparently the cologne was pretty nice. Instead of saying his name, she was now going to dub it Freddie Benson cologne number two. Since the one she called Freddie Benson cologne number one was one of his own. He mixed a bunch of scents and created it, and she absolutely adored it.

"Yep." The girls laughed and started walking with Freddie toward their classes. Carly was walking slightly ahead, so Sam walked with Freddie.

"You enjoy making me insane, don't you?" Sam asked while narrowing her eyes and smirking.

"Of course not, I just enjoy making you go mad and with desire."

"That's the same thing, dork." Freddie smirked and started walking at a faster pace. "Hey! Wait up!"

* * *

I hope you liked that. You don't know how good it feels to work on something happy and post something like this after working on SHATTERED PEACE. With that, I just have to take it a little bit at a time...all the research needed and the emotions going into it, hard stuff. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm guessing most of my reviewers are vacationing, since I think I only got about 2 or 3 reviews for each of the last 3 chapters....that's still good though, better than what I could be getting! ^_^ Thanks all who are reviewing this and having the patience to go with this!


	30. In Sickness and in Health

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 30 (In Sickness and in Health)

Sam and Freddie were at Carly's on Sunday afternoon. They had gone to church with Emily, Lisa, and Sasha, and then they had gone to eat at a fancy restaurant. Freddie wasn't feeling too well, so he was just sitting and listening to Sam and Carly talk about what was going on and what they might do for the next webcast.

"Freddie, are you okay?" Carly asked when she looked over. "You look a little pale." Freddie glanced over to see Carly staring at him, Sam had a worried look on her face as well. He gave them a smile and nodded his head, but Sam didn't seem to believe it. To tell the truth, his stomach was churning and he felt both nauseous and dizzy, but he didn't want to worry the girls since he thought he'd feel better soon. "Okay, but if you start feeling bad, then let us know. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you, Freddie."

"Yeah, thanks, I'll be fine," Freddie said quietly. Sam was still concerned, so he knew he couldn't simply say he was fine. _"I do have to love the way she gets concerned about me. She's so cute..."_ He slowly stood up and Sam watched him carefully. "Don't mind me; I just need to get to the restroom." He walked toward the restroom and entered, still feeling horribly sick. He was actually feeling a bit hot as well. He moaned and placed his hands on the edges of the toilet seat and began to vomit.

"Do you think Freddie will be okay?" Carly asked. Sam looked toward the bathroom and frowned. She hoped he'd be okay, but he did see like he was really sick. Sam gave a brief nod and looked back to Carly. "Okay, that's good. So what do you think we should do for this week's iCarly? I was thinking something like stacking Pringles on someone's head and seeing how many can fit before they fall."

"Yeah, that doesn't seem too bad…" Sam heard the toilet flush, but it was probably the second or third time that it had flushed. She stood up from the couch and looked toward the bathroom with concerned filled eyes. "Hey Carly, did you know the dork flushed your toilet three times now?"

"What!" Carly got up and quickly rushed toward the bathroom, Sam followed closely afterwards. Carly started to bang on the door, hoping to get Freddie's attention. "Freddie! Hey, are you okay in there!" Sam sighed and pushed Carly out of the way. She grabbed the doorknob and opened the door to see Freddie sitting against the wall straight across from the toilet; his hand was over his stomach. Carly stepped in the doorway and her eyes widened in shock. "Freddie! Oh my god, are you okay!"

"Does that look like he's okay, Carly!" Sam said in a sharp tone of voice. She sighed and quickly hurried with Carly over to Freddie's side. "Come on, we need to take him to his house." Sam grabbed Freddie's right arm as Carly took his left, both girls then draped his arms over their shoulders. Freddie let out a moan and Sam closed her eyes. "Hey dork, if you're going to puke again…don't do it until we get you to your mom's place." The girls started to walk him to his door; they exited and stepped across the hall.

"Okay, I got it," Freddie said quickly. "I can get in there, you guys just stay behind."

"I don't think we should leave you," Carly said when she noticed how pale and clammy Freddie was. "Besides, you might pass out in the hallway, and then what are we going to do?" Sam lifted her hand and knocked on the door, waiting until Emily opened it. When she did, her eyes widened in the horror that mothers have when they see their kids are sick. "Ms. Benson, Freddie started throwing up!"

"Okay, thank you girls, I'll take it from here," Emily said as she draped Freddie's arm around her shoulder and started leading him into the apartment. Sam wanted to go in, and she was considering to screw the fact that the dating thing was a secret and go inside. "You can check up on him later, girls." Emily sighed and led Freddie into his bedroom, she helped him onto his bed and started to pull the covers over him. "I really do hate to see you so sick like this…here, I'm going to get a washcloth and a bucket for you." Emily stepped out of Freddie's room and saw Sam walking toward her. "Weren't you just outside with Carly?"

"I told Carly I had to go home and she went back inside," Sam said while looking worriedly toward Freddie's door. "How is he? Is there anything I can do?"

"Yes…Freddie's sick and most likely it's food poisoning. That can last anywhere from a day to a week. I need you to get some water and a wet washcloth while I search for a bucket to place by the side of his bed." Sam nodded and hurried toward the kitchen. She found a small washcloth and quickly grabbed it.

_"Okay, this and some water."_ Sam turned on the faucet and soaked the rag, she the squeezed it and set it in the middle of the sink. Then she grabbed a cup and filled it with some fresh water. _"All right, now I need to get over to Freddie."_ Sam grabbed the rag and made her way to Freddie's room, she carefully opened the door and stepped inside, frowning as she heard Freddie let out a moan. He looked over at her and frowned, he hated to have to have her see him like this, but there wasn't much he could do about that.

"Sam," Freddie said. Sam gave him a sad smile and walked over to him, she carefully placed the rag on his forehead and felt his arm, it was very clammy.

"Here, have some water." Sam placed her hand under Freddie's back and helped him to sit up as she placed the cup toward his lips. She looked over as Emily walked into the door, she was carrying a bucket and a thermometer. Sam carefully let Freddie lay back down as she got up and stepped away from the bed so Emily could place the bucket next to it.

"If you get sick, you're going to want to do your stuff in there," Emily said while pointing to the bucket. Freddie gave a tiny smile and Emily put the thermometer in his mouth. "Hold that under your tongue and we'll check out your temperature." She looked up and over at Sam. "If you could, please close the curtains on his window. We need to limit sunlight, as it could cause him to become more dehydrated." Sam nodded and rushed over to the window, closing the curtains. "Heh, it looks like you'll be learning how to take care of your husband when he gets sick."

"Yeah, I guess so. I hate seeing him sick..." Emily sighed and slowly stood up, she didn't know just yet if it was food poisoning, but she would figure it out in a bit.

"Well, I guess we may have to chalk that restaurant off our list of places to eat." Sam chuckled and nodded her head. "Sam if you will, take the thermometer out and check his temperature." Sam nodded and removed the item from his mouth and checked it, her eyes widened and she looked over to Emily.

"It says he's at about one hundred and one degrees!"

"Okay, the rag will help to cool him off. We may want to remove the blanket from him for now." Emily removed the blanket from Freddie.

"What now?"

"Freddie, we need you to try and sit up." Freddie did so and Emily started to fluff his pillow and place it in sitting position. "You'll regain your strength soon. Sam, we'll need to remove his shirt, it'll heat him up if he's still in it." Sam nodded and carefully removed Freddie's shirt, it felt like it was soaked with sweat. "Sam, we'll need to get him some electrolyte replacement drinks…sports drinks."

"Okay, so Gatorade and stuff like that?"

"Yes, those are best. Flat ginger ale also helps to settle an upset stomach." Emily placed her hands on her hips and looked toward Freddie. "Well Freddie, it looks like you'll be limited to eating applesauce, rice, bananas and yogurt for a bit." Emily thought and glanced upwards. "Also soda crackers will help too. Anything dry and bland works well, the blander the better…" Emily turned toward Sam and crossed her arms. "Okay, come with me. I'm going to draft up a shopping list for you, I want you to go to the store and get the items that I list. This is important, since you'll be doing this for Freddie in the future when he's sick, and he will have to do the same for you."

"Okay, I understand." Sam followed Emily out of the room and into the kitchen. "I guess he can't eat any real food for a while?"

"Well the food he _will_ be eating is about as real as it gets." Emily took a sheet of paper and started writing on it. "He just can't eat what he normally eats, since it'll make him feel worse."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Sam leaned against the counter and looked toward Freddie's bedroom. "I hope he feels better soon." Emily smiled and glanced at Sam, she admired the care that Sam had for him.

"He'll be fine, we just have to treat him well." Sam nodded and turned around as Sam held out the sheet of paper. "Okay, the items on this list are what you need. The store is only a short walk from here, so I think we'll be fine till you get back. If Carly should see you, just tell her I forced you to run some errands."

"I'll do that."

"Thank you." Sam nodded and quickly hurried toward the door, eager to get the items needed for Freddie to get better. She didn't care what happened, she was going to nurse him back to health.

-NEW SCENE-

The next day, Sam was at her locker, she was planning to take Freddie his homework. He probably would be out for most of the week, so Sam was going to go ahead and request his teachers to give her his homework for the week. She closed the locker and started walking toward Freddie's first period class, fortunately she arrived early enough.

Once she made it to the door, she looked through the window and saw Carly talking to the teacher. Sam raised her eyebrow and glanced to the side, Carly didn't have class with the teacher. Most likely she was trying to get Freddie's homework and take it to him. Sam moaned and pressed her forehead to the door, she wasn't sure if she could deal with Carly right at the moment. Sam quickly pulled out her cell and dialed Jake's number. She knew he didn't know about her dating Freddie, but he still talked to her because she was one of Freddie's friends.

"Hello?" Jake asked. "I really should turn this off, since I'm not supposed to have it on while on the school campus…"

"Jake, can you distract Carly for me?" Sam asked as she pressed her back to the wall. "I need to do something and she's kind of keeping me from what I'm doing."

"Hah, you're actually doing work?" Sam rolled her eyes and smirked.

"Yes I'm doing work, and it's important for me to do. I just want you to distract Carly enough for me to complete it. Maybe until classes start…"

"Sure, I'll do that for you."

"Thanks Jake!" Sam hung up and started dialing several of her other friends, each one of them had Carly at least one time during class. The ones that had her in a class with Freddie, she wanted them to distract her from going to the teacher. Then after school was out, hopefully someone could keep her distracted also. It wasn't just because she wanted to get Freddie's homework, but if Carly entered the apartment, it would be obvious that Sam lived there. It was too risky to allow Carly to go there.

Sam hung up her phone and waited until Carly stepped out of the classroom. She glanced to the side and saw Jake walking down the hall, grinning. Carly looked over and smiled at him, but frowned when she remembered he was taken. That was fine to her, he wasn't like Freddie, so she could take it.

"Carly, how is it going?" Jake asked as he stepped next to her. "What are those in your hand, Freddie's homework? I'll take that to him for you."

"What? I was going to do that," Carly replied while looking at the stack she was holding.

"Well I am his friend and I wanted to check up on him later, so I was going to take his homework to him." Carly sighed and handed Jake the papers, it wasn't like she could say no to him.

"Hold on Jake, I need to go to my locker for a second." Jake nodded and Carly hurried toward the locker. He turned to Sam and smirked as he handed her the papers.

"I'm guessing this was what you're doing?" Sam blinked and took the papers from his hands.

"How did you know?"

"The second you hung up, I got a call from Freddie telling me that you were supposed to bring him his homework for the week."

"Oh." Sam blushed with slight embarrassment and chuckled nervously. "Yeah, sorry about that…"

"Hey, no problem, I'm just assuming his mom caught you before you could get away and forced you to be her errand boy…girl."

"Uh, yeah that's pretty much how it happened. I have to get moving, so I'll catch you around Jake." Jake nodded as Sam hurried off, he chuckled and started walking toward Carly's locker. He wasn't sure exactly why Sam didn't want Carly helping her, but at the same time, it didn't bother him much at all.

* * *

Poor Poor oblivious Jake. I hope you liked that chapter and hope you'll review, especially since I'm having one of those "writing burnouts" where it gets hard to write for a little bit. So I'm just updating what I have for now, which would be this story. I have quite a few chapters of this already written, lol. Stick around for the next chapter!


	31. Understanding Emily's Culture

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 31 (Understanding Emily's Culture)

Sam made her way back to the apartment, she didn't really want to spend time with Carly while Freddie was sick, but she was going to have to do that in order to avoid suspicion. She knew she would be in trouble if Carly saw her, but at the moment, she didn't really care. She knew she needed to see if Carly's opinion on arranged marriages was still the same, since after all, Tyrone Shay was probably giving her some bias.

She checked the hall to make sure Carly wasn't anywhere around, she needed to make sure not to be spotted. She opened the door and made her way inside, closing the door quickly and moving toward the kitchen where Emily was drinking some tea. She was leaning forward on the counter and staring ahead at the wall, she glanced over at Sam and smiled as she straightened up. Sam set her backpack on the counter and started to pull out Freddie's homework for the week.

"How is Freddie?" Sam asked as she set the papers on the counter.

"Freddie's not doing to well, he's still very sick," Emily replied while glancing at the papers. "That's a lot of papers, but I guess the teachers have a lot of work for the week." Sam stared at the papers and sighed, most of them were from a specific teacher.

"Yeah, most of his teachers have like one or two assignments for the week, but Mrs. Briggs has like a truckload." Emily laughed once and slowly shook her head.

"That's one rough teacher." Sam nodded and glanced over at one the wall above the cabinets, there used to be a photo next to it with the four of them. Emily saw her glance and took a sip of tea. "Anything pointing to the fact that you live here I moved into another room and locked the door. I did that because I'm pretty sure Carly will want to visit Freddie every now and then and see how he's doing."

"Oh, okay, that sounds like a good idea." She was going to actually suggest that, but it was fine since Emily thought of it already.

"Freddie doesn't have to do the homework now, does he?" Emily shook her head and Sam glanced over toward the toaster on the counter, it seemed to be in use. "Are you making some toast for him?"

"Yes. I would like for you to go ahead and feed him, get used to taking care of him when he's sick, you know." Sam nodded and walked over to the toaster, there was a plate sitting there and some yogurt on the side. She thought yogurt was a bad thing to feed to someone with food poisoning.

"Isn't yogurt bad?" Emily took a drink and shook her head.

"Generally you should take some probiotic supplements or eat yogurt with live cultures."

"What are those?" Emily stretched and crossed her leg over while leaning against the counter.

"Probiotics are live microorganisms that are beneficial for your body and can help prevent or treat symptoms caused by the harmful bacteria that cause food poisoning and other things. They are also praised for their ability to boost the immune system and prevent infections."

"Oh, uh…where would I find those things?"

" You can find these things in pills, however…" Emily smiled and pointed to the yogurt on the counter. "There are some yogurts that contain live cultures of it." Emily walked over to Sam and picked up the yogurt, showing her the label and pointing to it. "Brand-name yogurts that contain live cultures will usually specify it on a label and frozen yogurt stores tend to display such information on signs. It's good to remember to stay away from the kind that contains a lot of sugar, since it can irritate the stomach."

"I should be writing this down?" Emily laughed lightly and patted Sam on the back. "What? You're saying I don't have to take notes?"

"Sam, I think you can remember this stuff. Besides, you can always look up whatever you need to know." The toaster popped the bread out and Sam carefully put it on the plate. She stared at the yogurt and then at the bread, smiling as an idea came to mind.

"Can I try something original?"

"Go ahead." Sam smiled as she took a butter knife from the draw. She opened the yogurt and slipped the knife into it. Emily watched with a raised eyebrow as Sam spread the yogurt onto the toast. "Never seen that before."

"Well I know the toast is probably pretty dry and all, and since this yogurt is good for him, I think it will make it a little better. Then he has the Gatorade that he can drink. Speaking of which…" Sam looked around and grabbed a cup, she then walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of Gatorade. "We need some of this." Emily gave her a nod and watched as Sam poured the drink into the cup. "At this rate, I'm sure Freddie will be up in no time!" Sam placed the yogurt cup onto the plate and took the Gatorade in her other hand.

"You're a natural, I think Freddie's going to enjoy having you as his nurse." Sam blushed and Emily gave a slight laugh. "You're doing well."

"Can I ask a question?"

"Ask away." Sam picked up the items and looked toward Emily with a questionable look. There was one particular question she had in mind since the arranged marriage had been placed, but she never got around to asking. It was about the women's role in the arranged marriage, and she had done a lot of research about it.

"What is the wife's role? I mean, with all the research I've found about it, I think the woman is pretty much…not valued all that much." Emily frowned and gave a slight sigh, she thought it would come up.

"Just take the stuff to Freddie, then come out and we'll talk about it." Sam nodded and walked toward his bedroom. She opened the door and entered, smiling at Freddie. He opened the door and smiled back at her.

"Oh look, it's my all time favorite nurse." Sam blushed and took the plate toward him, she sat down in the chair next to him and made sure not to look into the bucket.

"I have food for you." Freddie sat up and looked at her.

"Thanks…you know, you don't _have_ to do this for me."

"I want to. Besides, you're bedridden, it's not like you can do this yourself." Freddie sighed and felt Sam place the bread at his mouth. "Eat it, and yes, that's yogurt on it." Freddie blinked and shrugged as he opened his mouth. Sam slipped the bread into his mouth and he took a bite. She set the bread on the plate and lifted up the Gatorade drink as he chewed and swallowed.

"Thanks, but seriously…I think you could just leave the plate…"

"Leave the plate and make you do this yourself? Yeah, I could do that, but I don't want to." Sam placed the drink at his lip and let him take a small sip from it. He was thankful for the liquid drink, but the yogurt did actually take away from the dry taste of the bread. "See, I can tell you're enjoying this, so to see you happy makes me happy. Therefore, I want to help you out here. I hope you're not feeling guilty about this or something, Freddie."

"Yeah, I guess I shouldn't feel guilty…" Sam smiled and lifted the bread to his mouth once more. Emily stepped in the doorway and leaned against the wall, watching the action closely, she had a small smile on her face. She knew Sam loved Freddie and hoped that she wasn't afraid of the culture. Given what people read when they research arranged marriage, it does tend to put the men on a pedestal. However, not all of the cultures made the women appear as though they were slaves, but it did dare to come close.

She watched as Sam continued to alternate between the bread and the drink, she knew Freddie seemed uncomfortable with it at first, but he seemed to be easing into the idea of Sam treating him in such a manner. "You know, Mrs. Briggs gave me hell when I tried to get the homework from her," Sam said while giving a soft chuckle. "I don't know why that lady doesn't like me." She smirked and Freddie rolled his eyes while giving Sam a smile. "Okay, so I've played a few pranks on her, tossed cartons of milk and eggshells on her car a couple times, but hey! I'm a very lovable girl!"

"Yeah, that's true, you are very lovable. I wouldn't have a clue why she doesn't like you, you're a very sweet and precious angel. I don't ever want to lose you." Sam smiled and placed the last piece of the bread to his lips, he took a bite of it and swallowed. "You know, I can't say I've ever had yogurt on bread before, and that right there was just perfect. You just wait, when you're sick and bedridden, I'm going to stay right by your side the entire time!"

"You don't have to do that…"

"But I will, because I want to do that for you." Sam smiled and gave Freddie a soft kiss on the forehead. "I love you, Sam."

"I love you too." Sam set the cup of Gatorade on the table and took the plate as she stood up. "I'm going to put this in the sink, I'll be back to check on you periodically." Freddie smiled and nodded as Sam started to walk out of the room, she saw Emily and smiled at her. Emily smiled back and walked out with Sam.

"Sam, come sit down," Emily said while gesturing for the couch. Sam nodded and walked over, setting the plate on the coffee table. She sat down on the couch and Sam sat next to her. "Okay…" She took a deep sigh and looked into Sam's eyes. "You wanted to know about the woman's role in arranged marriage. You're right, in other countries, the woman is required to take care of the man and often she can not speak out of turn. She is often required to just sit there and let the men do what the men wish to do. That can often be different when love is in place…"

"So, I don't really have much say?"

"It is in _some_ cultures, but not the Indian culture. Also, you love Freddie and he lets you have your say. He lets you do just about whatever you want. Also, in cases where the husband dies, the brother is required to marry the wife, but that's not the case in my family's culture it is a bit different. The father is usually supposed to negotiate, and often there may be cases where the wife is 'bought' or sold." Sam's eyes grew large and Emily crossed her arms over. "Usually there is no choice that the young people have, it is all the fathers. If the young _do_ have a choice, it is most often the man."

"So…I don't understand, you didn't follow the rules?" Emily raised her eyebrow and shrugged her shoulders.

"You don't see my husband around anywhere, but he wouldn't have followed that way either. We _are_ in America after all. When my family came over here, my great grandfather wanted to keep his culture entirely intact, but he realized that he couldn't. Therefore, he bent the traditional rules a bit. _Both_ young people and both families have to make the decision. Generally the parents are going to choose the mate, but we have to do plenty of research."

"So, ever since I moved in with you, I was one of the girls in Freddie's life that you were watching closely and researching?"

"Actually I made the decision to include you in the research back when you and Freddie first met. That was when I talked to your mom and she told me she wanted me to include you. Then I waited to see if Freddie was going to start dating, I would have been lenient and not chosen to deal with _right_ when he hit puberty, but he was already dating the person who was already the prime choice."

"Me?"

"Yes, that was you."

"Oh." Sam smiled and sighed, still slightly confused. "You asked us if that was okay, but does that mean you broke the rules and let us choose?" Emily shook her head and placed her hands in her lap.

"No, I still chose. However, if both you and Freddie said you didn't want that, then I would have gone for something else. Now it would be too late for you two to decide against it. I don't think you would, since I can see that you are starting to fall in love with one another."

"I do love him, Emily. I love him with all my heart." Emily smiled and nodded her head.

"I realize that. Listen, when you're in America, you still abide by the cultures of this country while at the same time abiding by the traditional cultures of our family. Freddie also realizes that. That means that he's got to practice chastity, love, honor, and all of the other things that a marriage needs. In some cultures, a man can buy another man's wife."

"What!" Sam's eyes widened in shock and fear, she couldn't believe it. Emily gave her a nod and sighed.

"Yes, but Freddie loves you, therefore he knows not to do that. Of course, in some cultures, a man can have various wives, or concubines as they call it. One, it is not my culture that does this. And two, you're in America, you will not be doing that. You see, all of these things that I'm telling you about are things that the Shays know but don't understand, and that is why they're against me. There is a lot of intolerance around, so there's not much you can do about it. Just remember, you're not meant to be Freddie's slave, you are meant to be his wife and lover. He knows this, and he knows that he's not a slave master but a husband and lover."

"So, you mean that even if I were angry at him for something or maybe I had my own opinion about something, I could still discuss it with him?"

"Of course, you can do that in a lot of cultures. I'm not saying every culture is the same, it's not. In fact, there are some cultures, not mine, where there is a 'blood test' so to speak."

"Do I want to know about it?" Emily sighed and took a sip of tea.

"The couple do not officially meet until they are married, and on the day they are to be wed, they are required to sleep with each other on a bed made of white sheets. In the morning, there must be blood from the wife. That will signal that she is a virgin." Sam blinked and tilted her head, listening with interest. "If there is blood, her family will be highly praised for her remaining clean. If there is no blood…she is regarded as a disgrace to her family and her family is disgraced as well. Then she is to not be trusted and will probably have a little trouble earning her husband's trust." Sam paled slightly and Emily took note of the evident fear. "Well we know you're a virgin, but at least you'll never have to go through that test. Besides that, you wouldn't be disgracing anyone here anyway."

"The man doesn't have to go through that?"

"No. The man could probably have had sex before and he wouldn't be disgracing anyone. As said, the woman would be required to stay by the man's side. She couldn't do much without his permission or say. Here, in America, I'm not going to practice that, obviously."

"Yeah, thanks for that one." Sam chuckled and Emily pat her on the shoulder.

"You and Freddie pretty much have a free relationship. The thing with you is that you have to love and obey each other _equally_. You can never part from one another and you will be married. I believe you will fall in love, and that's why I chose you. Love signals a happier marriage. Anyway, you can see why the ignorant people like Tyrone are so intolerant."

"Yeah, if only he would listen to you and hear what you had to say, then he might understand!"

"Yes, but he's old, he'll never really be willing to listen…hmm, normally we're supposed to respect our elders." Sam laughed and Emily gave her a small hug. "I hope you understand this better."

"Yeah, the things I do for Freddie are out of love and not because I _have_ to!"

"Exactly, and Freddie does the same thing. In some cultures, the man doesn't have to do crap for his wife but she has to do everything he wants."

"Wow. I'm glad I know you!" Emily chuckled and nodded her head. A rapid knock was at the door and she looked over.

"Ms. Benson, it's me! Carly! I'm here to see Freddie."

"Uh oh…Sam, go into your room, I'll tell you when you can come out." Sam nodded and hurried to her room as Emily walked toward the door. "I'm coming!"

* * *

I hope you liked this chapter. I must let you know, I had to do a research project in my College English class on Arranged Marraige, lol. It was this story that actually gave me the idea to do it.

**BY THE WAY**: **I have uploaded my original story onto fictionpress, you can find it under my usual penname. It's the same as it is here. The story is called Dilemma. Please check it out, and review it too por favor. **


	32. The Avenger

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 32 (The Avenger)

The next week came around, Freddie was much better and energetic. Sam had been by his side for the duration of his sickness, she was more than happy to do so. Jonah and Valerie had visited him while he was sick, and even Carly stopped by a few times. Jake came around too, but Stephanie generally kept him busy.

Freddie smirked and walked into Mrs. Briggs's classroom, she looked up and raised her eyebrow as he walked to her desk. He sat there and though for a minute, thinking about what he might say to her. She narrowed her eyes and tapped the desk, waiting for him to talk. She seemed to be growing annoyed with the second, Freddie was loving this. He crossed his arms as he sat on the edge of his desk, causing Mrs. Briggs to let out a growl and ponder why he was resting his ass on her desk. She grabbed a ruler and Freddie quickly took it from her hand.

"Mr. Benson, why are you resting your bosom on my desk!" Mrs. Briggs exclaimed. "Not only that, but what the hell are you thinking by taking my ruler from my hands." Freddie smirked and pushed himself off, he walked around her desk and leaned against the board on the wall while crossing his arms. "Freddie Benson, if you do not tell me what you're doing, then I'm going to give you detention…" She eyed his hands and saw a brown folder in his hands, she raised her eyebrow and Freddie tossed the folder onto the desk. "What the hell is this?"

"Open it," Freddie said while glancing at his hand for a brief second. She followed his instructions and gasped when she saw a bunch of pictures of her closet, along with them was proof of it all belonging to her. Freddie quickly swiped the folder away from her and glanced at it. "Wow, there seems to be a lot of Randy Jackson in this. I guess you must be a stalker, is that correct? You and your sweaty little ass, I don't believe we appreciated that one." Mrs. Briggs growled and glared at Freddie.

"What do you want?"

"Let's talk Sam."

"Hah!" Freddie raised his eyebrow and turned completely toward the teacher, glaring into her eyes.

"I have proof that you give her detentions and poor grades for a reason that is inappropriate to the field of teaching." She raised her eyebrow and Freddie coolly walked around her desk, she kept her eyes fixed upon him. "In fact, it was _in_ the Randy Jackson closet that I found it! It was the _one thing_ that wasn't related to that weird and crazy obsession of yours. Tell me, who is Alice Puckett?"

"How should I know?" Freddie sighed and opened the folder, he took out a picture of a letter from Mrs. Briggs to Alice Puckett.

"Let me read this!" She groaned and Freddie gazed at the photo. "Dear Alice, how are you? I can't believe we get to see each other again after a whole year! I got your last letter about Reggie, I'm so glad that you found someone who loves you so much. He sounds so romantic and so sweet! I'm glad to hear you two got married, it was a shame I missed the wedding. I always wanted to go to the wedding of my best friend, but it looks like I missed out. Well, I'll send you a letter later, bye. Sincerely, your best friend, Francine."

"Okay, so what!"

"How come this letter never sent!" Mrs. Briggs fumed and her eyes turned dark

"I loved Reggie. I wanted him. Yet, he wanted nothing to do with me. I wrote that letter, but I was still too furious that I couldn't have Reggie. So she married him and I was furious with her." Freddie blinked and slipped the photo back into the folder, it seemed like a dumb reason to give Sam low grades.

"You give Sam low grades because _your_ self esteem was so low since this Reggie guy married your best friend and not you? There are other men out there, Francine!"

"You may not call me-"

"I'll call you that if I want to, Briggs." Mrs. Briggs's mouth fell open and Freddie glared darkly at her. "Here's the deal, Mrs. Briggs. You start giving Sam the grades and treatment that she _deserves_ and I won't post these pictures of Randy Jackson on the school walls, I won't tell our resident editor Tareen about this, and I won't email Randy about his 'fan.'"

"Y-You can't do that…"

"Oh I can do it." Freddie leaned forward and stared into Mrs. Briggs's eyes. "Don't test me. What I'm doing here is actually perfectly legal, I've checked. You see, I'm not profiting out of this, and Sam did not request this. I'm simply asking you to give Sam what she deserves and I won't put these around the school. What do you say, Briggs? Might I also say, that I wasn't 'trespassing' on any intent of burglary, I was entering the nearest place that could have saved my life."

"What?"

"I'm extremely allergic to bees, Mrs. Briggs. If I were to get stung by a bee, then there is the possibility that I could die. Therefore, entering your home in order to save my life was perfectly fine." The teacher clenched her fists and growled, she knew she was losing the battle. Freddie smirked and crossed his arms. "Well, make your decision, Briggs. What's it going to be?" The teacher grumbled and opened a drawer, there was a stack of tests in there, she was going to hand them back to the class.

She searched through the papers and pulled out Sam's paper. It was perfectly clean, there were no red marks on it, signaling that Sam's paper had been checked and she had gotten all of the problems correct. Freddie tilted his head slightly and smiled as he raised his eyebrows. Mrs. Briggs grumbled as she took her red marker from her desk. On the top of the page was a large and red 'F' signaling that Sam had failed despite getting all the problems correct. "Oh yeah, you could get fired for this information, Mrs. Briggs. I could easily go to Principal Franklin about this. Guess what, I also recorded this conversation."

"What!" Freddie smirked as several students started to walk into the class. Mrs. Briggs grumbled and marked a large line on the side of the F, turning it into an 'A+' like it should have been. She wrote the number 100 on the top and drew a large circle around it. "Why am I doing this? This shouldn't be fair, only because of a disagreement between old friends."

"Of course, you're right, it is unfair. It is unfair to Sam that you should give her failing grades because you had that disagreement with her grandmother. A best friend should be supportive of their friend when that person meets someone they love, even if that person is the object of the other friend's affections. Meaning, you should have supported Alice for her marriage and love for Reggie Puckett rather than becoming a bitter old hag and failing their granddaughter!"

"Fine, I fixed the goddamn grade! Just as long as you don't put that stuff up, I'll be fine, right?"

"Sure…" Freddie closed his eyes and shrugged. "Your reputation will still be intact. However, I do recommend _trying_ to be nicer to everyone else rather than being a stuck up bitch that didn't get someone she loved because he was already taken by another. Stop taking your vengeance out on the students! It isn't their fault that you couldn't have him! Most likely it wasn't yours! Did you ever consider maybe he would have had to marry her for a reason and he fell in love with her? Did you ever consider that he loved her and not you? Why the hell should your students take blame for that? Why should Sam take blame for that?" Mrs. Briggs looked taken aback and quickly stood up.

"Is it even your place to talk like that?!" It was, but he wasn't about to tell her why. He wasn't going to admit the truth, she didn't need to know he loved Sam and was going to get married to her. That could be a problem.

"Yes it is, damn it!" All the students were sitting in their seats and watching Freddie and Mrs. Briggs with wide and surprised eyes. Both student and teacher did not realize anyone was watching, they were in their own world. "Because you had a dispute with your best friend over a man who didn't love you to begin with, you subject your students to your wrath and hate. They've done nothing to deserve it. Also, don't serve them the crap you call bagpipes, maybe you like them, but none of the students do!"

"It isn't my fault, it's theirs! They just don't know culture."

"What you're doing to the students is something that is illegal for teachers to do!" Both voices were rising at incredible levels, both were trying to win the other out. "Teachers are _not_ allowed to bring their personal lives to the classroom. They can, but it is not allowed to let the personal issues influence the way teachers grade their students. This test!" Freddie grabbed Sam's test and held it up. "Has _no_ wrong answers on it at all! Yet, you've attempted to fail it only because of your selfish, personal issues."

"Well I…uh…it's just…" Mrs. Briggs clenched her fists and Freddie knew immediately that he had won. He crossed his arms and his eyes narrowed while his smirk deepened.

"I have another surprise for you, Mrs. Briggs."

"Oh great, what could _that_ be?" Freddie pulled a small radio from his pocket and talked into it.

"Puckett, come in." Mrs. Briggs raised her eyebrow and looked toward the door. It opened and her eyes widened, an elderly woman with graying blonde hair stepped in. Mrs. Briggs couldn't believe who she was seeing, it was Alice. "Hello Granny Puckett."

"H-How the hell…"

"It wasn't easy." Freddie walked over to Alice and took her wrist, he carefully led her over to Mrs. Briggs's desk. "She was standing right out the door the entire time, she can't see very well. Not even Sam or her family really knew where she was…she was actually in a nursing home not far from her, and much forgotten." Mrs. Briggs's mouth shook as she walked over to her old friend, it was hard to believe that Alice was in a nursing home. Alice couldn't have been that old, if anything, Alice was at least seventy five.

"A-Alice, why are you in a nursing home? You were always so carefree and energetic, how did you get put into a home?" Alice stared at Mrs. Briggs with silent eyes, as though she was trying to remember her. "Y-You remember me, don't you? Francine…your…your best friend." Freddie sighed and crossed his arms.

"I wonder if she remembers you, you two haven't actually talked in fifty years. I know she remembered that hate filled letter you sent her. In fact, she has it posted on her wall and tells the nurses there to never remove it."

"Why, why would she keep it all these years? I don't understand, she would hate me too, wouldn't she?"

"Don't ask me, you're the one who is failing her granddaughter because of a dispute. I guess you know that Sam gets her side from Alice, the softer side. It seems Reggie wouldn't have been a man that would have benefited you"

"He didn't love me," Alice said in a quick voice. Mrs. Briggs appeared to be shocked at Alice's first words. "He said he did, but he didn't love me, Francine. He didn't love you either." Alice was looking past Francine, as if recalling a memory or a dream.

"What do you mean, how can you say that?" Mrs. Briggs asked while taking a step forward.

"He left me Francine, and he would have left you. I was pregnant."

"W-What do you mean?"

"I was pregnant with triplets and he left me. He left me for those gold mines and another woman. They committed a crime together and got put in jail. He's the reason my children are in jail. Dave, only Dave was a good boy. He was the only one that I never let visit his father."

"You're in luck, Briggs, she remembers," Freddie said in a quiet voice. "It comes back to her every now and then. Then after some time, she will forget. It seems she likes to forget, she _wants_ to forget. Forgetting eases her pain."

"W-What pain?" Mrs. Briggs asked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Why don't you still want to be my friend?" Alice asked. Her body shook, as did Mrs. Briggs. "Why did you hate me, Francine? He promised me that I would be happy. I wasn't happy. I lost my husband and I lost my best friend. Sam! My granddaughter…she's a good girl. She's an honest and a good girl. Why do you hate her? Why do you hate my own flesh and blood?"

"I-I didn't know…"

"I never stole him from you. I already had him. I wanted you to be happy, I wanted to help you find someone else who would make you happy." Freddie looked at Alice and frowned, he knew it was a painful memory for her. It was said that every night when she went to sleep, she would call out Francine's name and ask why it was Francine hated her and if she would forgive her.

"I think you could consider her to be slightly asleep right now," Freddie said in a quiet voice. Mrs. Briggs raised her eyebrow and looked toward him with confusion. "It's the only time she remembers you. Of course, selective remembering. She doesn't want to remember the pain of you hating her, she doesn't want to remember her best friend leaving her only because of some asshole who left her shortly after. This is what her pain has reduced her to. I suspect if she didn't have that pain and depression for most of her life, she would be as happy and energetic as ever in her old age. Just like you, full of energy and capability to take care of herself."

"You can't mean…this is my fault?" Mrs. Briggs asked.

"Fifty years," Alice said while lifting her hand up. "Fifty years I didn't want to remember, but I remembered. Fifty years, the pain disabled me. I didn't want you to think I stole him from you, Francine. I didn't steal him from you, honestly I didn't. You were my best friend, I could never steal a man away from you. I'm sorry Francine, honestly I am." Mrs. Briggs had tears in her eyes, she couldn't be mad at Alice, it was impossible.

"Alice, I'm not mad at you. Honestly! I could never be mad at you. I was just…"

"All these children, why do they suffer because of us? Aren't we supposed to be role models for the newer generation? Why do they fight and pick up the pieces of our battles?"

"No, you're right, you're right. I'm sorry Alice, I'm not mad at you, I forgive you!"

"Why do I have to feel so cold? I haven't felt warmth in years." Alice was still looking past Mrs. Briggs, it was as though she wasn't really there. "Please forgive me."

"I forgive you. It was just a silly crush, really. It wasn't any reason to be mad at you. I'm sorry!"

"Francine, how many years can hate last? Why must you hold a grudge? Why must you place your hate on the children?"

"I said I forgive you…" Freddie crossed his arms and the class continued to stare with a baffled look in their eyes. They were still stunned by what was going on.

"Dave was a good boy, you would have loved him. The others are not so great, it was a shame, I lost Dave…"

"No, you didn't lose everything. You…You still have me." Mrs. Briggs wrapped her arms around Alice and pulled her into a hug, giving a tearful sob. Alice blinked once and turned her head to look at Mrs. Briggs.

"Francine?"

"Alice, I'm sorry. I know I was wrong. Please, don't blame yourself, you weren't at fault. Forgive me."

"You forgive me, Francine?"

"I just told you, you're not at fault. I was the one being stubborn."

"Then, we're still friends, Francine?"

"Yes, yes, we're best friends. We always were." For the first time, Alice smiled and wrapped her arms around Mrs. Briggs. She closed her eyes and tears ran down her cheeks.

"What will happen to my granddaughter, and the other students? My granddaughter, I want her to be happy."

"No, I won't be cruel to them, they didn't do anything to deserve it. Sam will get the grades she deserves, I promise."

"My granddaughter has found her one, the one that will make her happy and treat her right, I feel as though she has." Freddie couldn't help but to smile, fortunately nobody saw the smile. "I'm happy for her. Do I deserve to be happy?"

"Yes. Yes, more than anything you deserve happiness. Sam is doing well, I'm sure of it. She even has a webshow with two great friends. Be happy, Alice."

"Then I will be, and I can die happy." Freddie looked up at the clock and back to Alice.

"Alice, it's time to get you back to the home," Freddie said quietly while patting her back. He sighed and looked over at Mrs. Briggs. "Keep in mind the things I said earlier." Mrs. Briggs nodded as Freddie took Alice's arm and carefully led her out of the room. Mrs. Briggs then sat in her seat as the class stared with stunned and confused eyes.

"What the hell just happened?" Jeremy asked while raising his eyebrow. A brunette girl to his left sighed and smiled.

"Freddie…he's so dreamy."

"Yeah, and you think you're going to get him, Shannon?" Rueben asked while scoffing.

"Yes!" Rueben rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever."

* * *

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Also, Merry Christmas!


	33. Role Play: Planning Valerie

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 33 (Planning the Role Play: Valerie)

"I can't believe you actually did that," Sam said as she and Freddie sat on a park bench. They were on another date and Freddie was setting up the blanket for a picnic. He spread the blanket out as Sam watched, she had heard of what Freddie had done. "You figured out where my grandmother was as well, I didn't even know where she was…"

"I had to do it," he replied. "Mrs. Briggs was treating everyone unfairly because of a dispute between her best friend, so I decided to take matters into my own hands." He didn't want to say that it seemed very familiar to him, he was hoping that Sam and Carly wouldn't end up getting into a fight about him. Of course, Carly could end up taking it harder than Mrs. Briggs, she had the power at her disposal to do worse than Mrs. Briggs could ever have done. Hell, she could even get her grandfather to tear them apart.

"I know, but you still didn't have to, but I'm glad you did." Sam smiled and got up to help Freddie put the food items on the blanket. She and Freddie sat down on the blanket and looked at the food that was in place. "It looks good, that's for sure." Freddie smiled and nodded his head. They were in a nice part of the park that was secluded from the majority of the park. They had their own private section, so no one was going to get in their way. "Freddie, I just want to say thanks."

"Hey, I'm glad to do it." Freddie looked at Sam and smiled, she was glancing slightly down toward the blanket. He lifted his hand to her face and gently caressed it, she lifted her eyes and smiled when she met his gaze. "All of the students she has, but mostly you, deserve better grades. You would get in trouble for nothing sometimes, so I had to do something for my beautiful Angel." Freddie smiled at her as the wind blew across both of them. Sam took his hand and kissed it, she had to admit that she loved him even more because of what he did.

"I'm just surprised, because I never new you were ever going to try to do something like that, and all for me."

"Why wouldn't I?" He gazed at her and she gazed back in return, not a word was spoken. Sam knew she had a great man in him and he knew that she would always belong to his, therefore he was always going to try and do the things that made her happy. He leaned forward and placed his hand behind her neck as he kissed her lips.

"Freddie…" She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed as she fell backwards and landed on the blanket. He placed his hands beside her and lowered his body to barely rest onto hers. As they kissed they could feel the wind blowing against them. Sam lowered her hands to rest on Freddie's back as she start to arch upwards. She rested back on the ground as the kiss deepened. Freddie felt his body lower slightly as he closed his eyes. His hands slid toward Sam's body and he let a moan escape into his mouth. His hip lowered and touched hers, and his eyes instantly flew open. He stopped and parted lips. "Why did you stop now?"

He looked down at her, her lips appeared beautifully puffed and tempting. Her eyes quivered with beauty as she gazed up at him. Her hair was sprawled out underneath her, it appeared as the perfect bed for her head. He made it an effort to not glance downward, since that would be far too tempting for him. She tilted her head slightly and Freddie gave her a soft smile. "If I did not stop there, then I would not be able to stop."

"I appreciate that, Freddie." Freddie smiled at her and sat up. Sam rolled onto her front and took a cherry from a bowl of cherries. "I was thinking, we should talk to Valerie about role playing as your girlfriend." Freddie raised his eyebrow as Sam took a bite of the cherry. "It would be fun, and people would figure that we're not dating if they think you have a girlfriend." Freddie tapped his chin lightly and shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess it wouldn't be too bad, as long as it was role playing. We might want to talk to Jonah about it, because it is his girlfriend." Sam nodded in response and looked over as Freddie lay on his back, gazing up at the clouds. He placed his hands behind his head and gave a soft sigh. Sam smiled and moved toward him, curling next to him and placing his arm on his chest. She kissed his cheek and looked up at the clouds. "You know what, Sam? I think this is great. Just you and I looking up at those clouds. It sure is a relaxing sight. You know, I'm thinking you're from up there. You've come down and you're just the sweetest angel ever."

"Aw…shut up…" Sam blushed and Freddie gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead and slipped his arm underneath her waist. She smiled and curled slightly, slowly she closed her eyelids and drifted to sleep.

_"I can't believe you!" Carly shouted as the flames surrounded them. "You knew I liked him!" Sam winced as Carly yelled at her, she sank back and Carly continued to glare angrily at her. "I hate you! You don't deserve him, what did you ever do to deserve him?" She felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and hold her close.  
_

_"Quit shouting at her, you know nothing," Freddie said in an angry whisper. Carly huffed and turned around to face Spencer._

_"Spencer, where is Grandpa?" Sam gasped as Tyrone Shay stepped forward. He growled and glared at Sam and Freddie._

_"This kind of thing can't happen in America," Tyrone exclaimed. "I won't allow it to happen in this city." _

_"No!" Sam shouted. She felt Tyrone start trying to rip Freddie away from her. "No! Freddie! NO!"_

"Sam. Sam? Sam!" Sam opened her eyes and found Freddie looking at her with concern. "Sam, you're okay. I'm right here, nothing's happening."

"Freddie…" Sam whimpered once and Freddie held her close. "We can never tell Carly, never. We can't ever tell her, because I'm afraid…I'm really afraid."

"Don't worry, I won't allow anything to happen. Jonah and Valerie are with us, as well as Mom. We're safe." Sam nodded and huddled close to his chest, she seemed to be afraid of Carly.

"I know Carly's a great friend, and she really is, but…did I tell you that once before I had a dream that I told her about you and me when we first learned she had a crush on you and she said you weren't my type. She tried to take you away from me."

"These are nightmares, just fears that will not happen. Its okay, Sam. You're safe from any possible harm. I will protect you." Sam smiled as he held her tighter, he was her knight in shining armor, and he would always keep her safe. She closed her eyes and her dream returned to her.

_"Back off!" Jonah said as he gripped Tyrone and pulled him away. Valerie growled and stepped in front of Sam and Freddie, glaring at Tyrone._

_"Yeah, leave our friends alone!" Valerie ordered. Emily stepped next to the group and stared the others down. With that, Tyrone and the mob backed away, not wanting anything to happen. Carly made a dejected face and slowly left. Though she was glaring at Tyrone with bitter hate.  
_

Sam opened her eyes and sighed, she wondered what the dream was about anyway. She knew Carly was a good friend who would never dream of hurting her, but then, she couldn't be sure. She looked over to see Freddie smiling at her.

"Hey there sleeping beauty, I just got off the phone with Jonah," Freddie said while giving a small smirk. "He says to meet them in about an hour."

"Cool."

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie, Sam, Jonah and Valerie sat on the porch patio behind Valerie's home, they were discussing the possibility of role playing. Jonah didn't seem to mind, since it was only role playing and not real. Freddie and Sam also offered to let Jonah have a shot at it some time, he said he'd consider it. Currently, they were going to start setting up rules. They knew Valerie had a basement and she and Jonah were starting up a webshow of their own, so Freddie decided to use that to an advantage.

"How about you role play as if you're trying to use me," Freddie said while crossing his arms and smirking. "That right there would also give a good reason for the inevitable break up to occur." Valerie tapped her chin in thought as Sam raised her eyebrow. It really didn't seem like all that of a bad idea. "Perhaps people will see one thing and think something big is happening. For example, what if people thought a catfight was about to happen between you and Sam?"

"Do you think it would be believable?" Valerie asked while tilting her head slightly.

"To some, yes. To others, no. I mean, some people know you two are close friends while some don't really have the slightest clue. Carly's doesn't really even know if you're friends, despite the fact that Sam used your name when taking once." Sam nodded in response and Valerie raised her eyebrow. "Either way, you don't have to get into a fight or anything, but it might make it interesting."

"Yeah, a play fight or even looking like it would be fun to do."

"I guess I just sit in the sidelines till this all blows over," Jonah said.

"Yeah, pretty much," Sam replied. "There's not a lot for you to do in the role play. Both you and Freddie would most likely just sit back and watch. However, we want to make the girlfriend part of it believable." Jonah and Freddie raised their eyebrows and Valerie glanced over at Sam with an odd look. How could they possibly make it believable like that. "I don't mean like what girlfriends and boyfriends do with each other, but something needs to happen to make it believable. Like, maybe you guys would go on an actual date…also, I think maybe a cheek kiss would be okay."

"You want _me_ to kiss your boyfriend on the cheek?" Valerie asked while staring at Sam with a baffled look. "Let me restate that. You don't even want Carly coming close to Freddie, and here you're asking _me_ to kiss your man on the cheek."

"Well it's role play for one thing, I know it isn't real. I would be comfortable knowing that it doesn't mean anything. When Carly does it, then it means something, and I don't like that. You don't have to do it though, it's just a thought. It would definitely make the whole thing believable. If you don't mind, I might monitor your date." Sam smiled innocently and Valerie laughed.

"Girl, I wouldn't have it any other way. It makes it fun, and also fair. Also, you can easily tell us if there is a foul and whether I shouldn't do something in the role play. He's your man, so I wouldn't want to do anything that would be wrong. I imagine Jonah will probably monitor Freddie as well." Jonah gave a nod and Freddie smirked in agreement. "So far, it sounds fun, especially since a lot of people will not know it is faked."

"Not only that, if Freddie gets a girlfriend, all suspicions of he and I dating will pretty much be put aside."

"Just one question."

"What?"

"What about Jake? He knows that I am Jonah's girlfriend."

"Don't worry, we can explain to him that you two aren't really together," Jonah said while crossing his arms. "We'll think of something that is believable enough. You just leave that to us, and you girls have fun in your role play."

"I'm involved in the role play too," Freddie stated. "I guess we'll just have to see how this goes."

"It should be pretty interesting. You might make a believable reason why you and Valerie become friends, also."

"I don't think Carly will care that much," Sam said in a quiet voice. "I mean, its Carly…I'm not even sure what'll happen, to be honest." She hoped Carly wouldn't display any signs of jealousy, but if she did, then there wasn't anything to do about that. She actually tried not to act jealous when Carly liked Freddie, but it was hard enough. She couldn't help but to have her jealousy flare up whenever Carly talked about Freddie. She always did try her best to remain calm. "At least this is one girl I can deal with." Valerie smiled and gave Sam a comforting hug.

"You know, I don't mind if you vent some of that anger and jealousy on me while we're role playing." Sam raised her eyebrow and shook her head.

"I couldn't do that, I don't want to subject you to something that serious."

"I'll be fine, because I know you're not really yelling at me." Jonah and Freddie looked at their girlfriends and sighed.

"It's really up to you girls," Freddie said as he walked over toward Sam. "I say it'll be good for relieving aggressions, but at the same time, remember that Valerie is not Carly."

"Right, well it's not like I could really do anything to Carly," Sam said while giving a soft smile. "She's my best friend, I love her like a sister." The others nodded and decided to rest, they would have a day or two to actually prepare for the role play.

* * *

Now the role play for Valerie begins, be prepared.


	34. Role Play: First Date

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 34 (Role Play: The First Date)

The day came where the role play would begin, Freddie was taping the girls as they attempted to play the guitars. Both Freddie and Sam were extremely excited and Carly was extremely unaware. Everyone and everything was in place, including Emily, who was going to try and be crazy if she could. Sam and Carly introduced what they called the Blab Cam and Freddie first chose some dude from Poland.

They couldn't understand much of what the guy was saying, other than he was really excited and was screaming for his mom and dad. They could assume he was telling them that he was actually on iCarly and that it was the most exciting time of his life. Carly chuckled and Sam smirked as they turned toward Freddie and requested that he try someone from this country. Freddie held a slight smirk as he looked at the camera, searching for Valerie's name to come up on the list.

"Hey, there's a girl in Seattle named Valerie," Freddie said in a quick voice. He clicked on her name and Valerie soon appeared on the screen, she was holding a round pink stuffed animal in her arms. Sam smiled as Valerie introduced herself.

"What's up, girl," Sam said while giving a small smile.

"Hey you guys, I'm Valerie. A longtime viewer, first blab cam user. I just love iCarly!"

"Awesome!" Carly said in a happy voice. "You look kind of familiar, have we seen you before?" Valerie blinked and quickly nodded her head in response.

"Yeah, I go to the same school as you guys, but I'm a grade higher." Valerie shifted her eyes to the side and saw Jonah making a funny face at her, obviously trying to get her to laugh. She couldn't say it was a foul, since that would be telling Carly something was up. Either way, the guy needed to stop making funny faces. _"Our men are just too funny, but we love them all the same."_ Valerie sighed and smiled. "Hey, is Freddie there?"

"Why would a girl _want_ to see Freddie?" Sam asked in a slight chuckling voice. Freddie clicked his camera button and stepped up next to Sam, waving.

"Hey Valerie," Freddie stated. Valerie smiled and continued with the lines practiced. It would still be a bit rough for her, and of course it would be difficult for Sam.

"Hey, can I just say you're really cute." Sam was unaffected by this, knowing full well it wasn't meaning anything coming from Valerie. She immediately shifted her mind to thinking Carly was talking to Freddie, but then calmed the intensity.

"Hey Valerie, I think you might want to check the webcam or your brain, cause I think one of them is malfunctioning!" Sam said in a quick voice.

"Sam!" Carly scolded. Valerie raised her eyebrows and Sam merely shrugged. Carly sighed and looked toward Freddie, forgetting her crush for a second and thinking about the possibility of Freddie being happy, she could ask him out later when he was less obsessive. _"Maybe having a girlfriend will make him less pushy."_ She smiled and looked at Valerie. "Hey Valerie, if you think Freddie's so cute, why don't you go on a date with him!" Sam hadn't expected that one, and apparently neither was Valerie, since her eyes appeared to be shocked.

"Yeah! It's a new feature on iCarly that we like to call: Date the dork!" Sam rubbed Freddie's stomach and laughed. "So, what do you say, Val?"

"Well, I _don't_ think Freddie's a dork and I'd love to go on a date with him!" Freddie made a gasping sound and quickly turned to Carly.

"You won't be jealous?" Freddie asked.

"I'll try to be strong," Carly responded. She was actually being genuine in wanting to be strong, Freddie actually didn't care. Valerie and Sam raised their eyebrow and Freddie gave a slight shudder.

"Okay Val, just send Freddie the address of the mental institution you're locked up at and he'll meet you there!" Sam said in a quick voice. _"Even though I'm more apt to think Carly's the one locked up in a mental institution."_ Valerie gave a laugh and Freddie walked back to the camera as the girls said goodbye. Once they finished up with iCarly, the group left the studio and made their way to the kitchen. Spencer had set half a watermelon on the table, so they quickly grabbed some silverware and made their way to the melon. Once at the table, Sam looked at Freddie and raised her eyebrow. "So, are you going to kiss her?"

"I'm not even sure I should take her out," Freddie said in an honest voice. Sam sighed and stuck her fork into the watermelon.

"Take the girl out, kiss her, and then step back before she pukes." Freddie smirked and raised his eyebrow, he would like to see how well that statement fared, especially since Sam never puked when he kissed her. A rapid knocking was heard at the door, so Carly decided to go and answer it. Before she could even get to the door, Emily walked in with some folded clothes.

"Uh, come in," Carly said in an awkward voice. _"I didn't even say she could come in and she did."_

"I can't believe it's finally happened!" Emily said in as much of a happy and excited voice as she could muster. "You're finally going on your first date."

"Mom," Freddie said in a complaining tone of voice.

"And with a girl!"

"Mom!" Sam couldn't help but snicker at the statement, but at the same time, she wondered what that was supposed to mean. After all, she was a girl, was she not? Then again, they were supposed to be pretending Valerie was Freddie's first girlfriend.

"We're _all_ in shock!" Sam said in a faux surprised voice. Carly chuckled lightly and looked toward Emily. Though she had to admit, with Emily's culture, Carly was surprised that Mrs. Benson wanted Freddie going on a date. From what her grandfather told her, that wasn't allowed.

"How did you know about the date?" Carly asked.

"I was watching iCarly online. I watch it because I'm worried about your posture, Freddie. It seems _someone_ forgot about our little rule!" Freddie sighed when he realized how much of a victim he was playing in this role play game, perhaps he should have thought this through.

"What rule?" Sam asked.

"Just skip it, okay!" Freddie stated. He knew the rule, as Sam was the one that made it up and told Emily about it, then told Freddie.

"Freddie, tell her the rule about standing up straight!"

"Fine…" Freddie sighed and looked to Sam, he then shook his head and made a slight groaning sound. "You won't get respect if your back is not erect." Sam spit out her food and started to laugh, Carly laughed as well. Of course, Sam's laugh was for the sake of role play, she wasn't sure why Carly was laughing.

"I've already got your clothes picked out for your date," Emily said while setting the clothes on the counter. Freddie sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I'm not even sure if I'm _going_ on this date!" Freddie stated. He could have done without Emily's part of the role play, but they needed to include her, since the role play would make people thing the date was serious. If she was included, she would know that Freddie wasn't actually dating another girl while he was supposed to be getting married to Sam.

"You're going," Sam and Carly said at the same time.

"Freddie, there is a living, breathing girl out there who wants to go on a date with you," Emily said while staring at her son. "This may never happen again!" She then looked to Carly and gave her a look of hopefulness. "Unless, Carly changes her mind…" She walked over to Carly and the girl just shrugged.

"Me and Freddie are just buds," Carly stated. _"At least until he learns to stop being so dang pushy, I would feel like I'm dating a stalker!"_

"I totally understand." Emily placed her hand on Carly's shoulder then tightened. "Why won't you love my son!" She then gasped and Carly jumped.

"Mom!" Freddie shouted.

"I've already got this whole date planned out." Emily smiled and her genius started to show. "First I'm going to cook a fat free dinner, and then we're going to look at baby pictures. Freddie has the cutest little baby butt!" Freddie groaned and Sam's eyebrows rose, she actually had _never_ seen his baby pictures. Carly and Sam both laughed and Sam put a smirk on her face.

"Okay, I'll give you a thousand dollars for one picture of Freddie's butt!" Sam said in a slightly giddy voice. Freddie rolled his eyes and sighed as Emily smiled. He knew Sam was actually going to start looking at his baby pictures. He looked toward Carly and thumbed toward his mom, so Carly stood up and looked at Emily.

"Um, Ms. Benson, we already agreed to have Freddie have his date here," Carly said quickly. Emily appeared confused and slightly taken aback.

"Why here?" Emily asked.

"Well because Spencer agreed to make his special spaghetti tacos." Everyone stared at Carly in concern and slight disgust. "What? Noodles can't live happily in a hard corn shell?"

_"Okay, if I wasn't before, I'm officially freaked out by Carly now,"_ Freddie thought while slowly shaking his head.

-NEW SCENE-

The next day was the date, Freddie and Valerie had to memorize a script that everyone drafted, because it would be far too awkward to do it without one. The one thing Valerie hated was that she had to wear all pink. Well, the color was fuchsia, but she still hated it. Yet for the personality she was role playing as, she needed to wear as much of that color as possible. Freddie had to survive a bout with his mom acting crazy and attempting to fluff his hair, the girls really did get a kick out of that. Sam had to admire how well Emily could act and make it seem so believable.

Freddie walked over to the table as Spencer brought a couple plates over, he had to put on a nervous appearance. That wasn't too hard, since he really was a bit nervous about the whole thing, but it would be okay. "Hey man, are you nervous?" Spencer asked. "You looking for some first date advice?" Freddie didn't need any of that, but he nodded anyway as he sat down. Spencer sat down and chuckled. "Well, first off, you can appear mysterious and all by staring into her eyes. Doing that will just hypnotize her!"

"Heh, I don't really think that works." He didn't think it worked, but then Sam usually did fall into a trance whenever he gazed into her eyes. Spencer was trying the trick as Freddie was looking at him. "Besides, if I do that, won't she just think…won't she just…" He fell into a bit of a trance and Spencer smirked at him.

"What doesn't really work?" Freddie snapped out of it as Carly and Sam made it down the stairs, they were holding some cooler looking clothes for him to wear. Freddie smiled and got up, but heard the doorbell. He hurried over and glanced through the peephole.

"It's Valerie!"

"Quick, Sam stall her!" Carly said as she gestured toward the door. "Freddie, let's get these clothes on you."

_"Why can't you stall her? And don't use clothes and my fiancé in the same sentence!"_ Sam thought as she walked toward the door. She opened the door and smiled at Valerie, Valerie smiled back. "Hey Valerie, how's it going?"

"I'm doing well. Is Freddie here? Because I've been thinking…" Sam slammed the door shut and Valerie gave a chuckling sigh, she had expected that. After all, Sam pretending Valerie was Carly, it made sense.

"Sam!" Carly exclaimed.

"What?" Sam asked as she shrugged her shoulders. "I stalled her, I slammed the door right in her face." Carly and Freddie moved down slightly and she put his jacket on him.

"Okay, how do I look?" Freddie asked. Sam smirked and looked at him.

"Well…"

"Sam!" Carly scolded. Sam was slightly taken aback, she thought Freddie looked great, but she always thought he looked great. It was when Carly started to fix Freddie's jacket and then go after his hair that Sam began to get uneasy.

_"No, stop that Carly. He's going to get mad…"_ It was no secret to Sam that Freddie did _not_ want Carly touching him, and he would get upset if she did.

"Carly! Stop touching my hair!" Freddie said as he lifted his hands. He refrained from shoving her, but he was getting very close to doing that. Carly continued to mess with his hair and Sam took a deep breath. "STOP!" Carly immediately stopped and Freddie exhaled. "Thank you!"

"Come on Sam, let's go upstairs," Carly said while hurrying toward the stairs. Sam gave Freddie a look and smiled at him as she headed toward the stairs. He smiled back and walked to the door, opening it to see Valerie still standing there.

"Hey."

"You're not going to slam the door in my face, are you?" Valerie asked. It was somewhat of a sincere question, since when Sam did it, it kind of rattled her a bit. Freddie chuckled and shook his head. "I'm thinking that she thought I was Carly, but went softer since I wasn't Carly…"

"Yeah, probably. Can you imagine what would happen if you _had_ been Carly?" Freddie laughed lightly and gestured inside. "Come in." Valerie stepped inside and sighed, trying to remember the lines that she and Freddie had memorized.

Upstairs, Sam was messing with the equipment on the laptop so she could get a view of Freddie and Valerie. Carly walked over and asked Sam what she was doing, to this, she replied that she set up a webcam and aimed it at the table. Carly's eyes widened and she glanced at Sam. "But that's _spying_, we can't spy on Freddie when he's on his first date!"

"Sure we can, Carly," Sam stated as she moved from the computer and to a beanbag, watching the screen with interest. Carly sighed and walked over to her own beanbag. She crossed her arms as the two watched Freddie and Valerie start talking. _"Come on you guys, you can do this."_

"We are bad people." Sam ignored it and listened as Freddie attempted to make the scripted joke.

"So the rabbi says to the nurse, why even have a three chip high def camcorder if you can't calibrate the white balance!" Yes, even he knew it was a lame joke, but for the sake of role play, he and Valerie both laughed at it.

"You know, I've never met anyone that knows so much about audio and tech equipment as you."

"Well nobody knows audio like I do."

"So who comes up with all the great stuff? It looks so cool online."

"That would be me." As far as Valerie's own webshow was going, Jonah was going to be her tech producer. Freddie was teaching him all the stuff. She wanted a co star, but she really wasn't sure where to find one. Sam had told her that if something should happen and Carly finds out that she and Freddie are dating and gets mad enough to cut off the friendship, she'd shoot for being the co star. They hoped that it would not be the case.

* * *

Hope this was a good chapter, drop a review.


	35. Role Play: The Downfall of iCarly

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 35 (Role Play: The Downfall of iCarly)

The following week went by pretty well, any excuse Freddie and Sam had to go on a date was used as Freddie going on a date with Valerie. Of course, they couldn't really go anywhere that people knew them because of the fact that it would look like they were having an affair, and that wouldn't be a good thing to get caught up on.

Anytime Freddie talked about Valerie in reference to dating, it was usually when he was talking about what he and Sam had done. So far, he and Sam went to the picnic. He and Sam went to the amusement park, they went to an archery class together, and several other things. They were pretty much free for the time being. Sam was going to enjoy when it would come her turn to not have to be so private about her dates. After all, it was always nice to share these kinds of things with friends.

Sam, Freddie, Valerie, and Jonah all met behind the school, they were discussing what had to happen today. It would be about Valerie's webshow, only it was actually going to be done on Tuesday nights, that fact wasn't known to Carly or anyone else. She had to appear to talk Freddie into shooting her webshow on Thursday nights. Only, that wasn't the hard part. The hard part was how they were supposed to seal the deal. She had to give him a kiss on the cheek, and he had to appear dazed. They knew he'd be asked if he kissed her, and he knew he had kissed Sam quite often in the duration of the week, so he could answer yes.

"Okay, listen, it's just the cheek," Sam said while placing a hand on Freddie's shoulder. "Also, it's coming from Valerie who is also dating Jonah, it won't mean a thing. We want someone to see, of course everyone in the hall is going to see the whole transaction, so that'll be good. If you're still uncomfortable, we can not do the whole kissing thing. Don't spare my feelings, though. I know it's not real."

"Okay, I'm fine with it," Freddie said in a quiet voice. Valerie gave a brief nod and looked toward the school, they should be heading in. "Let's go inside, and everyone to your places."

"Let's do this." The couples parted from that spot. Freddie and Sam entered the school to find Carly. They smiled at her as they walked toward the locker.

"So Freddie, you've been dating Valerie all week?" Carly asked. Freddie smirked and placed his hands in his pocket.

"Yep, I've dated Valerie every night of the week so far. In fact, I'd say we're almost officially boyfriend and girlfriend." He had to stop himself from saying fiancé, since Sam was the one running in his mind at the moment. Sam smirked and turned toward Freddie.

"So which one are you?" He rolled his eyes and Carly smiled.

"So have you kissed her yet?" Carly asked in an interested voice. Sam nearly choked at Carly's question, Freddie wasn't too comfortable with it either. He thought of his days with Sam and smirked.

Maybe, a little," Freddie replied.

"No way! Did she puke?" Sam asked in a quick and energetic voice. Freddie had to refrain from laughing, since he knew Sam never puked when it came to his kisses.

"Was it this kind of kiss?" Carly asked as she did a quick peck in the air. Sam paled slightly and looked toward Carly, feeling her heart starting to pound. "Or was it like this?" Carly bent slightly and started doing rapid kisses in the air. A very faint and tiny whisper pleading to stop escaped Sam's throat, but it was unheard. Freddie could tell the scene was starting to bother her, so he was about to change the topic when he heard Jeremy sneeze.

"Hey Jeremy," Sam said, her voice cracking very slightly.

"You still have that cold, huh?" Carly asked. Jeremy nodded and looked toward Freddie.

"Hey Freddie, are you coming to the computer expo this weekend?" Jeremy asked.

"No," he replied. "I'm going roller skating with S-Valerie." Sam rolled her eyes and smiled at Freddie's near mess up, at least he caught himself.

"Oh, well then maybe we could-" Jeremy started sneezing and coughing once more, he groaned and held his neck while walking away.

"I don't think I've ever seen that kid without a cold," Carly said while giving a slight laugh. Freddie sighed and walked over to where Valerie's locker was, now came the hard part for both of them.

"Hey Valerie."

"Hey J-Freddie," Valerie said while giving a nervous chuckle. She smiled and leaned against the locker. "Anyway, I was thinking about all that stuff you told me about the webshow, and I was thinking of starting one."

"Oh yeah? Well you should, it's a lot of fun." Freddie and Valerie knew they were being watched by Sam and Carly, their main concern was Sam. _"All in the act of role playing._"

"I would, but I don't know anything about all that techie stuff and I need someone to help me, do you think you could do it?"

"You mean you and me do a webshow together?"

"Yeah. We could start tomorrow night!" Freddie stopped and frowned, that couldn't work out well.

"But, tomorrow night is when I do iCarly."

"Oh…" Valerie put on the best dejected look that she could as she pressed her fingers together.

"Well, I can help you any other night!" Of course, the even harder part came, it never could grow easier. Valerie had to act like a total bitch, and she wasn't too fond of that.

"That's okay, I really want to do it tomorrow night."

"I know, but Carly and Sam are my friends, I can't just bail on them." Valerie shifted her body to the side slightly and sighed.

_"Here I go."_ Valerie raised her eyebrow and shook her head. "From what you told me, Sam isn't your friend." Freddie sighed and frowned as Valerie continued. "You told me she's always calling you names and putting you down."

"I know, but she can't help it, she's just naturally vicious." They could see the people looking at them, so they knew they had to keep it up.

"And doesn't she always call you a button pushing monkey and that you're not important to the show?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Whatever, don't worry about it. I can always find someone else to help me." Valerie closed the locker door and started to walk away, stopping when Freddie told her to wait.

"I guess…I guess Carly and Sam can find another tech producer." Both he and Valerie gulped, this was going to be the harder part, and Sam was watching from nearby.

"Aw, that's my…Freddie…bear." Valerie thought of Jonah and Freddie thought of Sam, allowing her to walk to him and give him a quick peck on the cheek. She turned around and walked away as Jeremy walked to Freddie.

"Whoa, she kissed you," Jeremy said with a shocked tone of voice. "And she's not even your mom! Impressive."

_"And now I want to make out with Sam,"_ Freddie thought while starting to walk away. No doubt Valerie was thinking the same thing about Jonah.

-NEW SCENE-

Sam walked into the apartment and saw Freddie, she was going to praise him for a job well done. "Hey Freddie, I thought you did great earlier today," Sam said while smiling. "It looked so real too, but I'm glad it wasn't."

"Sam, you're home!" Freddie said in a quick voice. He quickly hugged Sam and pressed her back against the wall, she giggled lightly and Freddie pressed his lips against hers. He placed his hands on her waist and moved them up slightly. She moaned with pleasure as she placed her hands on his chest. He pulled back and she smiled at him.

"Freddie, wow…" She was breathless, she hadn't been expecting that. "What's gotten into you?"

"I just had to kiss the best friend of my girlfriend and the girlfriend of my best friend, so now I want to kiss you." Freddie started to kiss Sam's neck and she titled her head back against the wall, letting out more sighs of pleasure. She couldn't help it if she loved his touch. "By the way, I 'quit' iCarly."

"Okay…"

"Speaking of which, Carly probably is going to want to talk to you." As if on cue, Sam's phone rang with a text message. "Oh perfect, she just texted you."

"Yeah, well, it takes some time for me to get to her place from my place." Sam winked and threw her arms around Freddie, she kissed his lips and tucked her hands underneath his shirt, feeling of the six pack he was getting. She moved her hands up his chest and her eyes quickly opened. "Oh! We need to stop here!"

"You don't say." Freddie took a step back and sighed as Sam's arms fell to her side. "Sorry, I guess I got a little over excited…I mean, you go through what I went through, and you get that way."

"Yeah, I'm going to head over to Carly's now. Most likely I'll be seeing you in a little bit. So, see you, Dork." Freddie placed his hand on Sam's side as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips, she grabbed the doorknob and quickly exited.

-NEW SCENE-

The day after the next, Sam was at her locker. She actually wanted to maim Jeremy, but it wasn't his fault. Of course, Freddie could have chosen a _better _tech guy that Jeremy, but he did say he couldn't think of anyone. On this day, Valerie had to attempt to win Sam over to her webshow. This was where things would get 'catty' so to speak. At this point, the whole group was just having fun with it, especially since the nerve wracking kiss part was pretty much over.

Sam waited until Valerie decided to show up, it would take some time, since Valerie needed to figure out what she was going to say. All Sam had to do was glare at her as if she was Carly and she had just attempted to make out with Freddie. Though Valerie did hope that Sam would refrain from imagining that, for fear of Sam actually ripping her to shreds. Not only that, Freddie would probably get mad at Carly if she did try to kiss him. Nobody really wanted to see what would happen in that case.

Valerie figured out what she had to say and soon started heading for Sam's locker for the big showdown. Hopefully a big fight wouldn't happen, but it was bound to catch a few wondering eyes. This was going to be a fun thrill for both of the girls, since they were actually looking forward to it. Valerie quickly rounded the corner and saw Sam putting her materials into the locker. "Hey Sam!" Valerie said in a quick and peppy voice.

Sam stopped and looked at Valerie, glaring at her. "Hey," She responded.

"I saw iCarly the other night. Yikes." Sam narrowed her eyes and scoffed.

"I don't need your review right now." Sam slammed the locker shut and started walking away from Valerie, this action caused a few onlookers to glance over.

"Hey, don't be mad at me." Sam stopped and turned to glare at Valerie.

"No, I _will_ be mad at you. You stole Freddie!" Valerie blinked and waited for Sam to continue. "And that hurt our show."

"Sam, you don't need iCarly."

"What do you mean-"

"Come do the webshow with me, iCarly's going to crash and burn without Freddie. I mean…duh…"

"You know, Carly happens to be my friend." The parts Valerie disliked were the bitchy parts, but it was the only way to make it seem realistic.

"Then why isn't the show called Carly and Sam, why is it called iCarly?"

"She didn't come up with the name, Freddie did, and we all like it." Valerie raised her eyebrows and sighed.

"Well if you were my co host, I'd call the show Val and Sam." Valerie walked slightly past Sam and turned around. "Or Sam and Val, if you'd like that." Sam raised her eyebrow and glanced to the side, then back to Valerie.

"Is this a serious offer? You, me and Freddie?"

"Yes. Then we could knock Carly Shay off the internet, and in a couple of years, we could have the most popular show on the internet."

"Heh, I bet we could."

"That was the plan all along." Sam and Valerie smirked and kept in with the role play, it was still pretty fun.

"You got a devious little brain, I like that."

"I thought you might, let's talk tomorrow."

"Absolutely." The girls smirked and parted ways. As an added reminder to tell Carly, Valerie stopped and turned around.

"And by the way, don't tell anyone. We don't want Carly to know about this." Sam smirked and nodded.

"Believe me, I won't." With that, it was the makings of what would soon be the "break up" of Freddie and Valerie. All Sam had to do was tell Carly that Valerie wanted to bust up iCarly, then Carly would try to convince Freddie that Valerie was bad news. Then, Freddie was supposed to return to them and say that he and Valerie broke up. That way, everyone would know that Freddie and Sam were not dating, because he apparently dated Valerie and broke up. Even Granddad Shay, who had his suspicions, would have to quell them for now.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that chapter, the next should be the last of Valerie's role play chapters. Drop a review or I shall bungee jump off the empire state building! Wait, I'm not doing that!!!


	36. Role Play: Breaking Up

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 36 (Role Play: Breaking Up)

After the school day, Sam was to visit Carly. She made her way down the hall and took a glance at her door, she was tempted to go in there and see Freddie. As if on cue, Freddie stepped out of the door and smirked at her while leaning against the wall.

"So, I guess you're ready to tell Carly about Valerie," Freddie said in a quiet voice. "Good, then Valerie and I will have good break up material." He glanced toward Carly's door then back to Sam. She saw his gaze and chuckled lightly as he started walking toward her. He then wrapped his arms around Sam and pulled her close, kissing her passionately on the lips. He then released her and smirked as he gazed into her eyes. "Well, I just thought I'd give you a kiss before the big stuff happens. Good luck." Sam smiled at him and he gently kissed her forehead. "Good luck."

"Yeah, thanks for that." With that, the two walked to the doors, Freddie entered his and Sam entered Carly. "Hey Carly, are you here!" She waited as Carly started hurrying down the stairs to greet her. "Hey, we have a problem."

"What's that?" Carly asked.

"Valerie tried to get me to do her webshow so that with me and Freddie, she can kick iCarly off the air." Carly's mouth dropped and shock ran rampant through her body.

"She did what!"

"That skunk bag tried to steal me too! She stole Freddie so she can have the hottest show on the web, she wants to get rid of iCarly!"

"Oh my god, she's just _using_ Freddie!" That was pretty much what Sam had just said, she hoped Carly didn't miss anything. Carly seemed angry enough, so that was good. Perhaps Carly would not go in and convince Freddie to break up with Valerie. That would be the end of his first girlfriend, and of course it made him open for other dates. "That little…"

"Say it." Carly frowned and shrugged.

"Spencer says it's not ladylike."

"Say it!"

"That little skunk bag! We need to tell Freddie!" Sam nodded as Carly turned around and headed out the door. The girls then began pounding on his door until he opened the door and stared at them. "Freddie, Valerie is just using you to get rid of our show!" Freddie gave her a skeptical look and Carly continued. "Sam told me she just tried to get her to leave iCarly to do her webshow, and that she wanted to kick iCarly off of the air!" Freddie sighed and rolled his eyes while crossing his arms.

"You're talking about my girlfriend!" Freddie protested.

"She's not your girlfriend!" Freddie blinked and shrugged, he had to admit that Carly was right about that, his girlfriend was Sam. "She's just using you."

"Then I enjoy being used!" Of course, he could mean that as an innuendo for Sam, she could use him any day she wanted. Spencer stepped out of the apartment and asked Carly about some girl scout cookies, she told him she didn't want any, so he went back to the phone and told the girl they didn't want any.

"You have to believe us," Sam said while putting a desperate look on her face. Freddie had to admit, he thought she looked cute during that moment, as he always thought. "I mean she did try to get me to be on her webshow too!"

"You're lying."

"I don't lie!"

"Yeah, Sam may be obnoxious and irresponsible, but she doesn't lie!" Carly exclaimed. Sam and Freddie raised their eyebrows and stared at Carly, she blinked and looked to Sam. "Oh, you know I love you." Sam shrugged and smiled at that. Freddie rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Fine, I'll go ask Valerie myself!"

"She's not going to tell the truth. Valerie's using you."

"She is not!" Freddie exclaimed in defense.

"Believe us," Sam said in a pleading tone of voice.

"We've been your friends longer than she has," Carly said quietly. Spencer then shouted into the phone and everyone stared at him with slightly disturbed looks on their faces. Carly sighed and turned around. "Come on, Sam."

"Actually, I need to get home." Carly sighed and shrugged as she headed for her apartment, Sam gave Freddie a look and then walked around the corner toward the stairs. Freddie leaned against the wall and smirked as he stared at Carly's closed door. Just then, Sam bounded around the corner and latched onto Freddie by wrapping her arms around his waist.

"You did well," Freddie said as he gently kissed her forehead.

"Not as good as you did." She returned his kiss by giving him a peck on the lips. He smiled and opened his door.

"Let's get inside, Valerie and Jonah are waiting." Sam nodded and Freddie wrapped his arm around her waist while leading her into the apartment. Jonah and Valerie were sitting on the couch, Jonah had his arm around her shoulders and was smiling at his friends. "Well Valerie, I'd say your part of the role play is near the end."

"Yeah, but we have to break up first," Valerie said while slowly standing up from the couch. Freddie nodded and took a step forward, their mates continued to watch on with interest. "Valerie, Carly and Sam have been telling me about your plan to remove iCarly from the internet, is this true?"

"Why, whatever would they have to implicate me for such a thing?"

"They're my friends, they don't usually lie to me…" Valerie gave a scoff and circled around Freddie, he held his position. "Are you just using me to get what you want?"

"I'm your _girlfriend_, Freddie! Who do you believe, anyway?" Freddie closed his fists and narrowed his eyes.

"Can you just tell the truth? You're dancing around the subject." Valerie gave a frustrated grunt and crossed her arms.

"Fine, yes I am using you, but what are you going to do about it anyway?" Freddie closed his eyes and let a frustrated sound escape his throat.

"That's it Valerie…we're through, we're over. I can't believe you would do this, to think I trusted you." Freddie smirked and snapped his fingers. "Break up, over."

"Yep, that it is." Everyone laughed and fell onto the couch, they couldn't believe how much fun that role play was. "We still should do some other stuff though."

"Yeah, like making it believable that you and I become friends," Sam said in a quiet voice. Valerie tapped her chin and hummed, she was trying her best to think of an idea.

"How about this, I say that I just wanted a friend and someone to care for me, and you offer to do that. Then you say that you forgive me for using Freddie, and as long as I never do that again, you'll be happy."

"Yeah, that sounds fine to me, and I think it's believable. Yet, we still need a reason that I would go to you."

"Well, maybe something happens that you come check up on me out of the kindness of your heart. It has to be something big, though."

"How about you record something and post it onto a server as private," Freddie suggested while rubbing his chin. "It'll be private, so no one can see it, and only we'll know. Maybe something happens…"

"What if something falls on me?" Jonah raised his eyebrow and Valerie looked over at him, he seemed a bit ambivalent about that suggestion. "I wouldn't really be hurt, but Sam would think I was."

"I guess, as long as you wouldn't get hurt," Jonah replied while crossing his arms over. "We'll record that, then the role play on Valerie's part is complete."

"It was fun."

"That it was," Sam responded. Freddie chuckled and nodded in response. They knew they'd need to get it done as soon as they could, then they could put the video up as private so only Freddie could access it and view it. When that was done, everything would go smoothly. Sam looked over at Freddie and smiled. "All suspicions of us are probably gone, too."

"Yeah, I'd agree with that."

-NEW SCENE-

Sam and Carly stood in the studio and listened as Jeremy sneezed his way out of the apartment. Carly sighed and crossed her arms, she didn't feel all that great about the fact that they didn't have a tech producer, but for some reason, she felt that Freddie would be back. If he did come back, she would be impressed with him.

"So what are we going to do now?" Sam asked as she turned toward Carly. "We can't really do the show without a tech producer."

"I miss Freddie," Carly admitted. Sam sighed and nodded her head, but at least she knew Freddie would be back.

"Hey Carly, can I ask your thoughts on arranged marriage? You still don't like it?" Carly raised her eyebrow and scoffed.

"Why do you care? I told you once before, arranged marriage is pretty much a sin in itself. I mean come on, the woman's throwing herself into slavery pretty much! Why? Do you know anyone that practices it?" Carly narrowed her eyes and stared at Sam with slight suspicion.

"No, I don't, I was just wondering. I mean, I had been doing research on it and all…" So Carly still didn't like arranged marriage, and was probably going to tear them apart if she found out Sam and Freddie were dating. "Well anyway, back to the problem at hand…where are we going to find another tech producer?" As if on cue, the elevator door opened and Freddie stepped into the room. He gave a small wave and stepped in front of Sam and Carly.

"You were right," Freddie said in a quiet voice. Sam had a look of disdain and sadness on her face, but it was real, because it was for Carly.

"Valerie admitted she tried to get me to do the show?"

"Yeah, she even tried to get me to talk you into it. You guys were right."

"So what did you do?" Carly asked in a concerned voice. Sam gave her a quick look of sadness and anger, angry that Carly would have any concern for Freddie when if she knew Freddie's culture, she wouldn't even like him. Freddie caught the look and raised his eyebrow, he would have to ask Sam about it later.

"I broke up with her."

"I'm sorry."

"It's cool." Freddie walked over to his computer and started to slowly press the buttons, giving off a quiet and sad aura. Sam and Carly quickly walked over to him.

"Well come on, let's do a great webshow!" Sam said in a quick voice. "That'll get your mind off of it!"

"I didn't say I'd come back to iCarly. Just because she did what she did doesn't mean she was wrong when she said you guys don't treat me like I'm important to the show."

"I always tell you how important you are!" Carly argued. Sam looked over at he and then away, a look of shame gracing her face, once more this caused Freddie's concerns to grow.

"Yeah, you do." Freddie looked at Sam and Carly turned to her.

"Tell him he's just as important to the show as we are!" Sam made a groaning sound and shook her head slightly.

"Why don't you make me drink out of a toilet?" Sam asked in disgust.

"Tell him!" Sam sighed and stepped forward, she could do that. Freddie crossed his arms and Sam looked him in the eyes.

"You're just important to the show as we are." Freddie smirked and Sam smiled at him as she gave him a hug. She lowered her voice to a quick whisper. "She still doesn't like arranged marriage, so we still have to keep it a secret from her for sure." Then he knew what was bothering her, of course she would have trouble with fearing her best friend would tear them apart. He knew he could comfort her when he got the chance, as for now, they couldn't do anything. Sam lowered her hands and gripped Freddie's underwear, smirking as she pulled up. He grunted and Sam stepped back.

"She gave me a wedgie!"

"No charge! Now let's get this webshow done!"

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that role play. Just remember as this story goes on, some things _will_ have to be different and some episodes will have to be skipped over or briefly mentioned. Such as when Lewbert's episode draws near, I'm going to have to think of something to do with it because that's when Emily/Marissa says her real name...Oh, and future reference, Freddie does NOT DISLIKE Carly, he likes her as a friend simply because of Sam. If Carly were to ever, and she never will, do something really bad to Sam, then Freddie would simply have to handle the situation maturely. However, that doesn't mean that Jonah will exactly like Carly that much. You will see that Jonah isn't fond of Carly for some specific reasons...that time will come later...


	37. He's Back!

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 37 (He's Back)

A couple more weeks had passed by, and March was officially over. April had begun and Sam had already played several pranks on Freddie, yet he continued to get her back with pranks of his own. They were pretty equal in that department at least. Jonah and Valerie had even tried to prank them, they came close to success, but didn't make it.

On the particular day, they were pretty pleased, since they had attempted to break the world record for the longest webcast. They didn't make it because Spencer had made a sculpture that took all the energy off and cut the webshow off early. Even still, they made it into the book of world records since Spencer made the sculpture with the most items, that's why they were pleased. They almost didn't get to be in the picture because they didn't help to complete it. He did find a loophole in the statement and suggested that they help put a final added piece on, and so they did.

It was a pleasant moment for everyone when they were able to do that. The only problem with the whole thing was during the webcast, Tyrone paid a visit. Not only did he pay a visit, he decided that he was going to stay for a while. That put a halt on anything that Sam and Freddie would have wanted to do. Whatever they did, the old man could probably figure out they were dating. Of course, they were surprised that he had not told Carly that Freddie's culture involved arranged marriage. It was something that would probably be horrible if she figured it out.

Sam actually would have wanted the fat priest to sit on top of the old man, but that would have been wrong. Even as wrong as it would have been, it would have also been oh so sweet. The sad thing, when the fat priest fell through the floor, he landed only ten feet away from Tyrone. They were still angry with him, because they knew that no matter what, he was going to be against them. At least they had one safe-haven, they started going to an archery class with Jonah and Valerie. It was on this day that they actually had the class. They could do just about anything with the archery excuse, Tyrone wouldn't suspect a thing.

"Hurry up, dork!" Sam shouted from the door. "We need to get moving!" Freddie was trying to get the archery gloves from the drawer and was having a little problem. He finally managed to get the drawer open and he quickly pulled the gloves out. He hurried toward where Sam and Emily were standing and tossed the gloves to Sam. They were to keep the string from rubbing and burning Sam's finger when she released the bowstring.

"There, now you won't get your delicate fingers all scratched up," Freddie said with a smirk on his face. Sam rolled her eyes and smirked as Emily started to turn the knob. She opened the door and found Tyrone standing in the doorway, smirking. Sam and Freddie both stood frozen in place as they stared at him, wondering what he was possibly thinking. Tyrone folded his arms over his chest and made a slight humming sound. Emily narrowed her eyes and growled, she was ready to attack and defend if she had to.

"I thought Miss Puckett and Mr. Benson didn't like each other," Tyrone said while staring into Emily's eyes. "Surely Samantha isn't his bride, and if she is…well I'm going to have to-"

"She is not," Emily said while glaring angrily at him. "She is merely here because I must drive her to the class she goes to with her friend Valerie. Now, Freddie's friend Jonah got him to go along as well, so I must drive them both." Emily stood erect and placed her hand on Tyrone's chest, pushing him slightly. "Move it, you high and mighty arrogant bastard, I have to get these two to class, we can't be late."

"You know, I'm going to find out who Freddie's arranged wife is eventually, and when I do, I'm going to get her away from you and ship your family back to the country you came from." Emily huffed and slowly clenched her fists. Freddie and Sam made absolute sure to stand apart from each other, the further the better while Tyrone was around. "So, how come you do not pick up this Valerie and Jonah?"

"They have parents of their own to take them. Sam's mother does not drive her very many places and chooses to let me drive her. Not only that, Sam is always at your granddaughter's home, so it's easier for me to drive her than for her to go all the way back to her house and her mom take her. Now please remove your haughty and old ass from my line of vision and let us go before we're late." Tyrone's face started to grow red as he took a deep breath and watched Emily walk past him. Sam followed Emily's pose by closing her eyes, standing erect and huffing while passing Tyrone. She wanted to push him, but chose not to. Freddie merely walked past the guy.

"Don't think this is over!" Tyrone shouted as he shook his fist in the air. "I'll find her! When I do, I'll educate her on your woman slave driving ways and make her learn to despise your culture the way it should be! You think you can just come into a free country like this and choose who people can marry? I know all about arranged marriage, and I know that your culture thinks women are nothing but property! I bet Freddie's got several other girls on the side!" Emily stopped walking and drew in a slow breath.

"In case you didn't notice, Tyrone. I AM A WOMAN!"

"Yeah, one who probably has a man controlling you and telling you to follow your culture…We don't need your kind in America! We don't need you, and we certainly don't need your son turning our women into whores!" Sam flinched at the statement while Emily continued walking and trying to ignore him. Freddie, on the other hand, stopped walking and clenched his fists as he turned around and glared at the old man.

"Shut your goddamn mouth, old man!" Freddie shouted. He took a step forward, his face growing red with anger. Sam didn't turn to look at him, for fear that Tyrone would see the fear and worry in her eyes and realize she was the one. If he saw that, he would take her away. "How dare you talk about my girlfriend like that! You don't know a thing. We love each other well enough and we don't need help from the likes of you!" Freddie took another step forward and his eyes narrowed, the vein in his neck started to show. "You can get your goddamn, old, grey ass out of my sight, or I'm going to punch you in the face, got it!"

"I'm just saying."

"No! You will not talk about the woman I love in such a manner, I won't allow it! If you should continue to do so, I will not refrain from causing you bodily harm."

"Come on and try, boy," Tyrone challenged while baring his teeth. "You're talking to someone who has been in various boxing matches throughout my life. I don't think you could lay a finger on me."

"Freddie!" Emily exclaimed as she turned around. Freddie stopped and glanced over at her. "Stop yelling this instant! Let's go, we're going to be late for the class." Freddie sighed and nodded as he stepped next to Sam. He glanced over and frowned when he saw the hardened look on her face. It probably scared her to see him angry, so he was going to have to try not to become angry. He didn't want to scare her. The group then continued walking, leaving Tyrone behind. Emily sighed and looked to Freddie and spoke in a low voice. "I understand how frustrated you are with him, but you just have to learn to ignore him. Do you want to cause Sam to become afraid?" Freddie frowned and looked to Sam with concern.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my cool back there." They left the building and Sam slowly wrapped her arms around his arm. "What are you doing? What if Tyrone followed us out and is looking?"

"I don't care," Sam replied in a soft voice. "I just know that if I'm with you, you're calm. So, I want to hold on to you…"

"I'm sorry if I scared you back there." Sam slowly shook her head and rested it on the side of Freddie's arm.

"You didn't…I'm just glad that you would defend me. I do want you not to get angry like that whenever someone puts me down, though. Can you promise me that?"

"Yes, Sam. I promise you I won't get mad when someone insults you. I might get a little upset, but I'll handle it maturely." Sam smiled and kissed his cheek as they neared the car. Emily smiled and looked over at the building, she saw Tyrone exiting the doors.

"Sam, let go of him," Emily said in a quiet voice. "Tyrone's leaving the building, we don't want him to see you." Sam nodded and released Freddie's arm. She then moved toward the other side of Emily just as Tyrone looked over. He scoffed and continued walking to his car as everyone got into Emily's car. "Let's see what that bastard does, if I'm correct, he may wind up following us." Sam and Freddie groaned as they sat in the backseat, Emily shrugged and started the car. "Oh well, on to the class." She started driving and Sam slowly put her hand on top of Freddie's, it wasn't like Tyrone could see it.

"You know, I think Mr. Shay is nicer than Tyrone is," Sam said in a quiet voice. Emily glanced in the rearview mirror and frowned, it looked like Tyrone was turning behind her.

"Yeah, Robert is nicer than his father is." She wouldn't admit that she thought Robert was kind of handsome, that would be like saying the enemy is your greatest friend in the world. "He's usually stationed overseas, but on occasion, he'll be permitted to come over here, though it is pretty rare to get. As you mentioned, he was here around the last time we saw Tyrone. I would have rather see Robert over Tyrone _any_ day."

"Yeah, is he more tolerant?"

"Slightly, but he does still have some of that ignorant bias that has been passed down from his father. He probably just needs to be educated on the culture, then he'd be more understanding of it." Sam nodded and Freddie merely shrugged. "By the way, we're being followed." Freddie raised his eyebrow and glanced back to see Tyrone behind them, he groaned and hit the back of his head on the seat.

"What does he _want!_" Freddie exclaimed as he stared at the ceiling. "Do you think you can shake him?"

"I'm trying." Emily turned the corner and then turned another corner, but Tyrone stayed close behind. _"Damn bastard_." She figured he might stay with them until they got to the archery class, this fact annoyed her. She decided to stay on route and not try to shake him, since he probably wouldn't let lose on the chase. Eventually she made it to the archery building, Jonah and Valerie were waiting at the curb as she parked her car. "You kids go on inside, I'll pick you up when class is over."

"Okay."

"You know, I hope something makes him change his thoughts," Sam said as she glanced back at Tyrone's car. The guy was now attempting to hide near a building. "I really don't want to get taken away. I thought we were free here, and now we can't act like boyfriend girlfriend."

"True, it might be a bad idea to do that when Tyrone is spying on you," Emily replied. "You can bet Tyrone will probably get Carly even more against arranged marriage as well, so just stay alert." Sam and Freddie nodded as they exited the car. They walked over to their friends and smiled.

"Hey guys, we're being spied on, so no talk of us dating or anything." Jonah and Valerie blinked in confusion. "Tyrone is watching us." Sam frowned and glanced to the side. "I _really_ don't want to be taken away from Freddie, so we have to remain alert."

"We totally understand," Valerie responded while giving a brief nod. "We'll be sure to keep silent." Freddie crossed his arms and glanced over at Tyrone's car, the old man was still sitting in his car. He smirked and tilted his head slightly.

"We _could_ get him arrested under charges of stalking."

"Let's not," Sam remarked. "We don't want to give him another reason to hate us." Freddie shrugged and gestured for the group to go inside the building. Sam moved to the side of Valerie as Freddie moved to the side of Jonah, they would have to remain so until they were sure Tyrone wasn't looking or their parents came to pick them up. Without a doubt, every one of them was thinking about how much they really did not like Tyrone. _"Let's just _try_ to have some fun_."

* * *

Yep, the infamous Tyrone has returned. Of course, he'll always be oh so troublesome. Hope you noticed a foreshadowing statement in there, but I won't say what it was. Heh, hope you enjoyed this chapter. OH and this is important! EVERYONE READ THIS: I have another account now in which I will be posting oneshots on until the stories here are done then that account will be the main one. If you're interested in knowing, then please PLEASE send me a PM and I'll tell you.


	38. Love Letters

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Chapter 38 (Love Letters)

* * *

The next day was iCarly day, and Tyrone was still hanging around. Sam and Freddie felt as though he was breathing down their necks, so they couldn't be seen together very often. It was draining for both of them. Sam couldn't even go home, she had to stay with Carly or else pay a visit to Lisa. Of course, Lisa didn't mind Sam's visits, she enjoyed her company. Even still, Sam wanted to be able to go home.

Freddie and Sam were both equally irritable, anything could set off their tempers. They did keep their patience, though. The only thing was they didn't enjoy being forced to stay away from each other. They couldn't even be seen together without having to worry about Tyrone jumping out somewhere. Tyrone did want to find the Benson's wife, apparently he wanted to 'save' her and bring her to freedom. Sam didn't want that, obviously. Her idea of freedom was being with the man she loved. So of course, she felt like a caged rat.

Sam felt herself being shaken awake, she opened her eyes and found that she fell asleep in the middle of class. Carly was trying to wake her up. "Come on Sam, class is over, let's go," Carly said in a quick voice. Sam yawned and looked at the paper on her desk, it was a test paper that she made a D on. She got up from the desk and followed Carly out, still trying to find out if Tyrone was hiding somewhere. The damn man was making her grow jumpy and causing her to become paranoid. So of course, she really didn't like him.

"Carly, can I ask you something?" Carly raised her eyebrow and looked over.

"Sure Sam, anything." Sam had been wondering about some things regarding Carly, such as how badly Tyrone was getting to her. She knew it was probably bad, but maybe there was something to be done about it. Another thing had recently come to her mind.

"If some girl were wanting to date the dork or already was dating him, what would you do?" Carly raised her eyebrow and chuckled, it seemed like a moment to make a joke. What would she do? She wouldn't do much, it'd be hard to deal with if he was already with someone, but she would have to handle that one maturely.

"If he was dating someone, or some girl wanted him, I suppose I'd have to give her a _lot_ of competition!" Sam paled slightly as Carly turned away. She couldn't believe it, Carly would give the girl a lot of trouble, and that girl was _her_. This meant there was no way she could tell Carly, not yet, and probably not ever. She wanted to cry, but she knew she shouldn't and she'd best just not worry about it at the moment.

"I-I can't believe Mr. Cline gave me a D on that test," Sam said as she exited the door and rounded the corner. It was a good and quick change of subject, Carly didn't seem to notice. "How did I get a D?" She moved to her locker and opened it to find a small white card inside. She carefully put her hand in and opened it with her index finger. _"To my sweet and beautiful angel, I'm thinking about you always. Your love, The Lovable Dork, AKA TG.…Aw, he sent me a love note."_

"Let's see, you answered half the questions, told Mr. Cline the test was stupid, then burped…then left." Sam raised her eyebrow and glanced over at Carly.

"What? That's not worth a D plus?" Carly sighed and chuckled as Freddie and the kid that was supposed to be on iCarly, Benji walked toward them. Carly and Sam turned to face them. Sam glanced into Freddie's eyes and smiled, signaling that she got the note. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Bad news," Freddie said while giving a slow sigh.

"The doctors can't fix your face?" Sam asked with a smirk. Benji laughed and Freddie glared at him, quickly silencing him. Freddie did not appreciate when someone else wanted to get involved in his little game with Sam.

"What's the bad news?" Carly asked.

"Benji is flaking on us," Freddie responded. Sam groaned and Carly merely shook her head, they couldn't believe it.

"Come on, the Plain White T's are signing autographs at the mall!" Benji exclaimed. The trio all grinned and Benji smiled. "So does this mean I can skip out on iCarly?" Carly frowned and Benji started walking away. "I'll do it some other time."

"Great, so where are we going to find another kid that can fit his foot in his mouth?" Sam asked while giving an exasperated sigh. She glanced over and spotted Gibby walking by, she smirked and grabbed a hold of him. "Gibby! Do you want to be on iCarly?"

"Sure! What do I have to do?" Gibby asked.

"Let me show you!" Gibby screamed as Sam pushed him toward the floor. She leapt down and grabbed his leg. "Come on Gibby, put your foot in your mouth!" Gibby yelled out as Carly and Freddie merely watched on. Sam spotted something on Gibby's back, it was signed to Sam from "TG" meaning Freddie. Her eyes beamed with joy as she quickly swiped it away and pushed it into her pocket.

"She's not like other girls," Freddie stated in a quiet voice.

"No, she's not," Carly answered. Carly walked off and Freddie left in another direction, so Sam released Gibby and let him run. She took out the note and sighed as she leaned against the locker. She stared at the note and noticed how beautifully written the letters in her name and the letters in TG were. She carefully shifted her eyes around to make sure no one was staring, this was her moment. She opened the letter and smiled as she read it.

_"Hey there Angel, it's your lovable Tech Geek, or Dork if you want to call me that. Since we can't be together, I just thought I'd send you a little love through means of mail. If you see TG anywhere, you know it's from me, so I recommend picking it up. I may have a surprise for you, or even one of my favorite poems to you. Not written by me, but they speak my mind perfectly. Here's one for you right now written by Robert Small. You truly are An Angel Above: _

_**Gazing into her blue eyes when we first met  
I knew then she was heaven sent.  
All I ever dreamed of, an angel from above. **_

_**She had no idea from the start  
true love, I'd found in my heart.  
One of a kind, Love that lasts a lifetime  
All I ever dreamed of, an angel from above. **_

_**Still, her smile, my breath it takes away  
wanting, needing, to hold her, so much to say.  
All my prayers answered when into my life she came  
to me, she is everything.  
All I ever dreamed of, an angel from above. **_

_**Like the moon, stars, morning sunrise  
so much beauty, so much grace.  
She's even more through my eyes.  
All I ever dreamed of, an angel from above. **_

_**Together, forever, I long to be  
can you see, you're very precious and sweet.  
The only one for me.  
All I ever dreamed of, an angel from above. **_

_**Your gentle words, your tender touch, life meaning so much  
wrapped tightly in each others arms I wish to be.  
With you, I feel so free.  
A vow to you I made, forever, you'll have my love.  
All I ever dreamed of, an angel from above. **_

_There you are my love, from your ever lovable TG."_

Sam closed the letter and smiled softly, it was so sweet of Freddie to send her a poem. She walked toward a water fountain and spotted another card with the letters TG on it. She picked it up and found it covering a rose.

_For my love that is the envy of this wondrous rose, take it with you so it can see what real beauty is, my Angel without wings:_

_A simple rose I have found  
It's not the flower that grows from the ground,  
Its beauty is one of such delight ...  
This rose is soft to the touch in all its perfection._

_The envy for all the flowers in this garden  
Its fragrance will consume your every obsession.  
This rose must be a gift, a gift from above  
A gift from Heaven to show us love._

_Every morning I wake to see its petals glisten  
Its easy to see how one could be so smitten  
If love was a rose it would shine so bright  
Because all I need is this rose in my life._

_By: Kevan Mends-Your romantic dream come true, TG._

Sam held the note and rose to her chest, keeping them as close to her heart as she could, they meant a lot to her. At least this was one way for Freddie to tell her he loved her and not have to worry about Robert getting in between them.

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie sat in his living room, he was bored because he didn't have anyone to talk to. Sam was staying with Lisa since it was clear that Robert was still around. They needed to find a way to get him to leave, but it would probably not happen anytime soon.

They didn't get to do much with iCarly like they were supposed to, something had gone wrong with the tech equipment. Freddie had no clue what had happened or why it happened. He figured he would get it fixed pretty soon, but he was still having fun writing notes and giving them to Sam. He could tell that she was keeping her eyes open and alert, she didn't want to miss a single note. That was something he adored about her, was she loved to make sure she never missed a thing. Of course, what didn't he love about her? Freddie was broken from his thoughts when he heard a knock at the door. He sighed and walked over to it, opening it and revealing Colonel Morgan, a friend of Robert Shay. Freddie knew him well.

"Uh, Colonel Morgan, how are you?" Freddie asked while giving a small smile. Colonel Morgan was a good man, and Freddie had seen him several times over the years. He knew of Emily's culture and was one of the few that was actually tolerant of it. "So, what brings you here, aren't you overseas with Mr. Shay right now?"

"Yeah, but I'm recruiting for a few weeks," Colonel Morgan replied. "I'm dropping by Carly and Spencer after this, but I thought I'd check up on you guys. Has your mother found a good woman for you, Freddie?" Freddie smiled and nodded his head in return.

"Yes, she has, but I can't tell anyone. We even have to date in secret. There are a lot of intolerant people around here. Carly's even starting to grow intolerant, it seems." The Colonel raised his eyebrow and Freddie crossed his arms. "Carly is against arranged marriage, she listens to her grandfather a lot. I might mention that I really don't like Tyrone." The colonel laughed and patted Freddie on the shoulder.

"I understand what you mean. He is an intolerant little old-timer. The Shays are a bit uneasy, I suppose. There is a lot of difference between your family and what goes on in other countries, but Tyrone doesn't really understand all of that. I guess it's a shame I won't be able to meet your beautiful bride."

"I love her, a lot. I mean, there's just no end to how much I love her, and it seems that Tyrone doesn't know that."

"Did I mention he has a hard head? Seriously, his skull is thicker than the heat in the desert. From his perspective, there can't be love in an arranged marriage because he thinks it is a relationship between a slave and her master."

"I would never treat Sam like that!" Freddie coughed and quickly glanced out the door. "Crap, I shouldn't have said her name, hopefully Tyrone wasn't anywhere around here."

"I don't think I've seen that old man anywhere. So, I see it isn't Carly."

"No." Freddie looked over at a picture on the wall. It was of Sam, Freddie and Emily. "That's her right there." Colonel Morgan glanced at the picture and smiled.

"Ah, she's beautiful. I see Emily has made a great choice."

"Yes, she has. She's my beautiful Angel…I've been writing her notes."

"Really, where is she now?"

" Tyrone wants to tear us apart, so until that guy stops spying on me, she can't come anywhere near me! If she does, she can't make any sign that she loves me or anything. Not only do we have to keep it a secret from Carly, which we were doing a good job of, we have to keep it a secret wherever we are. We haven't been on a date since the man showed up."

"I see…he is throwing a wrench into your relationship then. What does Carly have to do with this, though?"

"For one thing, Carly doesn't approve of arranged marriage or anyone dating someone who is in one, so we can't tell her that we're dating. Especially not since Gramps most likely will tell her about my mom's culture, and she would probably tell Spencer who would tell Mr. Shay and then Tyrone would rip us away from each other. In his mind, he would be 'rescuing' Sam from me. Carly also has a crush on me, so we have to pretend that I like her…if I'm pushy, the crush will die. We're also trying to find guys that she might like."

"I guess that would work if that's what you have to do. You say you're currently sending Sam a bunch of letters?"

"Yes. Also, our first year anniversary is coming up very soon! May 10th, it's less than a month away. I have something that I wanted to do with her, but if Tyrone is around…" Freddie clenched his fists and sighed. "There isn't any way I can do anything with her if he's around!"

"I could probably fix that somehow." Freddie raised his eyebrow as Colonel Morgan fished two pieces of paper from his pocket. "I wanted to give these to you. I heard Emily chose your bride, so I thought I could send you guys on a week long camping resort in Nebraska. It's a gift, I chose to buy the plane tickets, but it's only if you want to go." Freddie smiled and took the tickets into his hand.

"Thanks, but I think Carly and all would notice Sam missing at the same time as I am."

"Not necessarily, if she leaves before or after you…Though you'll probably want to share the plane ride together. That would get you a week long trip from May 9th to May 16th."

"Thank you Colonel Morgan, I'll be sure to talk to Sam…if I can."

"I'll handle Tyrone." Colonel Morgan winked and turned around.

"Okay, thanks." Colonel Morgan gave a quick salute and stepped next to Carly's door as Freddie shut his door. He would have to be able to get around Sam long enough to talk to her about it. Emily being around would also help.

-NEW SCENE-

Two weeks passed by, the prior week was when they tried to hack Nevel's site because he was hacking theirs, but it backfired on them. The Plain White T's were supposed to perform, but both Freddie and Sam were concerned that Nevel was going to do something. Sam was once again at Lisa's home, she was getting ready to go down to Carly's and get ready for the webshow. Sasha walked into Sam's room and raised her eyebrow, she had a piece of paper in her hand. "Sam, you have a card from someone. I found this on the front porch," she stated.

"Huh?" Sam looked over and saw the card in Lisa's hand, on it were the letters TG, it was from Freddie. She had been getting notes from him for the past two weeks, and she was loving it more and more. Sam grabbed the note and grinned. "It's from Freddie, he's been sending me love notes for the past few weeks."

"Oh cool! Read it!" Sasha grinned and Sam read the note out loud.

"To my sweet, to my love, you are truly a remarkable vision of loveliness. You are like a perfect work of art, no, not even Spencer could make a sculpture anywhere near as radiant and beautiful as you. Your eyes sparkle like the ocean and your golden hair flows like a field of precious wildflowers and shines brighter than the sun. Sunrise, Sunset, you are my day, my week, my month, and even my life…Truly you are the envy of all the women, and all the men stare at me with envy, for I have attained the greatest treasure of all. I have attained an Angel, your heart. Here is a poem for you, my dear and beautiful angel:

_You must be an angel without wings  
To put up with all of my bothersome things  
My anger, my love, my sometimes weary heart  
What others hated about me you love those parts  
I look at you and see a creation so divine  
To think you have captured this heart of mine  
How could I not love you with all that I am  
You are the steady I need for my trembling hand  
So honest, true and caring you are  
My night in shining armor or my shooting star  
You simply must be an angel without wings!_

_By: Elizabeth Ann Burkett."_

"Oh my god, who knew Freddie could be so romantic to you," Sasha said while smirking. Sam smiled and held the letter close. "You know, you and Freddie definitely have something going on, and I believe that's what they call love."

"I would agree. He's so cute and so romantic!" Sam placed the letter with her stack of letters, she was going to find a safe place to put them and save every single one of them. "I just can't get enough."

"Hey, don't you have to be at the studio soon?"

"Oh yeah, I can't forget iCarly!" Sasha smiled as Sam rushed out of the room and out of the house. She dashed toward the apartment building and started panting once she made it. She entered the building and waved at Lewbert, he looked to her and then shrugged as he went back to what he was doing. She then made her way up to Carly's floor and stepped behind the door, upon entering, she saw Carly waiting for her.

"Hah, we thought you'd never show," Carly stated. "Freddie's not here just ye-oh look, he's behind you." Sam froze lightly and felt his breath hitting the back of her neck, she tried her best not to swoon and melt on the spot. She felt him slip something in her back pocket and then walk past her.

"Okay, let's get this started," Freddie said as he smoothly brushed his hand against Sam's arm. She closed her eyes and sighed, trying her best to keep from blushing. "The Plain White T's are upstairs and ready to go, so let's get up there ourselves." Everyone nodded and hurried upstairs to begin the show. Sam took the paper from her back pocket and read it.

_"How is my sweet starlet tonight? The Plain White T's are singing 'Our Time Now' and I'll give you one guess who requested it. Think of me, because you know it's meant for you, my love. –TG"_

"So sweet," Sam said in a quiet voice. Freddie glanced up and over at Sam with a smirk. First, they would have to watch as Nevel attempted to sabotage the show, but it didn't go well for him. Carly had contacted Colonel Morgan and now the military was leaving Nevel dangling on a rope. Once that was complete, Sam and Carly sat in the studio car chair next to Spencer and listened as the Plain White T's came.

Sam listened to the music with awe, she loved the singers and she now loved this song. Freddie requested a good choice, since she thought it fit her relationship with him.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that, the love notes seem to go well here. Please, drop a review and let me know what you thought!


	39. Hacking of Grades

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Chapter 39 (Hacking of Grades)

* * *

"Do I have to let her come with us?" Freddie asked while sitting on the couch. He had his hands behind his head and was leaning back. It was now the last week of April and a couple of weeks before Freddie and Sam got to go on the week long vacation. Sadly, Tyrone was still spying on him, so Sam still stayed with Lisa and Sasha.

"Yeah, it'll ease suspicion," Emily stated while shrugging. Emily was going to drive Freddie and Carly to school for the day. "If Tyrone is looking, he will not see you with Sam. The less you are seen with her, the safer she is. I know it's hard, but at the same time, it's necessary." Freddie crossed his arms and sighed, he would have to agree, but he still wished he could see her more. She was able to visit Carly whenever, but that didn't raise suspicions, so that was fine. "Anyway, go check on Carly and see if she's ready."

"Yeah, I'll do that." Freddie got up from the couch and left the apartment, he grabbed the doorknob to her apartment and put the best shot at a smile on his face as he could make. He opened the door and saw both Spencer and Carly shouting "rampu" at a lamp repeatedly. _"What the hell? You know, let's _not_ bother them."_ Freddie slowly closed the door and sighed. _"This is why I don't hang around them twenty four seven; it causes me to risk going _insane_."_

Freddie leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, he was thinking about how much he'd rather not wait on Carly and how he'd just like to go to school without worrying about her. She reminded him far too much of Tyrone at the moment, since they were related. He tapped his foot lightly and listened as Carly and Spencer continued to shout at the lamp. Anyone else might find it cute, but he just thought it was flat out weird. The yelling stopped and Carly's door opened, he tilted his head and put on his smile as Carly spotted him. She smiled back at him.

"Hey Freddie, is your mom ready?" Carly asked while looking at his door.

"Yeah, I'm just wondering if _you're_ ready." Freddie raised his eyebrow and Carly blinked, remembering what had just happened inside her home. She blushed lightly and chuckled nervously.

"Oh, you saw that?"

"Yes." Freddie sighed and turned toward his door, he was going to open it and alert his mom that Carly was out.

"I have a question for you." Freddie paused and turned around to face Carly, wondering what it was that she needed. "Is it true? What my Granddad tells me, is it true?" Freddie paled slightly and hoped that she wasn't talking about his mom's culture. "Arranged Marriage, do you _actually_ practice it?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." He started to turn, but Carly grabbed him and pushed him into the wall. "Carly, let me go. I'm going to get angry, and you won't like me when I'm angry…"

"Is it true, Freddie!" Carly was growing angry as well, her crush was involved in arranged marriage. "Has your mom chosen a mate yet?" Freddie pushed Carly off of him and sighed as he dusted his arm off.

"Yes, that is my mother's culture. No, I'm not married to anyone yet." It was true, he and Sam weren't married just yet, but they were going to be married.

"So, you can still change?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Carly stared into his eyes. "You're not practicing it, so you can still change? Then maybe…" She was thinking that maybe she could still date him given the opportunity, and maybe his mom wasn't putting him with anyone. "You're still single, that's great." Freddie rolled his eyes and glanced to the side, now she was just pushing it. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't tell her he was dating Sam, nor could he say he was going to marry Sam. He scoffed and turned toward his door.

"Whatever, let's just get moving." He opened the door and looked toward his mom. "Hey Mom, Carly's ready!" Emily stepped into the living room and smiled.

"Okay sweetie, let's get going then," Emily stated while grabbing her keys and walking to the door. She spotted Carly and then glanced to Freddie. "Now, you didn't forget the cloud block, I hope. Did you get the tick lotion?"

"It's all good mom, let's just go. I'm not in the mood…" Emily nodded and closed the door behind her.

-NEW SCENE-

The next day came around, Carly was miffed about the B she got on a history report when she should have gotten an A for it. Spencer had built her a huge sculpture to commemorate it as well, so that sucked. Currently she was standing at her locker and putting some items inside of it, she was also thinking about how Freddie was dealing with his mom's culture. She was sure it wasn't the truth. She actually thought Freddie was lying as was her grandpa, because simply, if he was involved in such a thing, he wouldn't tell her he loved her so much. Of course, she still hoped he'd stop being so pushy, it made him look like a stalker.

Just then, Sam came running around the corner. "Guess what!" Sam exclaimed while jumping up and down happily. Carly raised her eyebrow and smiled as she turned to Sam.

"You got the new bacon flavored bubblegum?" Carly asked.

"No…they have that?" Sam blinked and thought of the gum, she would definitely have to try that. _"I never knew there was such a thing."_ Carly nodded and Sam gave an excited grin. "First you have to promise not to tell anyone! This isn't just any promise, though. You have to do the ankle swear."

"Okay…" Carly and Sam began to do the ankle swear, once done, Carly smiled and looked at Sam. "Now tell me!"

"I changed your grade in the school computer." Carly's jaw dropped and she started to scream, so Sam quickly covered her mouth till she was done. _"I didn't hack into it, though…that's Freddie's expertise. My boyfriend is a star hacker…huh…he's lucky I love him."_

"You mean you changed my B plus into a…"

"A plus, so you'll get the straight A's you deserve." She didn't have to do it, but she wanted to. After all, Carly was her friend. "I also changed a few of my Ds into Cs and bumped Freddie's grades up a bit." Carly raised her eyebrow at that, Sam wouldn't normally do something like that.

"Why?" Sam shrugged and glanced to the side.

"I owe him forty bucks and I figure now we're even." Carly wasn't like Sam, she couldn't accept this, it was too much. Now she would feel very guilty, the grade was wrong, and how Sam went about it was wrong. Sam knew that Freddie probably wouldn't be happy with it either.

"I have to tell Principal Franklin!" Sam gasped and took Carly's hand.

"You can't, you swore." Carly stuttered, she wasn't sure how she was going to keep this secret.

"Well…can I at least tell Freddie?" Sam's eyes widened slightly and she glanced toward the side.

_"He's not going to be pleased with this, hopefully it won't break out into an argument."_ Sam sighed and raised her eyebrow. "Why?"

"He's involved in this too!" Sam moaned lightly and Carly gave a small sigh. "I promise I'll make him not tell."

_"He won't tell anyone, but he will tell me that I shouldn't have done that, I know that much…I could go back and change the grades, but I can't now."_ Sam sighed and shrugged her shoulders, she had no choice, Carly was right. Freddie needed to know, but she kind of wanted to tell him, since it would be better for her to tell him about it rather than let Carly do it for her. Yet, she still couldn't risk being seen with him, or Tyrone was going to separate them. She didn't want to be away from the one she loved, it was ridiculous. _"I ought to show that old man a thing or two, I bet he doesn't know the first thing about me…and here he's trying to do what's best for me, without even knowing that I'm Freddie's bride."_

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie sighed as he entered Carly's apartment, she said she needed to talk to him about something important. He hoped it was nothing bad, he already had more than enough stress. Tyrone was spying on him, he couldn't be near Sam, Carly still had a crush on him _and_ thought that he was in a situation with an arranged marriage but could change. Any extra stress would just be too much for him to handle.

"Carly?" Freddie asked as he looked around the room. She wasn't in the living room, so he decided to go ahead and sit down. _"I'll just get some rest, that's what I need right now."_ He moved to the couch and sighed, not only was he under quite a bit of pressure, he was also very sleepy at the moment. When Sam wasn't able to sleep at her own home, it made him have trouble sleeping because he was usually worried about how she was doing. He tilted his head back and sighed. "Carly! I'm here if you're anywhere around!"

"I'm here!" Carly said in a quick voice. Freddie looked over to see her moving down the stairs, he made a slight grunting sound and stood up. "Freddie, we have to talk about something really important! You're involved in this!"

"Yeah, I think you made that clear before, what is it?" He raised his eyebrow as she let out a small breath.

"Sam changed our grades in the school computers."

"What!" Freddie's eyes widened and his jaw fell. _"She did that? Aw man, that's not good. Why would she do that?"_ Freddie turned around and sighed. "I have to talk to her, I need to tell h-"

"You can't!" Carly grabbed his leg and he screamed as he was sent crashing into the ground.

_"Damn it!"_ Freddie started grabbing at the floor, trying to get away from Carly. After a bout of struggling, he could have pushed her off but he wasn't prepared. She then straddled him to the floor and stared down at him, he growled slightly and huffed. "Get…_off_…of me…"

"Not if you're going to tell on Sam." Freddie sighed and closed his eyes, he wasn't planning on telling on her, he was planning on telling her that she did something wrong and needed to fix it.

"I won't." Cary smiled and grabbed his wrist, pulling him up. He pulled his arm away and frowned. He had to make it sound like Sam didn't want to change his grade for a good reason. "Why would Sam change my grade, to make it better? She hates me!" Carly shrugged and glanced to the side.

"She says she owes you forty bucks." Freddie raised his eyebrow and shook his head, she didn't owe him anything. Of course, he had to go along with the whole thing and act differently when around Carly, so he made a small whining sound.

"Does this mean I'm not going to get my forty bucks?"

"Focus, Freddie!" Carly started poking him and he quickly bat away her arms, greatly annoyed with her poking him. "How are we going to get our grades back before the report cards come out?"

"Well…" Freddie rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, he would have to fix what Sam did. He knew he could hack into the school's mainframe and fix the grades, it would be easy. "I could gain access and change the grades from my laptop. I could hook it up through the lab."

"Okay, so tomorrow during computer class, I'll distract Mr. Wimbley and you can do your stuff."

"Right…" Freddie crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "For the record, the only reason I let you pin me down like that was because I wasn't ready." It was true, he was strong enough that not even Sam could pin him down. In fact, he could push Duke right off of him if the guy tried to do that.

"So, are you ready now?"

"Yeah…" He started thinking about what he was going to say to Sam, so technically he wasn't ready. Carly quickly grabbed him and pushed him onto the ground. _"Damn it! I don't like being in this position…Get the hell off of me!"_ Freddie sighed and Carly merely smirked. If she didn't get off of him, he was going to throw her off of him. Well, probably not as violent, but he was going to push her off of him if he had to. Carly chuckled lightly and got off, she seemed pretty proud of herself.

-NEW SCENE-

The next day, Freddie made his way to his aunt's home, which happened to be where Sam was staying. He was sure that Tyrone wasn't following him, but also, Lisa or Sasha usually answered the door. He knocked on the door and waited for someone to open it, Sasha was the one that answered. "Hey Freddie, come on in," Sasha said while smiling at her cousin. Freddie nodded and entered, he saw Sam sitting on the couch, she glanced up and smiled at him. Sasha quickly left the room. Sam slowly stood up and walked over to Freddie, but he stared at her with his arms crossed.

"Well, as I'm sure Carly will tell you tomorrow, we got in trouble," Freddie stated. He sighed and shifted his eyes toward the side. "I forgot to bypass the school's security system and so the government came by. We got out of it by Carly giving away her microwave." Sam frowned and looked toward the ground.

"I'm sorry, Freddie," Sam said in a quiet voice. Freddie sighed softly and smiled at Sam.

"Hey, don't worry about it, I'm not mad." Sam looked up and raised her eyebrow. "I just wish you wouldn't have done what you did. Now there isn't anyway to fix it and Carly is 'Miss Guilt' so to speak." Freddie chuckled and pulled Sam into a hug.

"So…you're not angry with me?"

"No, I couldn't be angry with you." Freddie gently kissed Sam's forehead and smiled. "Although I think Carly's going to break down eventually. Tomorrow is iCarly, we'll see how she's holding up then, okay."

"Yeah, but maybe I should tell the truth…"

"It's okay Sam, you're still in the clear. Just tell you what, don't do something like this again, and all will be fine." Sam smiled and wrapped her arms around Freddie while placing her head on his chest.

"You're so forgiving…"

"Well of course, you're my bride to be, and I love you. I probably shouldn't be putting us at risk by visiting you while under Tyrone's watch, but I think its fine for now."

"Stay with me for a bit longer?"

"Always, you don't even have to ask." Sam smiled and Freddie kissed her forehead once more. They would have to see what happened the next day, hopefully Carly would manage, but she probably wouldn't.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed that chapter. It seems Carly knows about Freddie's culture now and Tyrone's still around somewhere, that's a troubling thought. Drop a review.


	40. Trip to Nebraska

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Chapter 40 (Trip to Nebraska)

"This is it!" Sam said in a quick and cheerful voice. The day came when Freddie would make good on the anniversary trip to the camping resort. Freddie was leaving at two in the afternoon. She couldn't leave at the same time as he did, so she was leaving a few hours later. Colonel Morgan had a private jet ready for both of them. Carly had also been told that Sam would be visiting relatives while Freddie went to a week long class on why hacking was wrong.

Sam bounded out of the bedroom and into the living room where Sasha and Lisa were. The two women were going to help her pack all her things that she needed. Of course, she was extremely nervous, she had never been on a plane ride in her life. If it wasn't for Tyrone, she would be flying with Freddie. Sadly, she would have to wait until she was in Nebraska to see him. "I'm happy and scared at the same time, I wish Freddie was able to go with me." Sasha nodded and Lisa smiled at Sam, it was understandable.

"I know, but at least you'll see him soon," Lisa said as she gave Sam a hug. There were so many fears, including if one plane crashed and the other didn't. Of course, in the end of the day, she was going to be extremely happy to see Freddie. Lisa would be the adult going with them, so she'd be leaving with Sam. Freddie would be riding in the private plane on his own, even though everyone was sure he wouldn't be truly alone. Tyrone was still spying on them, and they hated it. Nobody liked Tyrone, why would they?

"Colonel Morgan said Tyrone wouldn't be able to be there, so I'm glad. Yet, I still think Tyrone may manage to sneak by the military and somehow follow us, so I'm hoping that's not the case." Lisa nodded and Sasha started checking Sam's clothing for any blemishes that needed to be removed. "I think I look fine, don't you?" Sasha shrugged and started brushing some of the makeup that Sam was wearing. Sam didn't put on a lot of makeup, but just enough to look prettier than she usually did, even if Freddie said she was already attractive without the makeup on, no matter how she looked.

"We want to make sure you look perfect for Freddie," Sasha said with a smile. "Yet, you look perfect already." Sam blushed lightly and smiled.

"Yeah, we've just spent the entire day trying to put on makeup and all, so I think I look good enough for Freddie, don't you?" Sam walked toward a mirror in the living room and stared at herself. "Maybe I _could_ use a bit more." She moved her eyes up and down and frowned. "My hair could use a little extra brushing and perhaps some more curling. Do my eyes look nice?" Sasha and Lisa glanced at each other and then laughed. Sam turned around and raised her eyebrow. "What?" The women shrugged and smiled.

"You look perfect," Sasha said while giving Sam a hug. "Anyway, I think we're done fixing you up, let's talk for a bit." A knock was heard on the door and Lisa went to answer it. Valerie stepped in and grinned.

"I just had to come say goodbye," Valerie said while rushing over to Sam and giving her a huge hug. Sam grunted as Valerie squeezed on her.

"Valerie, you're crushing me. I'm coming back at the end of the week, you know." Valerie chuckled and stepped back to look at her friend.

"Girl, you look beautiful. Jonah and I are going to miss you." Sam nodded and gave her friend a subtle smile, she would miss them also.

"I'm going to miss you too. We'll be sure to send you postcards and stuff…though not through the mail since it could be intercepted by Tyrone."

"I hate him." Valerie narrowed her eyes and her voice tone stiffened. Sam laughed and gave a nod. The other women bared their teeth as well.

"Yeah, he's annoying, but there's really nothing we can do about it."

"True…so tell me, what happened with the whole hacking thing?"

"Carly couldn't take it anymore and so she told Spencer. I was actually about to break on my own, but I didn't. Freddie didn't want me to get into any trouble, so he went to tell Principal Franklin that he changed the grades, then Carly went in…Of course, I didn't know they did that and I went in to tell him that I did it. He believed me and let us off with a warning and whatnot." Valerie gave a soft sigh of relief, she'd hate for Sam to get in trouble.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't get into a _huge_ amount of trouble." Sam nodded and glanced over at the clock, it was only four more hours until she was going to be able to leave. With each passing minute, she grew more anxious and nervous about the ride and the wait. Freddie would be waiting for her at the airport, so she knew she wouldn't miss him. Yet, the wait was going to feel like forever.

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie stepped out of a car and looked toward the airport, it wasn't long now. His friend Jonah stepped next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. Jonah would have liked to go to Nebraska with Freddie and Sam, Valerie wanted to go also, but this was supposed to be their time. Sam and Freddie actually offered for them to come, they knew their friends actually wanted to go. Their parents even offered to let them go. All they had to do was say they wanted to go, and they would be going to Nebraska with their friends.

It literally was a vacation of a lifetime for them, and they were being offered to go. On the ride to the airport, Freddie constantly reminded Jonah that he and Valerie were free to go and would not be in the way. They expected to have plenty of fun at the camping resort. Pitching a tent would be needed, and then they would have the sleeping bags as well, unless Sam and Freddie chose to cuddle together.

"This is it," Freddie said with a slight smile. Jonah nodded and glanced over, the military was everywhere. No doubt they didn't know why they were guarding Freddie and Sam till they made their way onto the plane, but they didn't need to know. All they needed to know was they needed to keep Tyrone away. "You know, all you have to do is tell your dad you want to go, and you can come with us. You and Valerie both know that." Freddie looked to his friend and Jonah shrugged. "Seriously, you might not get this opportunity again, and Sam really wants her friend to come and have fun also. She says it'd be fun, but as a group, it'd be even greater."

"Well, you know that as much as I would like to, I don't want to get in the way," Jonah responded. He probably would go if Valerie said she wanted to go, and she hadn't said she wanted to go with them. "Not only that, but it is your anniversary. Well, the first year anniversary of you two being together, so I don't think it would be right that we're there to keep you from enjoying it." Freddie smiled and rolled his eyes, he was glad that his friend was that concerned, but he and Sam had both discussed how it wouldn't be a problem. They thought it'd be great if they came along.

"Well Jonah, it is your choice. I'm not going to force you to go along with us or anything, but I do think it'd be a good treat for you to take your girlfriend along." Jonah nodded and tapped his chin lightly. "Sam and I will definitely miss you guys. I'm sure you're missing out on something." Jonah smiled and patted Freddie on the back.

"Thanks again for the offer, but I'll have to respectfully d-" Jonah's phone started ringing, so he checked it. Valerie was calling him. He answered it and grinned. "What's up, Valerie, aren't you with Sam? You are, yeah…She did?" Jonah raised his eyebrow and Freddie glanced over. "Oh, you're serious? Are you absolutely sure? You will? You are…okay, just nothing weird looking." Freddie's eyebrows rose and he glanced over at the airport. "Okay sure, sure, I'll tell him." Jonah hung up the phone and smirked as he looked to Freddie. "Well, Valerie said that Sam managed to convince Valerie how fun it be to go with you guys, so she wants to go."

"Oh, well that's great! Trust me, you guys will have a great time. I'm sure we all will. Just tell your dad that you and Valerie will be going and let's get moving, I'm not sure how long the pilot will wait." Jonah chuckled and nodded as he moved to the car. He started talking to his dad and told him that Valerie said she was going to drop by and pack his things. Freddie started walking toward the airport and smirked. "Hey Jonah, hurry up or I'm leaving without you! The sooner we go, the sooner we see the girls."

"Hey!" Jonah quickly parted with his father and ran to catch up with Freddie. Freddie glanced over as Jonah stared ahead. "Valerie's going to pack my clothes with Mom, so I'm a little afraid of what I'm going to end up wearing for the week." Freddie laughed and Jonah gave a small sigh. "That isn't funny, she thinks I look cute in my lesser good looking clothes. I don't look cute, I don't _do_ _cute_." Freddie shook his head and sighed.

"Well, it's what the girls want, right?" Jonah nodded his head and looked forward as he and Freddie entered the airport. They were clear to walk directly toward the airplane, so they did. After all, it was a private jet, they didn't need much. Once they made it to the jet, they found the pilot standing erect and giving them a subtle nod. "Just think, in a few hours, we'll be seeing the girls. This is going to be perfect, we'll just set everything up and get prepared."

"When the girls get there, do you think we should offer them some smores and campfire stories?" Freddie nodded his head in return and stepped onto the stairs leading into the plane. Jonah and the pilot followed quickly after. They made their way to their seats and watched as the pilot moved towards the cockpit. "Hopefully the girls will have fun this week." Freddie nodded and Jonah leaned back in his chair.

"If the girls aren't happy, then we're not happy." Freddie stood up and put all of his luggage into the luggage department, then sat back down. The plane took off and Jonah glanced out the window, he enjoyed seeing the airport becoming smaller. Within minutes, they were thousands of miles off the ground. Jonah found a magazine in the back of one of the seats, so he began reading it. Freddie thought he heard someone sneeze from another area of the plane, so he quickly stood up. "Hold on, Jonah. I thought I heard something."

"Yeah, I heard it too…I think it might have been nothing important. We're on this plane for a while, we might as well sit back and relax. You know what I want to do most? I would love diving to the bottom of a lake, but that could be dangerous..." Freddie nodded and closed his eyes, he was pretty tired from all the excitement. Soon, the rumble of the plane lulled him to sleep. It would take about three hours to get to Nebraska, the state was also two hours ahead of the current time. This meant the current time on their watches would be two in the afternoon, in Nebraska it was currently 4 PM on May 9th. They would arrive in Nebraska when their watches said it was five in the afternoon, making it exactly seven in the evening.

"We're arriving when it's my anniversary with Sam," Freddie said while opening his eyes. "We'll have to set everything up for them, we want nothing going wrong." Jonah nodded and Freddie looked around. "How long have I been asleep for?"

"Two out of three hours…"

"Okay, just make sure to get all the rest you need _now_, because we want to be fully prepared to greet the girls when they arrive."

"Yeah, nothing should go wrong, because we don't want to upset our beloved women." Freddie chuckled lightly and gave a brief nod of agreement.

"True. You'll be lucky that Colonel Morgan is going to pay for-" Another sound was heard, but this time it was like a loud snoring sound. "I'll be right back, Jonah." Freddie slowly stood up and walked into another section of the plane, he crossed his arms and sighed when he saw Tyrone sleeping in one of the seats. He smirked and leaned close to Tyrone's ear. "Hey old man, wake up!" Tyrone shouted and jumped out of his seat. He stared at Freddie and blinked. "Guess what, we're going sky diving!"

"Where are you going on your trip to, Benson?" Tyrone asked as he recovered. Freddie rolled his eyes and sighed, he figured Tyrone might be wondering about that. At least he didn't know. "Well, where are you meeting your wife at?"

"Actually, that's the funny thing, we're stopping here." Tyrone raised his eyebrow and Freddie quickly grabbed onto a parachute from under the seat. "We're sky diving. After that, I intend to meet my bride in South Africa!"

"Okay…" Freddie took another parachute and put it on Tyrone.

"Come with me, Gramps." Freddie led Tyrone to the door of the plane and opened it. "Just remember, pull the strap."

"Huh?" Freddie quickly shoved Tyrone out the door, he smirked as he heard the man shout. "I'll get you for this, Benson! You and your little bride too!" Freddie placed his hands to his mouth and shouted.

"Pull the parachute cord! If you lose it, you can have this one!" Freddie took off his parachute and tossed it out of the plane. He watched as Tyrone's parachute opened up. "Freak…" He closed the door and turned around to see Jonah.

"Was that just Tyrone that you sent out?" Jonah asked as he raised his eyebrow.

"Yes. Once he lands, he'll probably search for me in Africa, but we'll be partying with the girls at our camping resort." Jonah laughed lightly and nodded as he and Freddie went back to their seats. At least they wouldn't have to worry about Tyrone.

* * *

Yes, you just have to love Freddie pushing Tyrone out of the plane. At first I wanted this to be a trip to Japan, but I went against that idea when I realized that an episode of iCarly was coming on that had the trio going to Japan. Hope you liked this chapter.


	41. Arriving at the Resort

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 41 (Arriving at the Resort)

Freddie felt himself being shoved around, so he opened his eyes and glanced over at his friend. "Hey are you awake yet? We're here!" Jonah exclaimed. Freddie sat up and stretched as he yawned. "So, do you know what resort Colonel Morgan booked us in?" Freddie nodded and stood up to pull his items from his luggage container. "Oh, and the girls should arrive in about three hours."

"Awesome, can't wait to see them. Colonel Morgan's fortunately paying for everything involving the cost of the stay and other expenses, so that's good. The resort basically is a private area where we have a certain campsite reserved for our own needs." Freddie took the luggage bags and the two walked off of the plane, they glanced over and spotted a shuttle waiting to take them to the campsite. "I think we have the secluded area closest to the lake, try not to drown before the girls arrive, buddy." Jonah laughed and walked with Freddie to the bus.

"You know what? I'm going to have to find a time to get back at you for that statement." Freddie laughed and shrugged as they took a seat on the shuttle, they were pretty much the only people there. "Have you ever seen Sam in a bathing suit? I think I've seen Valerie _once_." Freddie chuckled and Jonah glanced out the window.

"Yeah, Sam has a couple nice bathing suits. I wonder which one she'll bring on the trip." Jonah shrugged and glanced over at Freddie.

"You know, you and Sam should get married at a campsite!" Freddie raised his eyebrows and slowly shook his head.

"We're not getting married until we're twenty, Jonah. There's plenty of time to think on it, but I'd rather not think about _that_ right _now_."

"I know, but I'm just saying. It would be nice to see." Freddie laughed and rested his head back on the seat. He closed his eyes and Jonah read out of a camper's guide, it was not long before the shuttle came to a stop at the resort. Jonah lifted his head and saw Freddie sleeping; he sighed and nudged his friend. "Get up, we're here." Freddie moaned and stood up from his seat. He and Jonah grabbed all the luggage and made their way off of the bus. "I'm guessing you stayed up all night, getting ready." Jonah smirked and Freddie gave a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, but can you blame me? Sam and I have been looking forward to this trip for too long! Now we're finally getting some time alone, without worries, and without a certain person getting in the way." He smirked and Jonah laughed and nodded his head, Tyrone was a major problem. "Okay, so we just have to go in that building there." Freddie pointed to a large building and tilted his head, it looked like a log cabin. "The people in there will tell us where our camping area is."

"Right." Freddie and Sam entered the building, it smelled like maple. They walked toward the front desk and saw a female woman smiling at them.

"Welcome to our fine resort," The lady said while holding her grin. She figured they were the guests that Colonel Morgan called in. "You must be Mr. Benson, and this is your associate, Mr. Brown? We received a call from one Colonel Morgan stating that you two would be here awaiting the arrival of your lady friends." Freddie nodded and the woman started typing onto a computer. "Okay, we will bring a car around for you and your equipment, they will take you to the area that you are registered at." Jonah gave a slight nod and looked over at Freddie with a grin.

"Well Freddie, you heard the lady, let's get moving." Jonah said while patting his friend on the back. "Just try not to fall asleep, the girls are coming in a few hours." Freddie chuckled and shook his head while exiting the cabin. "You've been falling asleep all over the place!" He couldn't help it if he was tired, he wanted to make sure everything was right before leaving. Of course, Sam was the one that kept telling him not to forget anything.

"Well I bet Valerie didn't make you have to get all the packing done right," Freddie said in a mocking tone. Jonah deadpanned and looked over as a cab parked in front of them. They entered the cab and the driver looked back. "Freddie Benson and Jonah Brown, please take us to the campsite. Our girlfriends are going to accompany us." The man nodded and started up the car, the engine roared and drove toward the campsite. It was a few minutes away from the main cabin, but it would definitely be worth it. After the car ride, the man stopped and glanced back at his passengers.

"Here you are, please enjoy your stay," the man said with a smile.

"Thank you," Freddie replied. He and Jonah grabbed the items and exited the car, they would still have to walk a little bit further in order to reach their actual campsite, since it was a ways off from the road.

"I'd ask if you wanted to race, but this stuff could be heavy…Are you _sure_ all this is just clothes?" Jonah asked as he looked at the suitcases he was holding. Freddie had a bag with the tent and camping gear. He laughed and started walking at a fast pace. "What? Hey! Wait up!" Jonah quickly started walking and Freddie glanced over at him. "What? Are you going to tell me I need to keep up with you, or something? I can probably do anything better than you!" Freddie laughed again and Jonah sighed. "I could try!"

"I think there's a rocky Cliffside nearby, maybe we can try climbing up the wall. I bet I could beat you _easily_." Jonah laughed and Freddie raised his eyebrow, that sounded like an answer to a challenge. "By the way, that was a challenge from me to you."

"Yeah, I figured. I could still beat you!"

"No, you couldn't." Freddie gave a dangerous smirk and Jonah smirked back, thinking of something devious. "What are you up to?"

"Let's have a race."

"What?" Jonah started to run, though being held back by the stuff he was carrying. "Hey, don't drop that stuff!" Freddie then broke into a run, catching up with Jonah.

"Damn man, how are you catching up with me? You have one tent and all the supplies in your hands, it should be weighing you down!"

"No more than that stuff in your hands is weighing you down."

"Touche…we better have a real race sometime this week."

"I'd say a daily morning jog works out nicely, wouldn't you agree?" Jonah nodded and the two eventually made it to the area they had to be in, they could see a sign with the camp number on it. The boys stopped running and started to pant. "Well, it was a good run. I say we get this tent set up and get finish whatever else we need to do."

"Yeah, I'm with you on that one, dude. I'm guessing you're putting your suitcase in the tent."

"Yeah, we don't want to leave our stuff outside, that could be a problem." Jonah nodded and the two glanced at the campsite, it was beautiful. There were trees on one side, a large rocky mountain on the other, and a huge lake right in front of them. It would also be the perfect spot to see the sunset.

"Wow, we really got a nice spot here…" Freddie grinned and carried the tent to the center area of the site, Jonah quickly followed after. "Okay, so to put up the tent, we just need those spikes and a hammer. This shouldn't be too hard!"

"Have you ever put up a tent in your life?"

"No, have you?"

"I've studied up on how to do it…if that's good enough." Jonah laughed and Freddie started to unfold the tent. Jonah pulled out the spikes and a hammer, then turned to stare at the object on the ground.

"What are we waiting for? Let's spike this thing!" Freddie raised his eyebrow as Jonah positioned the spike above the fabric.

"I don't believe that's how you do it. Just put the spikes down and let's unfold this thing!" Jonah set the spikes on the ground and the two began to unfold the tent. "Okay, where are those pole things?" Freddie turned to a bag and started looking through it, finally finding the poles to push through the tent. It looked like it was all tangled up. "Well, this will be good practice for when we put up the girl's tent."

"Yeah, I agree." The boys started working on the tent, goofing off every now and then. They finally finished, but only after about an hour of trying to pitch the tent. "Well, that was hard labor, but we got it done!" Freddie nodded and wiped his brow, it had been rough. "I wish we had a basketball or something, we could definitely toss it around." Freddie raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms while glancing over at the rock formation nearby, he smirked and turned his head back to Jonah.

"Hey, you remember that challenge of yours? Come on, let's see who can get to the top of that cliff first!"

"Hah! You're on!" The boys ran toward the rocky cliff and started climbing it. It was more like a mountain than a completely vertical wall, so they didn't have to worry about falling straight down, just tripping and rolling down the hill. It was a pretty high one as well, so they should have packed a bottle of water. "Maybe after this, we'll go and rent a boat for the week." Jonah was behind Freddie and trying to catch up, but he just wasn't that fast.

"Yeah, maybe we will. By the way, I see you're still eating my dust!" Freddie laughed and Jonah gave a slight growl.

"Oh don't worry, I'm catching up!"

"Yeah, about a inch per minute!" Jonah sighed and picked up the pace, trying to catch up with Freddie. Soon, they had climbed for about thirty minutes, and in the end it was Freddie that made it to the top first. Jonah made it to the top only five seconds after. Freddie laughed and did a single cheer. "Hah, who is the king of the mountain! That's right, it's me!"

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up Benson. One day, you'll be eating _my_ dust!"

"In a lifetime, my friend." Freddie patted Jonah's back and glanced over at a nearby forest, there seemed to be a hiking trail in it. "Hey, what do you say we kill time by going for a jog in that trail?"

"Yeah sure, why not." They started on the trail and began to jog, keeping pace with each other, but still competing as if it were a race. In about thirty minutes, they made it out and wound up at the main cabin. "Oh cool, we can rent a boat here."

"Yeah, and Colonel Morgan has it on his tab. What do we want, a canoe or a motorboat?"

"I say a motorboat. For one, it's big enough to fit us all, and it won't sink very easily." Freddie tapped his chin and nodded, it made sense to him.

"Okay, a motorboat it is!" The two went inside and asked to rent out a motorboat for the week, they gave their number and were told that the boat would be delivered to them shortly. They made their way back to camp afterwards and glanced over at a round circle of stones.

"I say we build a campfire."

"I agree, we should have one for when the girls arrive. Also, you see that grill over there…" Freddie pointed to the grill and grinned. "We can cook some hotdogs and hamburgers."

"Why do I get the feeling if we cook hotdogs, there is going to be a lot of innuendo?" Freddie laughed and shrugged as the two walked toward the pile of rocks. "Okay, so let's get this thing started if we can." It didn't take long to get the fire started, and by the time the fire was started, the camp had delivered the motorboat and got to work on putting it near the shore.

"Well, we got the fire…the boat…now all we need are the girls." Freddie smiled and lay back on the grass, placing his hands behind his head. Jonah smiled and looked down the road, the girls should be hitting the campsite soon. "Until then, I guess we can make jokes and stuff. Or we could think of some ghost stories to tell, particularly ones that will have the girls huddling close to us." Freddie smirked and Jonah let out a laugh, that sounded pretty good to him.

"I'd say it sounds like a plan." They went on to talk for a while, they were getting bored and anxious to see Sam and Valerie. I wasn't until they saw a pair of headlights that they saw the girls exiting from the cab. Sam, Valerie, and Lisa all walked over to the fire, Sam had a smirk on her face.

"Wow, you actually started a fire, I'm proud of you," Sam remarked. Freddie gave a deadpan laugh as Sam grabbed his hand and pulled him up. "Here I thought it was Spencer that was the Pyro."

"It's good to see you too, Sam," Freddie said as he placed his hands on Sam's waist and smirked. Sam chuckled lightly and gave him a kiss on the lips. Valerie walked over to Jonah and smiled at him.

"It's been a long day," Valerie said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I am glad to see you."

"You too, Valerie," Jonah replied. He and Valerie looked over to see Sam and Freddie kissing passionately.

"They're so passionate with each other, even in greeting." She turned her head and gazed into Jonah's eyes. "Of course, so are we." She lifted her head and kissed Jonah, he returned the kiss with passion. They stayed like that until they felt someone tapping them.

"Hey Valerie, we need to help Lisa pitch the tent," Sam said while smiling at her friend. Valerie blinked and looked over at Lisa as the woman pulled out the girls' tent.

"Oh yeah!" Freddie smirked and walked over to Jonah.

"You just couldn't wait to get the kissing done, could you?" Freddie asked while slowly shaking his head.

"Oh, like you weren't involved in a lip lock and participating in tongue warfare, either!" Jonah protested. Valerie snickered and Sam merely blushed, Freddie didn't seem to know how to respond to that.

"Hey girls, I could use your help," Lisa said as she glanced over. "I'm sure you don't mind me borrowing your girlfriends for a minute, guys."

"Nah, we're good!" Freddie answered. "We could put up the tent for you, we did ours. It wasn't that hard."

"Let me guess," Sam started while tapping her chin lightly. "It took you about an hour to do that tent?"

"Yeah, but we're real men, so that was pretty fast." Freddie crossed his arms and stood in a proud and triumphant pose. Sam laughed lightly and walked over to her tent.

"I'm sure…Just watch us, boys. Let the girls show you how to do it."

"Ha, don't make us laugh! I bet it'd take you two hours to do that!"

"Oh, is that so? Well if that's the case…" Sam tapped her chin and looked toward the lake, smirking. "Losers have to swim in the lake stark naked!" Jonah laughed and hit Freddie on the chest lightly. Freddie smirked and nodded.

"Okay, we'll take that bet."

"Suit yourself, boys." Freddie and Jonah crossed their arms and watched as the girls started pitching their tent. It took them about fifteen to twenty minutes to get it done. The girls chuckled and patted their hands together.

"Jonah?"

"Yeah, Freddie?" Jonah replied.

"What just happened?" Lisa put a closed hand to her mouth and coughed.

"I've camped out since I was a little girl," Lisa said while crossing her arms and smirking. "I've also taken Sasha camping since she was a girl." Jonah and Freddie looked at each other with shock and then over to the girls, they had wide smirks on their faces.

"Okay boys, take it off!" Valerie called out, clapping once.

"You know the drill, you lost," Sam said while walking toward Freddie and patting him on the shoulder.

"Aw man," they responded. The boys sighed and walked toward the lake, pulling off their clothes in the process and staying a safe distance away from each other. The girls merely cheered and gave catcalls, it was going to be a fun week.

* * *

Hah, the boys seemed to lose out on that one. Great chapter for the guy time between Freddie and Jonah, then they have to lose to the girls. Poor guys, Lisa knew how to pitch a tent. Well drop a review!

* * *


	42. A Perfect Anniversary

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 42 (A Perfect Anniversary)

The next morning was May 10th. Freddie woke up and glanced at his watch, it was currently six in the morning, he was probably the first person to wake. He glanced over at the other side of the tent and saw that Jonah was still in his sleeping bag, there would be no reason to wake him.

He crawled from his sleeping bag and started to exchange his clothes, he then opened the tent and exited. It was a beautiful morning and the air was crisp. "Good morning!" A voice said. Freddie blinked and turned around to see Lisa doing some aerobics. "I thought you all would sleep until noon."

"No, this is the one year anniversary that Sam and I have been dating, I've been looking forward to this day for too long," Freddie answered as he gave a smile. "I'm kind of nervous, though. I don't think I actually managed to get a gift…" Lisa raised her eyebrow and chuckled as she bent down and grabbed her ankle.

"What do you call this? This is a gift all its own. You're out here in the wilderness, sort of, and with Sam. I'm fixing to go on a jog, so you and Sam have this day to yourselves." Lisa sighed and stood straight, placing her hands on her hips. "Also, gifts are nice, but what really makes a girl happy is just spending the day of their anniversary with the one they love. You should know, Sam is a simple girl, this is perfect for her." Freddie smiled and glanced over at the tent.

"Thanks Aunt Lisa. Do you know where the sun is going to rise from?"

"Yeah, it's actually in the direction of my jog." Lisa pointed her thumb toward the hiking trail and grinned. "I've camped out here before, and let me tell you, this is the best campsite area that you can get. Down that hiking trail is a little area that has a bench overlooking a cliff that goes down and meets part of the lake…From there that bench, you can catch a perfect view of the sunrise. I recommend taking Sam there in the next thirty minutes."

"You think I should wake her?"

"For the sunrise…" Lisa smiled and crossed her arms. "Yes, yes I do. It is the most beautiful sight around here, and Sam would not want to miss it. Now, I have to get started on the jog, so I'll see you kids later!" Lisa turned and waved as she started jogging down the trail, Freddie gave a small smile and turned toward the girls' tent. He zipped down the zipper and carefully entered the tent, he could see Sam sleeping peacefully in her sleeping bag. She looked so beautiful, he just didn't want to wake her.

"Sam," Freddie whispered as he placed his hand on her arm. "Angel, wake up." Sam's eyes shifted and slowly opened, she looked into his eyes and her lips curled into a smile. "Good morning, sleeping beauty."

"Hey Freddie," Sam replied. Freddie smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "What time is it?"

"It's actually six in the morning, but there is something you have to see, so you need to get up. Try not to wake Valerie, though. Can you get dressed in at least ten minutes?"

"Yeah, I can do that." Freddie kissed Sam's forehead and slowly made his way out of the tent. In about five minutes, Sam was out of the tent and holding two granola bars. She smiled at Freddie and walked over to him. "Here, it's breakfast, Trail Mix."

"Thanks." Freddie took one of the granola bars and opened the wrapper. "Anyway, come follow me." He took Sam's hand in his and led her down the hiking trail. She took a bite of her granola bar and glanced around at the nature surrounding her, it was beautiful. Soon, they came to the open area that Lisa spoke of, and there they could see the beautiful colors of the sky and the beautiful sun coming up.

"Wow…" Freddie gently squeezed her hand and led her to the bench, they sat down and cuddled next to each other. "Freddie, this is amazing. I've never seen anything like it…" The sky was orange and the clouds looked slightly pink, but the sun simply looked like a glowing ball in the air. "This just takes my breath away." She rested her head on Freddie's shoulder and he smiled at her.

"You take my breath away. Happy Anniversary, I love you." Sam closed her eyes and cuddled closer to him. "I know I don't have much of a gift-"

"This is all I need, Freddie. I love you, happy anniversary." Sam kissed his cheek and rested her head back on his shoulder. They heard a click and quickly turned their heads to see Lisa with a camera. "Lisa, what are you doing?"

"Well, I thought you'd want to preserve this moment, perhaps scrapbook it," Lisa said while smiling. "It was supposed to be a surprise, but you caught me. Valerie suggested we scrapbook this week for you guys. She and Jonah wanted to make a photo album of this week's vacation."

"Oh, well we will act surprised then." Lisa smiled and nodded as she returned to her route. Sam looked over at Freddie and gave a single chuckle. "I wonder just when we're going to end up being photographed without knowing."

"Probably several times," Freddie said as he gave a chaste kiss onto Sam's lips. They returned to view the sunrise and stayed in their position until seven rolled around. "I would love to spend all day here, but we probably should head back to camp. Jonah and I rented that motorboat, how would you like to go on a ride with me?"

"That sounds like fun!"

"Oh, it will be. With you, I'm sure it'll be fun." Sam blushed and the two stood up and walked down the path, hand in hand. They returned to the camp to find Valerie and Jonah giving each other a morning hug. Freddie smirked and tilted his head to the side. "Hey lovebirds, did you finally wake up?" Jonah and Valerie looked to their friends and chuckled lightly.

"Hey, don't worry about us," Jonah stated while patting Freddie on the back. "This day is all about you and Sam having a good time. We are going to stay out of your way and let you have fun."

"You're not going to spy on us, are you?" Freddie raised his eyebrow suspiciously and Jonah gave a slight laugh.

"Why would we do that? There's no spying at all! Come on Valerie, let's run!" Valerie nodded and the two took off. Sam placed her hand to her mouth and laughed as Freddie watched the direction that the two ran off in.

"I'm betting they each have a camera and will be taking snapshots of us…"

"Well, I think it'll be sweet and surprising to see how many photos we can have," Sam said while taking Freddie's hands and standing on her toes to kiss his lips. They heard a snapping sound from nearby and sighed.

"You're right, it'll be nice to see what they catch." Sam smiled and tapped Freddie's nose with her finger.

"I believe you promised something about a boat ride." Freddie smirked and took her by the hand, leading her toward the boat. She saw the boat and chuckled, it was a pretty good sized boat. "Freddie, does this make you a rugged sailor, now?"

"Well, if being a rugged sailor and a boyfriend to you is what pleases you, then fine." Sam giggled as Freddie climbed onto the boat. He reached down and grabbed Sam's hand, pulling her up and into his arms. "Hey beautiful, I'll try to refrain from using a sailor's mouth. Some things must never grace your sweet ears." He smirked and Sam rolled her eyes while smiling. "Now, let's see if we can get this boat working." Freddie looked to where the key was and started to reach for it, opening the clasp around it. It fell on his finger and pinched him, causing him to shout out.

"Oh dear, did you hurt yourself already, dork?" Freddie held his finger and sighed as Sam took his hand in hers, she looked at his finger and smiled. "I think it will be okay." She looked into Freddie's eyes and lifted her hand, cupping his cheek. She smiled at him and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "Does that make it any better? Though, I shouldn't reward a sailor mouth…"

"I think it works just fine, now let's get this boat on the water." Sam nodded and gripped the edges of the boat as Freddie started it up and let the boat run into the lake. "Listen to that baby purr." Sam laughed at that and shook her head, it was cute to hear him talk like that. "Now, maybe the other baby can purr?" Sam raised her eyebrow and felt Freddie stand behind her and wrap his arms around her stomach.

"Freddie…" Sam felt him gently brush her hair away with his face and start kissing her neck. He began to tickle her by tracing his kisses downward and sent shivers running through her body. She sighed and her eyes fluttered slightly. "Oh…Freddie…"

"I love you, Sam." He pressed her closer against his body and started to trail his kisses up her neck and behind her ear. Her grip on the edge of the boat tightened and her lips parted, letting a moan escape her mouth. "Nobody else can have you."

"No one ever will, you're the only one for me." Sam turned around and looked into Freddie's eyes. Freddie moved her to the end of the boat and started kissing beneath her chin as she placed her hands on the flat surface of the boat and tilted her head back, breathing out while he continued the journey with his lips. At this moment, they didn't even care if Jonah, Valerie, and Lisa were watching or taking pictures. Sam exhaled and wrapped her arms around Freddie's neck as he lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. Both of them were panting from the kiss escapade, and Sam was still dying for more. Freddie smirked and moved toward her lips, stopping just inches away. "Freddie!" Sam whined as he pulled back. He held his smirk and looked to the side. "Aren't you going to kiss me?"

"Well, let me see…" Freddie looked to Sam and his smirk grew. "Have you been good?"

"Yes, I've been good."

"You haven't done anything bad or naughty?"

"You're the one that pushed Tyrone from the plane, making him sky dive."

"Oh, I suppose so." Freddie moved toward her lips and stopped mere centimeters away. Sam shuddered with anticipation as he slowly breathed out, she could feel his breath hitting her lips and entering through the parted area. "I don't know, how much do you want this kiss?" Sam whimpered and felt him pressing his body against hers, he was killing her.

"I want it."

"How badly do you want it?"

"Badly…" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam leaned forward, but missed when he pulled his head back, keeping his lips centimeters away.

"I'm not sure I'm satisfied. You don't seem like you want it all that much."

"Oh please, I want it."

"How much?"

"As much as I love you…"

"Are you willing to shout it to the world?" Sam nodded and Freddie smirked. "Then shout it to the world."

"Seriously?"

"Yes." Sam smiled and tilted her head back, laughing when she felt Freddie start to kiss her neckline.

"Freddie!" Her arms lowered to his back and she shouted out with pleasure as he continued his kisses. "I'M IN LOVE WITH MY BOYFRIEND, FREDDIE BENSON!" It was plenty loud. Freddie stopped his kisses and lifted his head, impressed with the intensity of her shout, she gazed into his eyes and smirked. "Well, how was that?"

"I'd say it was more than I expected, let me join." Sam raised her eyebrow as Freddie took a deep breath. "I'M IN LOVE WITH SAM PUCKETT!" Sam laughed and gasped as Freddie quickly kissed her lips and held her close. She moaned as the kiss deepened and grew more passionate.

"Oh Freddie…" Sam moved her hands back and placed them on the flat surface, tilting back as he continued to kiss her. It felt good to scream out their feelings as they did, they wouldn't have been able to do that in Seattle. After a little bit of time, they stopped kissing and just held each other in their arms. "That was great…I felt so free during that moment."

"Yeah, we don't have to worry about Tyrone, Carly, or anyone else out here. Either way, let's get back to steering this boat." Sam looked past Freddie and saw them nearing the other side of the lake, she chuckled lightly and pointed.

"Yeah, we're getting close to the shore." Freddie looked back and his eyes widened, they were getting too close. He quickly leapt toward the boat and turned the steering device around, making the boat turn. Sam laughed and sat down on the back of the boat, watching as the man she loved controlled it. She brushed her hand through her hair and felt the wind breezing through, this was probably the best she felt in a long time. _"If he does this for this anniversary, I wonder what he'll do next year…and then when we get married."_ She smiled and turned her head around, looking into the sky and then at the campsite. The whole day was going to be spent between only them and some with their best friends; truly, it was going to be perfect.

* * *

Well I hope you liked that chapter, please drop a review on my way, I'll be happy if you do and I'll dance a jig! Well, maybe I won't do that, but leave a review if you please.


	43. Returning Home

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 43 (Returning Home)

The week went by pretty quickly, but there were a lot of memories that the group shared. There was the time they pushed Lisa into the water, and then the time when Lisa got revenge by burning the hotdogs for lunch. Sam and Valerie later made comments about how the burnt and shriveled hotdogs might match their boyfriends, both Freddie and Jonah were pale for the rest of that day.

There had been several times where both couples had to watch what they were doing, since they were free from civilization, they were at risk for going too far. Sam even had a talk with Lisa about it, but it ended up being just fine, as she explained it to be hormones. Sam had to admit, on the day of the anniversary, she and Freddie both felt like they were about to take it too far while on the boat. Lisa had to explain that sometimes things just got heated to that point, and they just needed to know when to stop.

Now as the week ended, it was already time to go home, and of course, none of them really wanted to. Thankfully, Colonel Morgan said that Robert last heard from Tyrone that he was in Africa. That meant Sam and Freddie could return on the same plane, especially since they had their best friends with them. No one would suspect them of being together, but then, nobody they knew was going to see them. All they had to do was rest up and get back home.

The flight home was pretty relaxing, the two couples pretty much sat and cuddled close to each other for most of the ride. Of course, they did change up their seating every now and then. At some parts, the girls sat together and the boys sat together, then sometimes someone would sit with Lisa. They joked and had fun for most of the trip back, but at some parts they were sad because the freedom would have to die down. Sam and Freddie would have to go back to pretending to hate each other and act as though they were not two couples very much in love with one another.

With just thirty minutes left to go on the plane ride, Jonah, Valerie, and Lisa disappeared. Sam and Freddie shrugged it off and gazed out the window, figuring their friends were probably off talking about something privately. "We're so high up," Sam said as she placed her hand on the window and looked downward. "The clouds look so beautiful up here. I don't think I've ever felt so comfortable flying on a plane as I do now." Freddie smiled and rubbed Sam's back.

"Yeah, it's pretty good up here. We've got thirty minutes of freedom left," Freddie said in a quiet voice. "Let's try not to think of it as such, though." Sam gave a nod and rested her head on his shoulder, he was always so warm and comfortable. Freddie lifted his hand and ran it through Sam's hair, he didn't want to return to Seattle. He didn't want to go back to where there was a girl that didn't like his mother's culture but still had a crush on him, back to where there was someone trying to tear Sam away from him. Except, there was no choice, he had to go back.

"Hey guys!" Valerie called out from behind. Sam and Freddie turned to see the other three smiling at them. Valerie stood in the middle and was holding a wrapped up gift. "We have something for you. We put this together during the week and hope you enjoy it." Freddie placed his hand on Sam's back as they walked toward their friends. Sam smiled as she took the present from Valerie's hands. Sam sat on the side edge of one of the planes while Freddie stood next to her. "Well, what are you waiting for? Open it!"

"I am, I am," Sam said with a small chuckle. She tore the wrapping paper off and gasped when she saw what looked like a photo album. On the cover was a picture of Sam and Freddie holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes. It was the largest picture. Above them was a smaller picture with Valerie giving a sweet smile, below them was Jonah making a goofy face, on the left was Lisa standing at the edge of a cliff and looking off. To the right was a picture of the entire group together. On the top of the album was the word "Precious" and the bottom had the word "Memories."

Sam opened the album and slowly flipped through the pages, seeing various activities that the group did. Most of the pictures were of Sam and Freddie, but that was because Valerie wanted them to be. On one of the pages, Sam gasped and Freddie gave a slight laugh, it was a picture of Sam and Freddie making out on the boat. "You guys took a picture of that?" Sam looked up at her friends and smiled at them.

"Of course we did, we wanted to capture every moment that we could get." Sam had a tear running from her eye, this was a very special gift, and she didn't know how to thank them.

"You shouldn't have!" Freddie took the book and Sam quickly stood up and gave Valerie a hug. "Thank you so much." The album looked perfect, better than anyone thought it was going to be. "I love you guys so much!" Freddie chuckled as Sam moved to hug Jonah and then shifted and gave Lisa a hug. "You guys are the greatest friends in the entire world." Valerie blushed and Jonah gave a sheepish chuckle, they didn't know what to say.

"Sam, I think you're embarrassing them," Freddie said while handing Lisa the album to hold. He knew she would have to take the album home with her because they couldn't risk someone they knew looking at it. He looked at Jonah and Valerie and gave them a small smile. "I have to agree with Sam, though. I don't think we ever believed that we could have a couple of friends as good to us as you are. In fact, when the day of our wedding comes, we may have already decided who our best man and matron of honor will be." Freddie smirked and draped his arm around Jonah's shoulders. The statement caused their friends to blush more.

"Well, that's if we're still friends then," Jonah said in a quiet voice. Of course, that was a tough question, because they all thought they'd always be together. Yet, they each wondered about their future and what might happen. Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam glanced over. "I mean, you'll get married when you're twenty. Who knows where we'll be and who knows who will be your friends then."

"Jonah, you and Valerie have been trusted with keeping the greatest secret ever," Sam said in a careful tone of voice. It was as though she were trying to choose her words. "You haven't ever told anyone, and that's great. You've also been the most accepting. With friends like you, Freddie and I will never want to lose touch with you. Even if we're miles apart, we're going to be sure to find a way to still talk to you guys. We love you guys, you know that." Jonah chuckled and Valerie gave a teary smile as she hugged Sam.

"Yeah, we'll always be friends," Freddie said as he patted Jonah on the back. "We may have a few scuffles every now and then, but I believe we are all in this together." Valerie nodded and the group gave each other a hug. Lisa smiled at them and glanced at her watch, the plane should be getting ready to land by now.

"Hey guys, I think it'd be a good idea to sit now," Lisa stated while glancing over. "The plane is probably going to land pretty soon." The teens nodded and each moved to their chairs. They all relaxed and waited as the plane started to land.

"So what do we do when we get back home?" Sam asked while resting her head onto Freddie's shoulder. She knew finals were coming up, then Freddie would have to go to a military camp with Colonel Morgan. Emily wanted him to go to this camp because she believed that it would help in some areas of life. There was also the particular belief that separation from each other for a time being would be a good thing. Not only that, but Carly could potentially lose her crush that she had on Freddie. "I'm glad we're not going to worry about Tyrone for a while…then you go to a military camp, what do you think will happen then?"

"I come back even cooler," Freddie said while smirking. "This camp will be fun. Maybe I'll even talk Mr. Shay, that's Carly's dad, into accepting our culture. Of course, even if I do that, he still won't ever be allowed to know that we're together. We don't want to risk Tyrone learning about us." Sam gave a brief nod and closed her eyes, "I'm not sure why I'm going to the military camp with Colonel Morgan, but whatever."

"It'll be fun. I think they want you to join the military later on." Freddie raised his eyebrow and placed his arm around Sam's waist.

"Would _you_ want that? I mean, being married to a soldier…what if I was to get drafted into a war?"

"You'd be my heroic soldier, and I think you'd be very brave to fight for the country." Freddie smiled and kissed Sam's forehead.

"Yeah, well that's what this camp is about. It's supposed to give me some idea about what the military is like. If I like it, I'll probably enlist after college."

"I'll be the wife of a military man, I'll be so proud." Jonah and Valerie glanced over at their friends and smiled, they wished they could take one more photo and put it in the album. Soon the plane came to a stop and the group had to get ready to leave, Lisa would be taking Sam to her place while Emily took Freddie home. It was just in case there was anyone there to see them. After they did that, Sam was then going to walk home and the two would go ahead and greet Carly. It would be the same basic greeting, Sam would greet Carly in the hall first, and then Freddie would step out of the door.

-NEW SCENE-

Sam knocked on Carly's door and smiled when her friend opened it. "Hey Carly, how's it going?" Sam asked.

"Sam! I haven't seen you in a week!" Carly said while giving her a big hug. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too!" It wasn't a lie, Sam did think about Carly while on the trip, but most of it was really just brief thoughts while she had fun with Freddie and her other friends.

"Feels good to see you, at least I don't have to see the dork's ugly mug." As if on cue, Freddie stepped out of his apartment and smirked. Sam groaned and Carly gave him a smile.

"Hey Carly, Sam," Freddie said while stepping next to the girls.

"Oh, when did you get back, dork? I was hoping your mommy would keep you away from here, but it seems that was a hope that went unattained." Freddie gave a scowl and Sam smirked at him.

"Oh yeah, you think so? Well not seeing you for a week was just perfect!"

"I'm _glad_ I didn't have to spend a week anywhere near you! In fact, my relatives were more fun than you were, and they're all in jail! What was that? They're more fun than your dorky little friends? Well I've got something on you then." Carly sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"You two are away from each other for one week and you automatically start fighting when you get back, why?" Carly asked as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Why can't you be friends, it makes things a lot easier!" Sam and Freddie glanced at her and raised their eyebrows in response.

_"Yeah, it makes it easier so you don't have to feel guilty for liking someone that I 'hate' so to speak…"_ Sam glanced down and Freddie looked at her, he could see she was feeling bad about something, but he wasn't sure what.

"Are you okay, Sam?" Carly was concerned for her friend, but Sam wasn't going to tell her what was on her mind. She looked to Carly and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm just fine! Let's go inside!" Carly nodded and the three moved inside the apartment. They saw a white sheet covering something and wondered what it was.

_"That wasn't there just a few minutes ago…Spencer must have moved it there."_ Carly tapped her fingers on her leg and made a small hum sound. "What is that?"

"It looks like a white sheet," Freddie said simply. Carly and Sam gave him a look and he shrugged.

"I want to know what's _under_ the sheet." Sam nodded and glanced over at Freddie with a smirk.

"I want to know what's between your ears, because it sure isn't brain." Freddie scowled slightly and Sam gave a triumphant look. Carly sighed at her friends and started to walk toward the object.

"Come on, help me get this sheet off," Carly stated. Spencer quickly jumped out of a room and screamed.

"No!" Spencer exclaimed. The three jumped in fright and stared at him with wide eyes, it was like he was expecting them. "Did I startle you?"

"Yeah, you did," Freddie said quickly.

"Sorry." Spencer sighed and walked toward the object. "It's just that what is under here is a surprise. It's to make up for Carly's birthday."

"I thought you got her some lava lamp?"

"Yeah, but it exploded," Carly said while slowly shaking her head.

"It didn't explode," Spencer stated in protest. "It just caught on fire…"

"And then exploded…" Spencer blinked and paused for a minute, pondering the words. He gave a sigh of defeat and nodded.

"Yeah, it exploded." Freddie coughed a chuckle and Sam raised her eyebrow. "Well anyway, you know how you wanted me to build a sculpture for the studio?" The group nodded and Spencer stepped behind his gift. "You know the old car you got up there? Well back up!" Spencer tore the sheet off of the object and revealed car seats with what looked like sirens. The group gave gasps of approval and Spencer smirked.

"You did this?"

"Heck yeah, I went to the old junkyard, I have an account there…" Freddie and Sam blinked and glanced at each other for a second, that wasn't a surprise. "Well, I found an old ford and took these seats. I then attached these little cup holders and installed police lights." Spencer grinned and pointed to the items he was talking about. "Its art…you can sit upon!"

"Well may we sit upon it?" Freddie asked.

"I'd be sad if you didn't." The trio sat on the seat, Carly was on the right and Sam made sure to sit in the middle. Secretly, Freddie took her hand in his and smirked, causing her to have to distract herself so she didn't blush. Why Freddie had to do things to her to make her blush while around others, she didn't know. What she did know was he pretty much enjoyed the thrill it gave, and she did too. "Okay, now let me turn it on!" Spencer rushed to the back and turned on the sirens, then moved to the side. "Now if you hit that button there, you'll hear a _real_ car horn."

"Oh cool," Carly said while smiling. She pressed the button and flames erupted from the red siren. The group looked at it and quickly got up from the seat, staring at the flames in shock. Carly sighed and slowly shook her head. Freddie looked over at Sam to see if she was okay, she raised his eyebrows and stared at him, as if to say that she was not surprised to see flames erupt. Spencer had a thing with fire, it seemed that fire always erupted whenever he was near. "Electrical wiring just isn't your thing."

"No it is not." The group sighed and Spencer made his way to the fire extinguisher, he'd have to fix the problem before putting the car seats in the studio.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that chapter, please leave a review!


	44. The Fan Arrives

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

A/N: Don't own the song in this chapter, but I do own the band name.

* * *

Chapter 44 (The Fan Arrives)

The next day, Carly and Sam were going through a list of iCarly ideas. Sam had to show Carly some pictures of her trip the prior week, so she took pictures of her relatives from her mom's dusty old album and then had Freddie put the image of a zit on her face, so Carly would think Sam had a pimple the prior week. It was just for show. They even put the pictures of Freddie's computer camp and Sam's relative visits onto the iCarly site, so the viewers could see how they fared the prior week.

Carly flipped through some note cards and read off one of the ideas. "Carly lets Sam cut her hair?" Carly asked while raising her eyebrow. She gave Sam a questionable look and Sam smiled innocently. It was an innocent idea, until Sam thought about how funny it might be if she cut Carly's hair about chin length. Carly chuckled lightly and shook her head slowly. "There is _no way_ I'm letting you near me with a pair of scissors." Sam shrugged and flipped through the cards once more. She heard a noise and looked toward the door as Freddie entered.

"Hey guys, what are you doing?" Freddie asked while taking a sip of the drink in his hand. Carly looked over and smiled sweetly at him. Sam felt guilty at that moment because she wanted to slap Carly for smiling at Freddie in such a manner. Of course, people would tell her she needent feel guilty because of that, it was completely normal. She was just a better person for _not_ getting overly angry and slapping Carly.

"We're looking through iCarly ideas." Sam shrugged and slowly flipped through the cards again. She didn't really know what to say at that moment, so she let Carly do the talking. If anything, she wasn't going to have a lot of fun when Freddie left, because she feared Carly was probably going to be talking a lot about him and how he was doing. "Did you ever get that program set up for the twister vision thing?"

"Yeah I think so, let me check." Freddie moved to the laptop and started typing, making sure the program was fully set up. It seemed to be working well. "We got it up."

"Okay then, we'll do twister vision!" Sam said with a quick voice.

"Cool…" Freddie looked at the computer once more and saw a comment from one of the viewers. The person was suggesting a live audience. "Hey, listen to this comment we got."

"If it's about that zit I had last week, I don't want to hear it."

"It's not, now listen." Freddie cleared his throat and began to read the message. "My name is Mandy, and I think your webshow is the most awesome show on the internet. I live in Seattle and I was wondering if you guys have ever thought about having a live audience, because I'd love to see the show in person! Please write back, love and hugs, Mandy."

"That sounds pretty cool," Carly said quietly.

"Yeah, and then she typed the smiley face that goes like this." Freddie made a cheesy grin and Carly giggled, causing him to frown and Sam to narrow her eyes.

_"Don't giggle at my boyfriend,"_ Sam thought while frowning and slowly standing up. "We don't have room for an audience." Carly pointed to the car seat and walked over.

"Well we have this car seat that Spencer gave us."

"I don't see why not." It seemed like a good idea, they had never had a live audience before. Carly bent over and picked up a card, raising her eyebrow.

"Carly and Sam roll Freddie in breadcrumbs and bake him at three sixty?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and looked at Sam.

"Well just until he's golden brown!" Freddie walked over to his laptop and shook his head, chuckling lightly. He thought it was cute how Sam came up with crazy ideas like that.

-NEW SCENE-

They had responded to Mandy and asked her to come, so on the day of iCarly, she was there. She seemed pretty crazy for the show. After a little bit of time of talking, they introduced Mandy.

"So, we thought we'd introduce our first live guest, Mandy Valdez," Carly said while turning around. Mandy smiled and walked into the room, holding a tray in her hands. She walked up to the lens and smiled at the camera while waving.

"Hi!" Mandy said in an excited voice. "Hi, I'm on iCarly." She turned and walked to Carly and Sam. "I made some cookies for you guys!" The girls made an 'aw' sound and took the cookies, surprised to see that Mandy had even made the cookies in their likeness.

"She put our faces on the cookies!" Sam said in an excited voice. "Freddie, zoom in on these!" Freddie did so and the girls started playing around with the cookies. Mandy laughed and the zoom went back onto the girls.

"You made my cookies talk! That's so funny." Mandy hugged Carly, causing her to chuckle nervously. "Oh! I also made a Freddie cookie!" Mandy took out the cookie she made for Freddie and moved up to the lens. "Here's your cookie, Freddie." Her voice was sweet, as though she too had a crush on him. Sam's mouth fell slightly and she quickly shook her head.

"Uh, you're a little close to the lens," Freddie said while holding the camera and backing away slightly.

"Oh, sorry…" Mandy moved back and the girls started talking some more. Eventually Mandy sat on the car seat sculpture that Spencer had made, the girls were kind of awkward with Mandy around. They figured it would be good when Mandy was out of there, so they wouldn't have to deal with her again. At the end of the show, they left the studio and Mandy followed quickly behind them. "Wow, so this is the first floor of your apartment, where you eat and socialize?"

"Yeah, that it is," Carly said while giving a slight chuckle.

"That's so cool!" She looked over and saw some drums in the middle of the room, she raised her eyebrow and stared at them. "So what's up with the drums?"

"I'm not sure, I don't know why they're there."

"Oh, a mystery…" Carly inhaled and nodded as she glanced to the side. Spencer stepped out of the room and asked about his bottle of lotion.

"Spencer!" Spencer yelped and threw his hands up as Mandy hugged him.

"Awesome!" He chuckled nervously and looked down at her then at the others, wondering who she was. "I haven't seen you since…the past."

"That's Mandy," Freddie said while giving a small sigh.

"She watches our show a lot, so we had her on as a guest," Carly stated as she crossed her arms. "You don't know her."

"Oh, I see." Spencer grunted as he slowly pushed Mandy off, she quickly reattached herself to him and he pushed her off again. "Okay." He was a bit freaked out, but that didn't matter too much. He walked over to the drums and Carly pointed at them.

"What's up with the drums?"

"Yeah, we were curious," Mandy said in an awed tone of voice.

"Well there was a flyer outside for a band that needed a drummer," Spencer said while giving a brief nod. Freddie raised his eyebrow and wondered if that band was the particular band that he was going to compete against. After all, he was starting a band with Jonah and Jake. The girls hadn't heard them just yet, but they were going to hear them pretty soon.

"Awesome!" Spencer jumped slightly and started to walk away. Carly, Sam and Freddie made their way to the door and Mandy looked at them with excitement. "So what are you guys going to do now?"

"Oh, we were just going to grab some smoothies," Carly said with a smile.

"Awesome, let's do it! I've got money!"

"You want to come with us?" Mandy nodded excitedly and Sam pushed Freddie to her.

"Freddie, talk to Mandy!" Sam said in a quick voice. He groaned inwardly and sighed as he waved at the fan.

"I like your camera work," Mandy said in an awed voice. "Sweet zooms…" Sam raised her eyebrow and ignored the comment.

"Thanks, I try my best to zoom well," Freddie answered nervously. It was clear, he really didn't like Mandy. Of course, she freaked him out. The way she stared at him with the buggy eyes through her little glasses, and the way her grin resembled the cat in Alice in Wonderland, it was all just creepy to him. After some time, Carly and Sam told Mandy to come along and go to the smoothie shop. It would be there that they'd meet up with Valerie and Jonah, then it would be there that Freddie and his band would play a few songs.

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie walked around the back of the smoothie shop, his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. Jonah and Jake were waiting for him, smirks on their faces as well. "This is going to be our first gig, guys," Freddie said as he patted his friends on the shoulders. "What do you say we go in there and knock em dead?" Jonah grinned and nodded as Jake pointed his thumb up. They had practiced for a few months and finally they were going to play. They would also compete with a band at one point of time and try to get tickets to Seattle Beat.

"Hey man, if we get onto Seattle Beat, it's going to be great," Jake said as he hit Freddie's fist with his. "I mean, we'd have to be pretty good to get on there, of course."

"Jake, my man, are you saying we're not good enough?" Jonah asked while giving a slight laugh. "Come on man, they set the stage up in the smoothie shop and all our instruments are there, let's just play! After all, I want to see my girlfriend get all excited when we're up there."

"Yeah, and one day we _will_ get onto Seattle Beat," Freddie stated. "The only thing we have to do is beat that weird band…either way, they're looking for a drummer, I saw their flyer in the lobby of the plaza. As long as they don't have a drummer, we're good."

"All right, then let's get in there and rock out!" Jake said as the group entered the back of the building. Sam and Carly had actually wondered where Freddie vanished to, but they were thinking that he was lucky not to have to deal with Mandy.

"Where did Freddie go?" Mandy asked while leaning against the counter.

"I don't know, and I don't care," Sam replied. Carly shrugged and sat at the counter. They ordered their food and glanced over to see a stage with a red curtain around it. "Hey, when has that stage been there?" Carly raised her eyebrow and shrugged, she had no clue.

"I guess they're trying something new," Carly answered as the server placed some smoothie cups in front of them.

"There is a new band and we've booked them here," The server said when he saw the girls eyeing the stage. "Speaking of the band, I think its time to introduce them…"

"A new band, and we got here in time to see them? Awesome!" The server stood straight up and smiled as he commanded the attention of the building. All the patrons looked at him and silenced.

"May I have your attention please! We have the honor of presenting to you, Seattle's newest band, please give your attention to the Raging Inferno!"

"Hey, do you think this is Freddie's band?" Valerie asked as she stepped next to Sam. She looked at Mandy and pointed. "Who is that?"

"Oh, she's our greatest fan," Sam said quietly. Mandy glared at Valerie and caused her to turn away nervously. "She probably doesn't like you all that much, and I wouldn't know why." The restaurant broke out into applause as the curtain opened. Freddie, Jake, and Jonah stood on the stage and smirked. Freddie lifted his hands up and shouted.

"Good evening Seattle!" Freddie called out. "I am Freddie Benson, the lead singer of this band. On the bass, we have Jake Krandle, and on the drums we have Jonah Brown!" Everyone applauded and Valerie whistled. Carly gave a whistle as well and Sam raised her eyebrow as she stared at her friend. "I have a few great songs lined up for you. First, I'll start off with a song that the guys and I have practiced, it is from one of the many bands that had inspired us. The song has been performed by George Thorogood & the Destroyers. The song is called _Bad to the Bone_." The audience cheered as the music started. Freddie lifted his hand in the air and beat his fist to the beat, signaling the start.

"Freddie didn't tell us he had a band," Carly said with wide eyes. Sam chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess the dork is trying to become cool. I bet he fails miserably." Sam took a sip of her drink and Valerie smirked, she knew Sam was getting ready for some serious swooning.

"On the day I was born, the nurses all gathered around." Freddie hit his guitar and Jonah banged the drum, all seemed to be doing very well. It was impressive to Sam, that much could be said. "And they gazed in wide wonder, at the joy they had found! The head nurse spoke up, and she said leave this one alone. She could tell right away, that I was bad to the bone!" Freddie smirked quickly and his eyes met with Sam's.

"Hey, he's pretty good," Carly said in a shocked tone of voice. Jake and Jonah sang into their microphones, their voices adding with Freddie's. It was clear that Jake practiced up on his voice, since he sounded almost as good as Freddie did.

Bad to the bone  
Bad to the bone  
B-B-B-B-Bad to the bone  
B-B-B-B-Bad  
B-B-B-B-Bad  
Bad to the bone

Freddie pointed out at the audience, nobody could be sure if he was pointing at Sam or Carly, but by eye contact, Sam knew he was pointing at her. "I broke a thousand hearts, before I met you. I'll break a thousand more, baby, before I am through. I wanna be yours pretty baby, yours and yours alone! I'm here to tell ya honey, that I'm bad to the bone!" Sam blushed and glanced to the side, Valerie was smirking at her.

Bad to the bone  
B-B-B-Bad  
B-B-B-Bad  
B-B-B-Bad  
Bad to the bone

Freddie stepped forward and glanced at a rich looking woman. She was rummaging through her purse and pulling out money, Freddie smirked in response. "I make a rich woman beg." Another woman, possibly sister, took the money from her. "I'll make a good woman steal!" Carly laughed at the sight and Freddie glanced at an older woman. "I'll make an old woman blush." He winked at her and a red tint hit her cheeks. An older man that was with the woman narrowed his eyes and Freddie quickly turned to the side. "And make a young woman squeal." Mandy jeered and then squealed at the sight, Freddie raised his eyebrow and his eyes met Sam's. "I wanna be yours pretty baby, yours and yours alone. I'm here to tell ya honey, that I'm bad to the bone!"

B-B-B-B-Bad  
B-B-B-B-Bad  
B-B-B-B-Bad  
Bad to the bone

The intermission had the whole place screaming as Freddie and Jake strummed their guitars and Jonah continued to hit the drums. Freddie smirked and glanced to the left, then the right and continued. "And when I walk the streets, kings and queens step aside. Every woman I meet, they all stay satisfied." Freddie snuck a wink at Sam and she thanked the fact that the place dimmed the lights, no one could see her blush.

"Go Freddie!" Carly exclaimed. Sam stiffened slightly and Valerie gently placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. Freddie lifted his hand and pointed at Sam and Carly, really only pointing to Sam.

"I wanna tell ya pretty baby, ya see I make my own. And I'm here to tell ya honey, I'm bad to the bone!"

Bad to the bone  
B-B-B-Bad  
B-B-B-Bad  
B-B-B-Bad  
Bad to the bone

The song had eventually come to an end and the restaurant was filled with applause. Sam couldn't help but to join Carly and Valerie in the cheers and whistles, the song was perfect. Freddie held up his fist and shook it once in the air. "Thank you! Thank you so much, I'm glad to be here! Look forward to seeing us on Seattle Beat, live! We are going to take a five minute break, and then we'll be back up here jamming for you guys again."

"I didn't know they were aiming to get onto Seattle Beat," Sam said while tilting her head.

"Yeah, they just need to compete with this one other band," Valerie said while smiling and leaning back. Carly and Sam looked to her and raised their eyebrows. "The boys are pretty good, so I think they'll definitely get on. The only way is if something should go wrong and someone or something gets that other band booked with Seattle Beat. It shouldn't happen, though."

"Yeah…" It was actually the first time Carly noticed Valerie standing near them, she wondered why Valerie was. Although, she knew Sam had started to become slightly better friends with her, so she said nothing.

"How do you know so much about their band?" Carly asked while raising an eyebrow.

"I overheard them talking," Valerie said while walking away. She felt odd with Mandy glaring at her. After a few minutes, Freddie stepped next to the girls and crossed his arms, smirking.

"Hey ladies, the band's taking a bit of a break," Freddie said while giving a low chuckle. "What do you think?"

"I thought it was great," Carly said with a smile. Freddie smiled back at her and looked toward Sam, really wanting her statement. "Freddie! Do you think you could sing on iCarly for us?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and shook his head.

"Nah, at least not until we become bigger…"

"Oh, well if you ever change your mind, let me know!"

"Yeah…I'll do that for you."

"I don't know what to say, Dork," Sam said while taking another sip from her drink.

"You were _so_ cool," Mandy said with wide eyes. "So totally awesome, I totally love your singing!" Sam raised her eyebrow and slowly turned her head toward Mandy. Freddie chuckled nervously and took a step back.

"Right, whatever you say," Freddie said as he stuck his thumb up. "Well, I have to get back on the stage. I think I'm going to have to head home after we're done, so I'll talk to you girls later."

"Whatever you say, dork," Sam replied. Carly rolled her eyes and smiled.

"You did great," Carly stated. "Go up there and sing, we all enjoyed it!" Freddie nodded and rushed toward the stage, Sam was going to have to tell him what she thought of his singing later. She loved it, that much could be said.

* * *

In case you didn't realize, the rival band that Freddie's group is competing against is the same band that Spencer tries out for. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please feel free to review! It makes me happy and can make me chug 20 gallons of water. Okay, seriously, I wouldn't be able to do that, but do review anyway ^_^.


	45. Fan Among Fans

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

A/N: Don't own the song in this chapter, but I do own the band name.

* * *

Chapter 45 (A Fan among Fans)

Later that night, Sam snuck out of Carly's apartment and entered the Benson apartment. It had been a while since she had entered her home, she needed to make sure her room was perfectly straight and clean. Mandy had not left for her home and surprised the girls by arriving at Carly's home.

Sam entered her room and breathed in, taking in the scent of a fresh and clean room. It seemed that Emily had kept her room clean for her, it was definitely something Sam was happy about. She moved to her bed and climbed onto it, taking the bear that Freddie gave her before and holding it close to her. She loved the bear, she also loved the baby chick that Freddie managed to get for her. She remembered the chick and quickly went to the cage that was in the corner, Preetish probably had Emily taking good care of him. She took the sheet off of the cage and smiled when she saw her little chicken look up.

"Hello Pree," Sam said in a quiet voice. "Did you miss me? You're still growing, but you're so cute!" Pree clucked once and Sam's shoulders rose slightly as she smiled. She placed her finger to her lips and kept her smile. "Shh, we don't want to wake everyone." Chances were it was at least one or two in the morning, so Freddie and Emily were probably both asleep. "I'm sad about something, Pree." Sam opened the cage and took Pree into her arms, the chicken didn't make a noise.

"You're always so soft, Pree." Pree moved his head toward the door and then back to Sam. Sam was looking at Pree sadly. "In a week or two, we have to send you to a farm because you're getting too big to live here. Lewbert complained about noise, I think…I'm going to miss you, you were my first pet. Oh, I got something for you, Pree." Sam reached into her pocket and pulled out a small piece of bread. "Here, I thought you might enjoy some bread." Pree stared at the bread as Sam brought it to her beak, he quickly plucked forward and took a bit of the bread. Sam smiled and let out a small sigh. "I don't want to let you go."

"He's getting pretty big to keep," a voice said. Sam jumped slightly and dropped the bread a few inches away. Pree left her arms and moved to the bread, picked up the bread, then moved back to Sam. Sam smiled and turned her head to see Freddie in the doorway, he had his arms crossed and was leaning with his shoulder on the side of the door. "I think you should have one Preetish, don't you?"

"Freddie, don't scare me like that." Freddie closed his eyes and chuckled as he walked toward Sam. He knelt beside Pree and placed his hand on the back of the chicken. "I'm afraid that if we get rid of Pree, then some idiot is going to come by and make him into a chicken or something. Well, he's already a chicken, but you know what I mean…" Freddie chuckled and looked into Sam's saddened eyes, he knew Sam's soft heart didn't want Pree turning into food.

"Don't worry about it," Freddie said quietly. "Mom's not going to let that happen to Pree. We're going to send him to a special farm that raises and takes care of livestock until they actually die a natural death. They don't send their animals to slaughterhouses or anything like that. Pree is going to live a nice long life." Sam smiled and Freddie placed his hand over her hand. "While Pree is living a nice long life and remembering you, you'll have another Preetish with you on his mind forever."

"As corny as that sounded, I still enjoyed that."

"I know." Freddie smiled as he picked up Pree and placed the bird back in the cage, he then picked up the remaining piece of bread and placed it in the cage. He turned around and took Sam's hand, pulling her up. "So, Sam, I thought you were going to sleep at Carly's place tonight." Sam shrugged and sat on the end of her bed, it felt good to be back on her own bed and not somewhere else. "Or was I mistaken and could you not go another second without being home?" Sam giggled slightly and lay back on her bed, placing her hands behind her head.

"I was there, then I wanted to come and see my Preetish." Freddie crossed his arms and chuckled as he tilted his head to the left.

"So you wanted to see your chicken, I see how it is. I guess you love your chicken more than me." Sam rolled her eyes and laughed as Freddie stepped in front of her, pressing his knees against hers. "Well I bet your chicken wanted to see you too, and I'm sure your Preetish was dying to see you tonight. After all, what is a King of Love to do without his queen?"

"I don't know, what would he do without his queen? Maybe he'd go insane." Sam smirked and Freddie returned her smirk. "What would his queen do without him? Maybe she'd go crazy, but I wonder if she'd remain sane." Freddie laughed lightly and glanced toward the window, a tree branch was hitting it. He glanced back to Sam and looked into her eyes, her mouth opened slightly and she moved her arms out to the side as she gazed back into his eyes. "Your band was great, Freddie. I absolutely loved it. I can't believe it, I'm in love with bad boy Benson." Sam laughed and Freddie sat next to her. He looked at her and a smirk began to grace his lips.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Yes, you are indeed in love with a bad boy. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that I'm in love with a bad girl." He smirked and placed two of his fingertips on Sam's hand. "Also, a very ticklish little girl like you." Sam gasped and her lips curled into a slight smile. She suppressed a laugh as Freddie started moving his fingers across her arm, tickling her. She squirmed and Freddie merely smirked.

"No Freddie, that tickles!" Freddie moved to the indent in her arm and smirked. "Oh no, not there Freddie!" Freddie started brushing his fingers across her skin rapidly, causing Sam to squeal and try to suppress her laughter. He quickly positioned his other hand onto her side and smirked. "No, what are you planning? You'll never do it, you won't get me to laugh!" Freddie started tickling her, causing her to break out into a loud laugh. "Freddie! S-s-sto-hop! I can't stand it!" Freddie laughed once and continued to tickle her, having too much fun. She continued to squirm.

"Say you love me, and I'll stop." Sam laughed and shook her head.

"No, never! You'll never get me to say such a thing!" Freddie shrugged and started to tickle her harder. "Ah!" She squealed and laughed harder, squirming beneath his fingers. "No more!" She laughed harder and started to turn red with excitement, she was enjoying it. "Freddie, I'm going to wet my pants if you don't stop!" He shook his head and Sam arched her body upwards. "Fine, I'll break! I love you, Freddie. I love you and I always will. There, I said it, now stop tickling me!" Freddie nodded and stopped, but Sam continued to laugh and try to catch her breath. He smirked and Sam looked at him smirking as well. She grabbed a pillow and tossed it at him with a laugh. "Bastard…" Freddie laughed and smirked at her.

"Yep, and I'm your loveable bastard." Sam laughed and watched as Freddie lay back on the bed. Sam flipped over on top of him and straddled his waist. Freddie placed his hands on her side and gently kissed her lips. "So, to what do I owe your stunning presence, my beloved Angel?"

"Well I got tired of Mandy," Sam said in an exasperated tone of voice. Freddie raised his eyebrow and she let out a sigh. "So I was supposed to sleep over with Carly tonight, and it was going pretty well. I guess we fell asleep and woke up to see that Girly Cow show that Carly likes. Well, the next thing we know, there's this crazy laugh and we see Mandy sitting on the couch next to us!" Freddie winced and Sam slowly shook her head. "She stayed until both she and Carly fell asleep. I took that opportunity to come over here."

"You wonder if Tyrone isn't still spying on us?" Sam groaned and moved back to sit on the edge of the bed, Freddie sat up next to her and looked at her with concern. "I hate him as much as you do, he's keeping you away from your home, and that's not right." Sam nodded and slowly closed her fists, she was sure she'd enjoy seeing Tyrone sent away somewhere where he would never bother them again. She hated that he threatened to tear Freddie away from her.

"He just annoys me so much. I don't care if he's spying or not, I want to be with you. I already have to deal with Carly possibly hating us if she ever found out…not only that, she has that crush on you. Now there's Mandy, I think she even has some silly crush on you. It's getting harder and harder to handle." Freddie gave an understanding nod and wrapped his arms around her in a hug, he could do nothing but comfort her at that moment. "I don't even want to think about Tyrone anymore." Freddie lifted his hand and placed his finger under her chin, he slowly turned her head to meet his gaze. She blinked and felt herself seemingly pulled into a trance.

"Then we don't have to think about him. Right now, the only important one is you and me, that's all that matters." Sam smiled and Freddie lowered his arm, lifting his other to wrap it around her shoulders. "Never will anyone tear us apart. Never will Carly's crush become anything more, nor will she be a problem in the near or distant future. As for Mandy, she's just a mere pebble amidst the rocks. However, as are all rocks, they are still small and on the ground. They are not big enough to hinder us or our relationship, and they never should be. I won't allow that to be the case." Sam crossed her arms and gave a small and exasperated sigh.

"Yeah, well some of these things I consider to be boulders!" Freddie closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. He leaned forward and gave a soft and gentle kiss to her forehead. She smiled and scooted closer to him, resting her head onto his chest. "Whenever I'm with you, though…They do seem like they're just small rocks."

"Yeah, let's leave them as that."

"You know, I feel like I'm in some sort of romance movie…"

"Then as a boyfriend, I'm doing my job." The two heard a soft tapping on the door and looked over to see Emily smiling at them. "Hey Mom, how's it going?"

"It's kind of late and I woke up hearing Sam scream," Emily said as she tilted her head to the side. "I was wondering, what on earth could be going on." Sam snickered and smirked deviously.

"Your son was tickling me, and then he wouldn't stop, you should arrest him!" Freddie's jaw dropped and Sam gave a light laugh. "I don't know what I'd do without him, though." Emily chuckled and crossed her arms.

"I think you should know, Mandy is in the kitchen right now because she woke up and wanted to know where you went. She knocked on my door and proceeded to ask about Freddie and if she could perhaps cuddle with him." Freddie's face twisted to a disgusted look and Sam shuddered. "Meaning, Sam, hide…Freddie, I'll think of something."

"Oh yeah, if Mandy knew we were together, bad things would happen." Sam quickly moved to the other side of the bed and ducked down, Freddie sighed and dusted his pants off as he stood up.

"Okay, bring on the insane one," Freddie said in a quiet voice. "I'll talk to you later Sam, you might want to find a way to sneak back into Carly's apartment." Sam nodded and watched as Freddie walked out of the room.

-NEW SCENE-

A week later, Sam, Freddie and Carly ran into Carly's apartment trying to get rid of Mandy. Spencer was sitting at his new, red drums and glanced up at the guys with a look of concern.

"We're trying to get away from Mandy," Carly said in a quick voice. Spencer raised eyebrows and gave a single chuckle, he was sure she was gone.

"I thought she went back to Tacoma," Spencer replied.

"Yeah, and then she transferred schools! Oh, and she did her impression of a duck and quacked right in my face!"

"Mandy's nuts, dude," Freddie said while taking a drink from a glass. He eyed the drums and raised his eyebrow, he was sure Spencer's drums were silver, ugly and old, not red. After Carly stopped saying what she was saying, he spoke up. "Uh, are those new drums?"

"Yeah, I didn't tell you guys yet," Spencer said quickly. "I auditioned for the band and they let me in!" Freddie's jaw fell slightly and Sam gave him an odd look. He merely shrugged and turned around. A rapid knocking was heard at the door, so the girls turned to face it.

"It's me!" Mandy shouted.

"How can she be back?" Sam asked with wide eyes. This wasn't good for the stress of finals, since it was the last week of school. Freddie walked over as Carly answered the door. The girls started talking to Mandy about the chips they had her search for, what shocked them, was she found the nonexistent chips.

Hours later, Sam and Freddie were in their apartment, Sam was feeling confident that Tyrone wasn't spying, so she could be home again. They heard something coming from Carly's apartment, so Freddie decided to check it out. He stepped out of the apartment and next to Carly's door, what he heard was loud and horrible drumming, but the music of the band they were going to compete against later that night. They were going to compete in front of a few live judges. The group stopped playing and soon Spencer gave a joyous exclamation.

"My buddy Socko knows someone on Seattle Beat and he got you guys booked!" Spencer exclaimed. Freddie's face fell and he took a step back from the door, shocked at what he just heard. This meant the competition wouldn't be happening, and he'd be receiving a call from the band. His apartment door opened and Sam stood in the doorway, she saw Freddie looking like he was about to faint. He turned around and choked as he moved into the apartment.

"Freddie, what happened?" Sam asked as she wrapped her arms around him and walked to the couch. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something. Do you need water?" Freddie nodded and Sam quickly hurried into the kitchen, she returned a minute later and saw Freddie staring into space. "Here…" Freddie slowly took the water and drank it in large gulps. He sighed and placed the glass on his leg while still holding it.

"I'll have to call the guys," Freddie said in a quiet voice. Sam raised her eyebrow and he gave a small sigh. "The competition tonight won't be happening…Spencer just gave our competition a free ride onto Seattle Beat."

"Oh no…" Sam frowned and gave Freddie a hug. "I'm so sorry, and you guys were looking forward to that. Maybe I should go over and set them all straight!"

"Nah, don't even worry about it. Spencer's drumming is pretty bad, so they probably won't do too well…actually, I kind of feel bad, maybe I should get Jonah to help him with the drumming or something."

"That would be nice of you, I guess. I mean, it would be helping your competition out."

"Yeah, but I can't just stand by and let them do poorly." Sam smiled softly and kissed Freddie's cheek.

"That's my man, always thinking of others." Freddie smiled and wrapped his arm around Sam's waist, she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Freddie would talk to Jonah tomorrow after iCarly and see about him helping Spencer out with the drums.

-NEW SCENE-

The next week, Mandy was still with them, annoying the crap out of them. Not only that, it was the last week before Freddie had to go away to the Military camp for the summer. He was set to leave tomorrow morning, and the iCarly session was going to be the last time Sam got to see him, since Carly practically begged her to spend the day with her.

"I'm going to miss you," Sam said as she leaned against the door of the apartment, they were inside. Freddie stood in front of her and smiled lightly. She had some tears in her eyes, she didn't want to see him go, or spend the summer without him.

"You know I'm going to write all the time, right?" Freddie replied. "You and I can correspond, but whatever you do, don't send me a Dear John letter!" Sam laughed lightly and Freddie smirked. "What's this I hear? You're laughing? It sounds so sweet to my ears." Sam smiled at him and cupped his cheek with her hand.

"Don't you dare come back any different than you are now."

"I promise you, I won't." Freddie placed one hand on the small of her back and gently kissed her lips. "I love you."

"I love you, Freddie." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. After a short time, they broke apart and looked into each other's eyes. "We should get to Carly's!"

"Yeah, let's go." The two exited and entered Carly's apartment, they saw that Spencer appeared sad for some reason. "Hey, why is he sad?"

"The band left him a note and kicked him out."

"Aw, that was mean," Sam said in a quiet voice. Freddie sighed and crossed his arms, he had to agree. They probably didn't even hear Spencer after he worked with Jonah.

"Yeah, they'll be on Seattle Beat today, probably. Anyway, let's go upstairs and do iCarly." The trio went upstairs and started to do iCarly, expecting Mandy to come up soon. They managed to do the entire show and Mandy never showed up, surprising them.

"Awesome show you guys!" Freddie picked up three glasses of punch and carried them to the girls. "Here's some punch for you, you, and for me." He smirked and lifted his glass up. "To Mandy, who knows what happened to her!"

"Let's just be psyched that she's out of our lives," Carly said as the trio tapped their glasses together. Soon Spencer came running into the room.

"Turn on channel seven!" Spencer exclaimed. "I turned on Seattle Beat to see if the band was using my stolen drums…they were…and right in the middle of it-"

"I got it," Freddie said as he clicked the channel on. Right on the screen was Mandy. Their jaws fell slightly as Mandy started to torture the band. The group started laughing at the sight, it was definitely a fitting end. _"My present to you."_

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Let me know your thoughts.


	46. Carly's Bet

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 46 (Carly's Bet)

The summer passed by without much happening, Tyrone had dropped in to visit Emily every now and then, but he didn't every hang around too long. The reason was simply because Freddie wasn't there. He did try to figure out who Freddie's bride was, so he could save her from any more torment before he returned. Of course, it was torture just dealing with him.

Carly did have her moments where she spoke of Freddie, but it wasn't as often as Sam was afraid. Sam even managed to get Carly's mind onto other guys, yet that was at Valerie's help. Valerie and Carly weren't really friends, though they did talk sometimes over the summer. Sam needed Valerie's help a lot, since whenever Carly _did_ talk about Freddie, she was usually praising him and saying how she really hoped he changed and that she would consider dating him. Every time Sam imagined Carly dating Freddie, she felt sick to her stomach and had to go talk to Valerie or Emily.

Spencer actually did the tech stuff for iCarly, but it wasn't perfect. During the summer, Sam was able to role play with Jonah and Valerie, and she actually fit right in. They made sure she wasn't a third wheel, but then, she never could be. After all, why would they leave their best friend out of anything they did. Today was the day that Freddie would return from military camp, so naturally, all of them were excited. Carly wasn't able to greet Freddie, and Emily had a job. Luckily, Jonah got his driver's license, so he was driving the group around.

Currently, Jonah was leaning against his kitchen counter and waiting as the girls prepared themselves to meet Freddie. "Hurry up in there!" Jonah said as he glanced at his watch. "It's not like Freddie's going to wait all day!" He sighed and tapped his foot impatiently. Valerie popped her head out of the bathroom door, she was holding a brush in one hand and a bottle of perfume in her other hand. Jonah raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Jonah, Sam wants to look _perfect_ for Freddie!" Valerie said in a quick voice. Jonah rolled his eyes and chuckled lightly.

"It's not as if she doesn't already look perfect to him. You should know us guys by now, we don't care how dolled up you are, you look perfect no matter what you look like. In fact, you could look like a tornado, and we'd still think you're beautiful." Valerie laughed and shook her head as she rushed back into the bathroom. Jonah let out a sigh and started whistling a tune. He lightly beat against the counter and waited for the girls to get out of the bathroom. "I think Freddie's going to be waiting for thirty minutes…"

"It could be hours," Sam said as she and Valerie walked out. They had smirks on their faces. "Seriously Jonah, patience is a virtue. When dealing with women, you need to learn that we want to be perfect regardless. After all, the more we look good, the more attached you men are to us." Jonah raised his eyebrow and Sam looked toward Valerie. "Unless of course, you completely paint your face, then we just look hideous." Jonah crossed his arms and tapped his arm, waiting for Sam to finish.

"You done yet? We need to go pick up your boyfriend now." Valerie laughed and Jonah picked up the keys from the counter. He glanced over at Sam and raised his eyebrow, she had on a tad more makeup than she usually did, but that was fine. "You look great, I'm sure Freddie will love the makeup. Now, the question is, if he loves the makeup, what will he think of you?" Sam smiled and rolled her eyes while walking past Jonah. "Yeah, just remember, as his best friend, I'm qualified to tell you that he loves a girl's natural beauty a lot more than makeup."

"Oh, I know that, Jonah. After all, he would hate kissing my cheek and getting all that powder and makeup in his mouth! Yet, I still need makeup for this. Now let's go, we're going to be late, and I don't want to be late on seeing Freddie!" Jonah chuckled and shook his head as he walked out the door. The group made it to the car and Jonah started driving. "Please don't wreck the car. I want to see Freddie before I die!" The girls grinned and Jonah smiled as he watched the road, they loved teasing him since he just got his license.

"It's a shame Jake isn't able to greet Freddie on his return," Valerie said as she looked out the window. "What did he say he had to do?" Jonah shrugged and turned left.

"I think he said his girlfriend wanted him to go to some sort of class with her. It's no big deal, though. I think we'll be enough of a welcome party for Freddie any day. It beats him having to return home and automatically pretend to hate Sam."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be fun." Sam shook her head as Jonah moved into the right lane. Of course, it's been far too long for Sam to care about pretending, though she still would have to do it. If only she knew things would be perfect with Carly, if only she could know if Carly would be just like Jonah and Valerie were, but she didn't know, so she couldn't tell her. Jonah turned on the radio and the group sat in silence until they arrived to the airport. Once they made it to the airport, they parked and quickly hurried to the pick up area. There they saw Freddie sitting on a bench, his luggage surrounding him.

"Freddie!" Sam called out. Freddie glanced up and over at Sam, smiling brightly. She ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him as he stood up. "I missed you so much!" She gave Freddie a quick kiss on the lips and smiled. Jonah and Valerie stepped behind him and looked at him with smiles on their faces as well. Sam looked at the hat that Freddie was wearing and smirked. "I love the army, that's what it says...so, are you going to join the army?"

"I'm thinking Air Force," Freddie said as he kissed Sam's forehead. "However, that time will come eventually. I still don't know if I'll join the military or not. Colonel Morgan and Mr. Shay are in the Air Force, and they seemed to know a lot." He smiled and looked over at Jonah and Valerie. "Hey guys, it's been a while!"

"Yes it has," Jonah said as he patted Freddie on the back. Valerie gave him a hug and rubbed her chin.

"I'm thinking the Air Force suits you," Valerie stated. "In fact, Jonah was considering joining the Air Force after college. You two could go into the military together."

"Ah, but then you girls would be army wives," Freddie said with a subtle smirk. "You ladies would have to deal with the possibility of us going to war and not making it back."

"It would be for a good cause," Sam said while giving a slight nod. "I would love for my husband to fight in order to keep this country save and free. I know that it would be hard to handle, though." Freddie smiled and ran his hand through his hair.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be too bad. By the way, I got you guys some things!" Freddie turned around and started moving things in his luggage, he pulled out a hat and placed it on top of Sam's head. She blinked and glanced up.

"You got me a hat?" Jonah looked at the hat and chuckled.

"Not just any hat," Jonah stated while rubbing his chin. "It says 'I love Army Men.'"

"Yeah, it was either that, or the cap that said Military Wife," Freddie said with a smirk. "At least with that hat, you can wear it wherever you go." Sam smiled and gave Freddie another hug, kissing him on the cheek. Freddie moved back to his luggage and pulled up a rolled poster, he grinned and handed it to Jonah. "This is a poster of the United Air Force; I know you have a really big interest in them, so I thought I'd get one for you."

"Thanks!"

"I also thought Valerie might like this." Freddie picked a bag from the luggage and handed it to Valerie; she pulled out the contents and saw various gift cards. "Those are gift cards that enable you to get discounts on the items at any Rosa Bakery shop in the country. Become a regular, and you may just get a job at one." He knew Valerie loved to cook; she wanted to become a world famous chef one day, so starting out with bakeries would be a good thing.

"Thank you, Freddie!" Valerie squealed as she gave him a hug. Sam laughed and patted Valerie on the back.

"Okay, three second rule on hugging my boyfriend," Sam stated. Valerie laughed and let go of him, it was just a friendly hug. They joked with each other over time and said when hugging one of the guys, there was a three to four second rule when it came to the other girls' boyfriend.

"Anyway, let's get going," Jonah said with a smile. "We have a lot to catch up on, and you have to tell us everything that happened. We'll tell you some things that happened over the summer as well."

"I can't wait," Freddie said while picking up some suitcases. Jonah grabbed the rest of the luggage and started walking with the others. "So Jonah, you finally are able to drive?"

"He's a monster, Freddie!" Sam said in a melodramatic voice. She placed the back of her hand to her forehead and leaned back onto his chest, giving a sigh. "He's a killer of the roads!" Jonah rolled his eyes and Freddie merely laughed.

"I'm not a bad driver!" Jonah defended. Sam snickered and crossed her arms as the group neared Jonah's car.

"Just messing with you, Jonah…" Sam gave a sweet smile and Jonah huffed while looking away.

"So mean." Valerie laughed and gave Jonah a kiss on the cheek, she and Sam both enjoyed teasing him, and now they could tease Freddie.

-NEW SCENE-

A week later, school was back in session. When Freddie returned, Carly seemed thrilled to see him back and gave him a hug. Sam started feeling uncomfortable when that hug lasted longer than five seconds, Freddie had to push himself out of Carly's grasp. Tyrone hadn't bothered them in a good amount of time, but ever since then, Sam enjoyed letting Lisa pick her up from school every now and then. Even Sasha chose to pick her up sometimes. At the end of this current day, Lisa was driving Sam and Carly to the Bushwell Plaza. Sam and Carly reached the Shay apartment and Carly gave her a smile.

"Thanks for letting your mom drive me home," Carly said in a quick voice.

"Eh, she just likes me hanging out with you because she thinks it will keep me out of jail." That was somewhat true; Sarah Puckett had always wanted Sam to hang out with good people so Sam wouldn't wind up in jail. Freddie stepped out of the apartment and looked over at Sam.

"Why did it take you guys so long to get home from school?" Freddie asked.

"My mom had to stop and pick up her ointment, anymore questions?" Freddie shuddered and Carly smiled as she opened her door. In reality, Sam just wanted Lisa to stop somewhere so she could actually talk to her about something. Carly had gone to a separate area of the store for a bit during that time.

Sam and Freddie entered and saw Spencer working on various sculptures, going at a fast pace, he told them he was doing it for some art gallery. They talked until Sam decided she wanted a snack and followed Freddie into the kitchen, listening to Spencer as background. "Hey Freddie, I had an idea."

"What is it?" Freddie asked as he took a bowl from the refrigerator.

"Well…I'm not sure if you'll like it."

"Go ahead." Sam smiled and took a bite from the item in the bowl.

"Well, I was thinking that you and I could find some time to do a bet for this week. It would be fun for Carly to see, too." Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam gave a small sigh. "Well, you know how Carly thinks I can't go five seconds without insulting you? I was thinking that maybe we find a perfect opportunity to start this and you bet that I can't be nice to you for one week or something…"

"And then you act like you're having trouble with it?" Freddie smiled and gave a slight shrug. "Sure, it works for me…I'll think of something." Freddie looked up and saw Carly walking toward them, he sidestepped and gave her a smile, Sam did the same.

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie and Sam stood in the lobby with Carly the next day, they were waiting for Harry Joyner, the famous artist, to arrive and check out Spencer's sculptures. Carly had talked to Freddie about how he and Sam always seemed to fight, and Freddie told her that Sam seemed just like that, she couldn't pass up the chance.

Carly looked away from the door of the lobby and sighed; waiting for the artist was hectic. Freddie and Sam decided that this would be the perfect time to start the said bet. Carly talked about the pictures of Spencer's sculptures, so Freddie said it was cool, cuing Sam to throw an insult.

"You know what else is cool?" Sam asked in an excited voice. Freddie raised his eyebrow and looked over. "Not you!" Freddie groaned and rolled his eyes.

"See, Carly! I told you, she can't pass up an opportunity to insult me!" Freddie said in a quick voice. Freddie crossed his arms and looked into Sam's eyes, flashing a slight smirk. "Anytime a chance comes along, you just have to insult me." Carly sighed and shook her head disapprovingly.

"You really should be nicer to him," Carly stated. Sam frowned and Freddie gave a small scoff.

"She couldn't be nicer if she tried," Freddie said as he turned to Sam. "She has no self control." Sam scoffed and shrugged her shoulders.

"I have oodles of self control!" Sam said in her defense. "I self control myself all the time. This was where Carly surprised them completely.

"Then prove it," Carly said while smiling and raising her eyebrows. "Don't insult Freddie for a whole week." Sam and Freddie gasped softly and Freddie turned to her.

"A-And what if she doesn't?" Carly shrugged and looked at Sam.

"Okay, for every insult, you owe Freddie five bucks." Sam felt weak, she was sure Carly was doing this just because she was upset that Sam always argued with Freddie. It was true, Carly had not heard their discussion the prior day, but she didn't like that Sam constantly bickered with Freddie. He could tell Sam was looking sick, and he really wanted to end this, because he too was getting sick.

"Uh…" He quickly put on a smile and faked a laugh. "Yeah, good luck, that's not going to happen!" Freddie said in a quick voice. Sam huffed and smirked.

"Nope, I'm not going to say one mean word," Sam replied. She smiled and her eyebrows rose, Freddie smirked at her.

"Oh really, then why don't you kiss me?" Carly snickered at the absurdity of the statement, she knew Sam would never kiss him, and would definitely insult him at that moment. Sam fumbled with her words and opened her mouth.

"Kiss _you_? Please, I'd rather…" She stopped herself and knew she wouldn't really be able to insult him. Truthfully, there wasn't anything she'd rather do than to kiss him. Only, being nice to him in front of Carly, wouldn't it raise suspicions? She sighed and shook her head. "I'd rather not do that at this time, but thank you for your kind offer." Well, that was true enough, she couldn't kiss him at that time, but she was definitely going to give him a kiss later. Freddie smirked and leaned back.

_"Aw, how cute...Oh, I'm _so_ going to kiss her later. But…why the hell would Carly do this? What is Carly…oh…"_ He sighed and crossed his arms over. "Impressive."

"Good girl," Carly responded. Both Freddie and Sam suppressed the urge to scowl at Carly, she just commented on Sam as one would a dog. Ignoring the comment, they just sighed and looked into each others eyes, flirting through eye contact. Soon a man walked in and asked for Carly, it was Harry. Carly turned around and started talking with him. After they started to walk away, Freddie looked at Sam and smirked.

"My mom is my hero." Sam blinked and looked to the side.

"It's going to be a long week, isn't it?" Freddie laughed and patted Sam's shoulders. She looked over and saw that Carly had left the lobby completely, so she sighed and looked to Freddie. "Freddie, why did Carly do that? What's going to happen? We can't make it look _easy_ to be nice to you, and she may know that there's something more…"

"Don't worry about it, Sam. As I said, there's no reason not to stick to the original plan, just pretend you can't stand being nice to me. It's like you said, she's slightly bothered with that said crush she has on me when you, her best friend, hate me. So, she probably wants to see you be nice and hope that it means you'll be nice to me and she won't have to worry about you hating her if she continues to like me."

"You know…it just feels like…I don't know." Freddie sighed and hugged Sam, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"Relax, Sam, just relax. In one week, we'll go back to pretending that we don't like each other. Also, remember that the money _you_ have is also the money _I _have." Sam chuckled lightly and nodded her head, Emily gave them each an allowance. "If you really want to, then you can insult me at the end of the week, pay me money, then I'll pay you it back when we get home."

"I guess so. Thanks, Freddie." Sam lifted herself up and softly kissed Freddie on the lips, he smiled at her and placed his hand on her back while walking toward the stairs. They didn't want to keep Carly waiting and they were interested in seeing what Mr. Joyner thought of Spencer's sculptures.

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I hope you liked that chapter, I enjoyed writing it. Leave a review!


	47. Cost of a Secret

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 47 (Cost of a Secret)

A few hours later, Sam and Freddie were in the upstairs studio while Carly was down with Spencer. They were expecting Carly to come up pretty soon, so they decided somehow, Sam should complain about Freddie getting her set up for insults. Of course, he thought she looked cute whenever she acted. _"I think she's a better actress than Carly,"_ Freddie thought as he looked over to her.

Sam could feel his eyes on her and she was sure he was smirking. She shifted her eyes rapidly toward him and back away several times, until he tapped her with his foot. She looked over at him and he tilted his head. "Do you think we should have you act like you're having extreme trouble _now?"_ Freddie asked while holding his smirk. She shrugged and he tilted his head back, thinking of something he could use on her. "What is that stupid convention that Jeremy was talking about before?"

"The one this weekend?" Sam asked as she raised her eyebrow. "I think it was…that Galaxy Wars thing…I think that's perfect fuel material. Use it and I can try to look like you've just tried to get me to insult you, so Carly can see it…" They had discussed it once before, they hoped that if Sam appeared to be having great distress, Carly would call off her absurd bet. Sam actually felt bad about the whole thing because Carly had suggested it, and that just didn't feel good. "Oh! Maybe you can dress up like that Nug-Nug thing." Freddie choked and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, nice one Sam…Okay, I'll use it. Hopefully Carly walks in when we do this, so she'll see how unfair this is. So, Sam, I'm going to the galaxy wars convention this weekend, do you want to come with me?" He leaned forward and shifted his eyes to the door, Carly still wasn't entering. He shrugged and looked at Sam. "Shall we practice a bit? I'm dressing up as Nug-Nug…" Sam moved her I-pod to the ground and shook her head.

"I'm not going to do it, Freddie. You are not getting five bucks out of me." Freddie sighed and leaned back in the bean bag chair, placing his hands behind his head.

"When I grow up, I wonder what kind of girl will want to marry me." Sam chuckled and he pointed to the pillow, hoping Carly would walk in and see Sam acting troubled by the whole ordeal and would call it off. Sam grabbed the pillow and bit into it, acting perfectly troubled. Freddie couldn't help but think that she looked adorable while doing so. "God you are so cute…" Sam blushed lightly and Freddie gave her a smirk. Sam continued to squeeze the pillow and closed her eyes, trying to let the blush go away. "When I shower, my mom makes me sign a paper saying I shampooed twice."

"No she doesn't."

"Go with it." Sam nodded and quickly leapt to the floor, pounding and screaming into the pillow. At that moment, Carly walked into the door and stared at Sam.

"Should I call an ambulance?" Carly asked. Sam quickly turned over and looked at her friend with a pleading look.

"Make him stop setting me up to insult him!" Sam exclaimed. Carly sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Guys, not now, Spencer's really upset." Freddie raised his eyebrow and stood up to look at Carly.

"Why?" Freddie asked with concern. He didn't think Spencer should worry about Harry Joyner not liking his work. "Who cares what Harry Joyner thinks?"

"Spencer does, a lot! I've never seen him this depressed." Sam tapped her chin and walked around the room, trying to think of some way to help Carly and Spencer out.

"Spencer's sculptures are the best, though."

"I know, and we've all told him that, but he won't believe us." Just then, an idea struck Sam. They could use iCarly to get Spencer's mood up, hopefully.

"Well, maybe Spencer needs to hear it from a few more people," Sam stated while smirking. Carly and Freddie looked over at her and she crossed her arms. "If we show his sculptures on iCarly, then the viewer comments might help Spencer feel more confident about his work!"

"Yeah, that's a great idea!"

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie got into the lobby and his cell phone started ringing, he answered it and heard Sam's voice on the phone. "Hey Freddie, Emily is over at Carly's place," Sam said. Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam continued. "I think she's offering to look after Spencer while he's on his job as a dental assistant."

"Oh right…" The other day they had given Spencer user comments on his sculpture, and Freddie even got to meet Sam's cousin, Greg. He liked Greg, the guy was pretty cool. Greg knew Sam and Freddie lived under the same roof, since he knew Emily looked after Sam, but he knew nothing of the arranged marriage. "Spencer's got that dentist job now…okay, I guess that's cool that Mom is going to be there for Carly. Are you over there?"

"No, I'm here at home. I thought I should clean my room up."

"Isn't it _always_ clean?"

"Yes." Freddie chuckled and shook his head, Sam had to have everything neat and in perfect order. "Oh, by the way, I want you to give Carly some comfort. If you have to, give her a hug, since hugs comfort people."

"Aw…I suppose you want me to try to break the three second rule?" Freddie groaned and Sam let out a small sigh.

"Well, think of it as if you're hugging me."

"I can't do that, because you know how I hug you." Freddie looked over to see Carly entering the lobby. "Crap, she's coming…I guess I'll talk to you later. I love you-"

"Hey Freddie, who are you talking to?" Carly asked while stepping next to him.

"MOM, I love you mom, I'll talk to you later!" Sam snickered from her line and told Freddie goodbye before hanging up. Freddie sighed and placed his cell phone in his pocket. "Doesn't matter…how was your day?" Carly tilted her head as she and Freddie walked to the elevator.

"Why are you talking to your mom when she's just upstairs?"

"She wants me to call her every so often and let her know I'm okay and that I love her."

"I see." They entered the elevator and Freddie crossed his arms, not knowing what to say. They made it to Carly's floor and stepped out. "Freddie, I feel like I've ruined Spencer's life."

"That's not true," Freddie said as they turned the corner and made it to Carly's door. Freddie knew Sam was probably looking out the peephole. He swallowed and closed his eyes, it was just a hug between friends, nothing more.

"It is true, I ruined Spencer's life. If I never emailed that dumb Harry Joyner, then none of this would have ever happened." Carly sighed and Freddie could feel eyes upon him, Sam was definitely watching from the peephole. "I'm upset."

"Uh, sounds like someone needs a hug…" Freddie closed his eyes and tried to remove the thought of hugging Carly from his mind. He wrapped his arms around her and held his breath, it felt like someone was attempting to thrust a dagger into his heart. _"How many seconds was it, got it's going to be forever. One…two…three…Sam, what am I going to do? When I see her next, I'm going to make sure she feels extremely perfect. I have just the thing to make her feel special and to lift his spirits."_

While his mind was on Sam, he couldn't tell Carly was telling him to let go. She lifted her hand and flicked him on the back of the head, causing him to release and rub his head in pain. Currently, he felt like dying, despite the fact that it was just a hug. Carly might have thought more. He was about to turn toward his door when Carly grabbed his sleeve and started pulling him into her apartment. He groaned inwardly and saw his door open slightly, then close. He would have broken down and cried if he had to, but he wasn't much of a crier. When they entered, Carly spotted Emily. "Hi Ms. Benson…"

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Freddie asked as he pulled away from Sam and rubbed his arm. Emily raised her eyebrow and gave a slight smile. Spencer looked over and gave a smile as well.

"I'm going to work, so Ms. Benson is going to stay and look after you," Spencer said. Carly's expression turned to shock and disbelief, she really didn't like Emily.

"Here?!" Carly exclaimed.

"Well yeah, I can't leave you alone."

"Yeah you can, sure you can, why can't you? She's going to stay here!" Emily knew Carly was a bit odd with her, so she also knew she was going to have fun. She picked up a bag of chips from the store she went to just a few hours ago and smiled. Though she hated those chips, they still went with her crazy acting.

"I brought Soy Chips," Emily said while smiling. Freddie crossed his arms and chuckled, he figured that somehow, Emily had to be teaching Sam how to act. Carly shot a disgusted look to her and quickly looked to Spencer.

"Okay, it's after four, what dentist works after four?" Spencer sighed and rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed with Carly. Freddie was already pretty annoyed with her. Emily wasn't, she just figured Carly didn't really know her. If Carly knew her, and a certain unknown fact, she would like her better.

"Well this dentist works afternoons and nights for people that can't get away during the day."

"Well you need to quit being a dentist and go back to being an artist." Spencer frowned and shook his head.

"Carly, I'm a dentist now." He walked past her and Carly shot him a weird look.

"Well, I'm still way too old to have a babysitter."

"Now don't think of me as your babysitter," Emily started while giving her a small smile. "Think of me as your gal pal who hangs with you afternoons and evenings." Carly frowned and rolled her eyes slightly, quickly turning to Spencer. _"Well Sam does…"_

"Is this going to be a regular thing?!" She turned back and looked at Freddie, smiling. "Not that I don't love your mom, she's awesome." She then turned back to Spencer and shouted. "Is this going to be a regular thing?!"

"For now, yeah," Spencer replied. "See you later." He walked out of the door and Carly groaned.

"Hey, Mom, I'm going to go home for a bit and wash up," Freddie said while closing his hands and walking toward the door. Emily nodded and knew he wanted to talk to Sam. Carly's eyes widened and she stared at Freddie.

"You're going to leave me alone with your mom!" Carly asked in a quick voice. Freddie shrugged and left the door, he then entered his apartment and saw Sam watching television. Well, she might have been, but her eyes were closed and her chest was moving as it would if she were asleep.

_"Sam_." Freddie's face softened and he slowly walked over to her, he sat next to her and took her hand in his. "Hey Sam, are you asleep?" Her eyes slowly opened and a soft moan escaped her lips.

"Not anymore," Sam said quietly. She looked into Freddie's eyes and smiled. "Hi Freddie, how is Carly?"

"Please, I don't want to talk about her right now. Though, I can say she probably thinks Mom's the weirdest woman on earth.."

"Yeah, probably because she acts so nuts all the time…I love Ms. Benson, she's awesome."

"I know you do." Freddie smiled and took Sam's hand in his. He squeezed it and slowly brushed his hand up her arm, sending shivers through her body. "I love you, Sam. When I hugged her, I nearly died, it felt so wrong." Sam raised her eyebrow and gave a single chuckle, though it was more like a covered up sob.

"It was just a hug, Freddie. It wasn't anything more than that. You know it's okay." She lifted her hand to his face and smiled. "I love you, Freddie. I want to say, that maybe it is best that we do-" A rapid knocking was heard on Freddie's door, causing both Sam and Freddie to look over.

"Freddie! I'm going to come in!" Carly shouted. Sam's eyes widened and she quickly got up from the couch. She looked to Freddie and gave a slight whimper before running into the kitchen. The moment she made it out, Carly opened the door and slammed it shut, breathing heavily. "Your Mom just asked me if I shampooed twice a day and suggested some sort of weird contract!" Freddie gave an exasperated sigh and placed his elbow on the end of the couch.

"You don't say…well my mom _is_ a bit crazy." Carly nodded and sat down on the couch.

"Yeah…I thought you were going to take a shower or something."

"I was, so do you mind leaving?"

"Am I interrupting something?" Carly frowned and appeared hurt. Freddie didn't mean to sound harsh, but he was just getting started with Sam when she walked in.

"Yeah, why make you suffer with my mom? The sooner I take a shower, the sooner I get over there. I suggest you go back over there, because she really will come here, and I don't want her coming here right now. I want _you_ to go back and spend some time with my mother, and I will see you later."

"Wow…" Carly stood up and blinked, slightly shaken with his tone of voice. "I'm impressed, I didn't know you could actually talk to me like that. You usually always seem so love puppyish and weird." Carly smiled at him and Sam peeked her head around a wall, frowning. "I'm actually amazed…" Freddie sighed and stood up, dusting his pants off. He wasn't in the mood to act pushy, but he still wanted Carly out of the apartment, and fast.

"Just let me take my shower, I'll talk to you later." Carly nodded and glanced at him once before leaving the apartment. Freddie pressed his lips together and growled as he shook himself. Sam walked out and stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She kissed the back of his neck and buried her face into his back.

"It's okay, Freddie," Sam said in a quiet voice. Freddie smiled and turned around, kissing Sam on the forehead. "I'm not hurt, Freddie. I'm strong."

"I know you're strong, you're probably the strongest girl I know, but you can't fool me." He placed his finger under her chin and met her wide eyed gaze. "I can see right through you, Sam Puckett. If this whole thing can hurt even me, then I know it's hurting you." Sam sniffed once and tightened her embrace on him, resting her head on his chest.

"Do you really have to go back there? I don't want you to."

"You can come with me."

"I don't want to do that right now…I mean, I feel weird around Carly tonight." Freddie lifted his hand and ran it through her golden hair, softly kissing her head.

"Then I won't go back tonight, I will tell Carly that something came up and a friend needed me to do homework with him."

"Thank you." Sam smiled and gently kissed his lips.

-NEW SCENE-

Two days passed and Harry Joyner told Spencer how he really felt about the sculptures, and how he really was just jealous. This made Spencer happy and brought him back to the art world. Carly and Sam walked into the apartment and saw the two men working on a sculpture for the dental office. Spencer turned around and smiled at them.

"Hey, you guys got home fast," Spencer stated.

"Yeah, Sam's mom gave me a ride," Carly replied.

"That's nice of her."

"Nah, she just likes dumping me here," Sam said while shrugging her shoulders. Spencer nodded and moved back to the giant and multicolored mouth.

"Is Freddie with you guys?" Sam knew he'd enter after seeing her, she did tap his door with her heel, signaling that she was with Carly.

"Nope, but Carly's home so he'll probably be here in…" Freddie entered and stepped next to Sam, smirking. Carly walked over to Spencer and Freddie faced Sam.

"I would have been here sooner," Freddie started while clasping his fingers together. Carly raised her eyebrow and glanced over as Freddie looked into Sam's eyes. "But I was helping my mom knit a sweater." In reality, Emily was teaching Sam how to knit, so it wasn't a huge lie. "Any comments?" Sam sighed and swallowed lightly, putting on the act.

"Please let me insult you once for free."

"Nope, five bucks an insult." Carly rolled her eyes and Sam took a deep breath.

"Then I think it's very sweet that you're helping your mom knit." Freddie smirked and nodded his head.

"Impressive."

"You're just lucky I'm broke."

_"Oh yeah, she spent her allowance on something, didn't she."_ Carly chuckled and started talking to Spencer, after some time, he revealed that the dentist paid him money in advance.

_"Ooh, money,"_ Sam thought as Spencer handed her forty bucks. He then proceeded to hand Freddie and Carly some money as well. She then felt Freddie start to whisper in her ear.

"You can insult me now, just get it over with. Let's get back to that acting, cause I know the longer you act nice, you might actually give in and reveal the secret…like I'm tempted to do it myself." Sam nodded in understanding and turned to face him.

"Now that I have forty bucks…" Carly raised her eyebrow and looked over with despair. Sam still didn't like Freddie, her plan was ruined. Sam started giving out insults and handing Freddie money, he thanked her with each insult. "You're a nerd, your breath smells like dead feet, no girl will ever want you…I don't like your pants. If you were a country, you'd be El Salva-dork."

"Clever!"

"Did I bring up your butt yet? It's oddly shaped." Well she hadn't seen his butt underneath any clothes, but from what she did see, he nice and firm buttocks. It definitely wasn't shaped oddly. Of course, he did bring up the fact that her butt was probably round and soft once before. "So is your head."

"Awesome." She was out of money, so Freddie walked over and started counting. He would be giving her forty bucks back later, but right now, they just decided to bathe in success. If Carly wanted to try to get Sam to not hate Freddie so she could feel better about liking him, then she'd have to try harder. If the only way to make Sam not feel weird was to make her like Freddie, then so be it, she would do whatever it took to go out with him.  


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I hope you liked that chapter, let me know your thoughts and I shall lay to bed and sleep. No seriously, that's what I'm doing now, see you in the morning! Stick around for the next chapter!


	48. Role Play: Jonah

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 48 (Role Play: Jonah)

The start of the school day brought Sam, Jonah and Freddie talking about school. Sam had a cheese can that she snagged from the kitchen cabinet at home, which made Freddie wonder why she would do such a thing. Valerie was at the library, studying for a test she had that day. "Okay, so I'm still not sure about the test in our class," Jonah said while looking at Freddie.

"Yeah, it shouldn't be too hard, did you take notes?" Freddie asked while taking off his backpack.

"You know I wasn't here the other day, right?"

"Right, so I'll let you borrow my notes." Freddie took out his notebook and handed it to Jonah. Sam shook her cheese can and squirted some cheese into her mouth. The boys raised their eyebrows and stared at her. "Why did you bring the cheese can with you instead of a regular lunch?" Sam looked at Freddie and smiled.

"Oh, I just like cheese, you know that," Sam replied. Freddie chuckled and rolled his eyes slightly. "I thought you guys already _took_ a test in that class of yours."

"She does a test almost every three days," Jonah said while giving a slow sigh. They hated the way their teacher taught, but they could do nothing about it. "So these notes are for the one coming up. We should actually get the results for the one we took the other day, and during lunch, if everyone got an A…we get to see a bird." Sam raised her eyebrow and chuckled while shaking her head.

"Well, I hope you do well on the tests then. You know what, I just thought of something recently that I wanted to bring up to you guys."

"What?"

"Well, Carly asked me why I never seemed interested in any guys, so I thought I'd pretend to have a crush on someone. Do you think I should?" Freddie and Jonah looked at each other and shrugged.

"Well, it is only acting, so I don't have a problem with it," Freddie stated while rubbing his chin. "Timing could be right, like when Carly's nearby. So, some guy probably should act really cool and impressive, I suppose."

"Yeah, but where are we going to get a guy to pretend to like me?" The three rubbed their chin in thought. Sam and Freddie both turned their heads and looked toward Jonah, he blinked and sighed.

"How did I not see that coming?" Jonah asked while narrowing his eyes. "Okay, what can go wrong?"

"Yeah, there shouldn't be anything going wrong," Freddie said looking over to see Jeremy sneezing on a water fountain. "I feel sorry for the next kid that has to drink from that." Jonah and Sam looked over and laughed as the bell rang.

"Well, I'll be by to return the notes during lunch," Jonah said while patting Freddie's shoulder. "I guess I'll meet you by Carly and Sam's locker, right?"

"Yeah, catch you later." The trio parted ways and waited until lunch time. When lunch came, Sam was at her locker eating from the cheese can. Carly walked by and raised her eyebrow.

"Hey, what's that?" Carly asked while pointing to the can.

"Lunch."

"That's what your mom gave you for lunch?" Sam chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm just happy she woke up before noon." Carly smiled and rolled her eyes as Freddie walked toward them.

"Hello ladies," Freddie said while smiling. "Or should I say, Lady and Sam." Of course, he meant that as Sam being something more than just a Lady to him. She was an angel, a higher rank than that of a lady. Sam raised her eyebrow and squirt the cheese onto Freddie's face. "Hey!" Freddie sighed and pushed the cheese off his face, Carly merely stared at him with wide eyes, appalled that Sam did that. _"I should squirt that cheese on her, then maybe lick it off…hmm, there's a thought." _Freddie blinked and quickly shook his head, trying to remove the perverted thoughts. _"How cheesy..."_

_"Though, I wouldn't mind eating that cheese off of his chest."_ Carly quickly grabbed the can away from Sam. "Hey!"

"You'll get this back when you learn to handle cheese properly!" Carly scolded. Carly sighed and rolled her eyes, both she and Freddie knew it was just a joke. The group looked over as a teacher in a bird costume stepped out of the classroom.

"Uh, who is that?" Sam asked. She was trying to get Carly scolding her for having a little fun with Freddie out of her mind. Since when was it Carly's place to tell Sam that she couldn't have fun with her boyfriend? _"Ugh, that is so irritating sometimes!"_

"That's our one teacher who told us if everyone got A's on the quizzes, she'd dress up like a chicken for the whole day," Freddie replied.

"Oh, cool." Sam took the cheese can out of Carly's hand and narrowed her eyes. Just then, Jonah walked up to Freddie and handed him the notebook.

"Hey Freddie, thanks for letting me borrow your notes earlier," Jonah said with a smile. Those weren't the same notes he borrowed from Freddie for the current test, but the ones that he borrowed for the last quiz. He didn't make a habit out of borrowing Freddie's notes, it was only those two times that it had happened.

"Hey, anything to get a teacher in a chicken suit!" Freddie said while giving a slight laugh. Jonah laughed and nodded in response.

"Yeah, what's better than that?" Sam smirked and decided to join in.

"Maybe a chicken in a teacher suit." The group laughed and Jonah was struck by an idea.

"Awesome! He'd be all like, do your homework!" This was said while making chicken noises. Sam looked at Carly and put on the best acting face she could and pretended to be attracted to Jonah. Freddie saw the look and decided to look away, since she was such a good actor, it almost looked real.

"You make funny chicken noises." Jonah chuckled lightly and glanced to the side, unsure of how to really role play the current situation. Freddie nudged him and Sam signaled with her eyes for Jonah to go ahead and take his leave if he wanted.

"Well…I have to go give a nerd a wedgie. Later." Jonah quickly left the scene and Sam decided to go ahead and ask who Jonah was, to make it believable to Carly.

"Hey, who was that guy?"

"Oh, he's a friend of mine in my French class," Freddie answered.

"Okay…Freddie, go to your locker."

"Why?"

"Go to your locker." Sam aimed the cheese gun toward him and he quickly fled to his locker. Carly smiled at her and Sam prepared for Carly's questions.

"You love Jonah," Carly stated clearly, thinking it was obvious that Sam liked him. Normally, Sam would have coughed, but being a good actor, she went along with it.

"Well maybe, I mean he is cool and all."

"You should ask him to hang out!"

"Nah, he wouldn't really like me anyway." Carly scoffed and looked at Sam with a disbelieving smile.

"Are you kidding? He makes chicken noises and bothers other children, he's perfect for you!" Freddie was behind the wall, where his locker was. He coughed harshly when he heard that statement. Sam raised her eyebrow and shook her head, Freddie was really the one perfect for her.

"Forget it…I have to go squirt cheese down Gibby's pants." Sam turned and saw Gibby, Gibby saw her and then decided to slowly walk away. "Gibby! Come here, Gibby!" He then picked up his pace and Sam continued to shout at him. "Don't you run!" Carly chuckled and walked over to Freddie's locker, he was putting something inside and appeared to be a bit annoyed with something. He stood up and looked at Carly, interested in what she might want.

"Freddie, do you believe in love at first sight?" He figured he'd better push it and get Carly away from him by annoying her. He didn't believe in love at first sight, but if he said no, that would probably make Carly like him for not pushing.

"Yes, I do. I always have!" Carly rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"No, I mean that Sam likes your friend Jonah!" Freddie's face fell slightly and he had to keep from looking horribly sick.

"Oh."

"Tell Jonah to ask Sam out!"

_"Oh hell no."_ Freddie's face hardened and he appeared as though he'd just been hit by a tidal wave. No one had anticipated something like that, but he wasn't about to give in. "No! Jonah never did anything bad to me." He brushed past Carly and she placed her hand on his backpack, causing him to turn around and stare at her. _"I swear..."_

"Come on, Sam doesn't like many guys." There was a reason for that, and the reason was now staring into Carly's eyes while trying not to look completely filled with anger.

"No!" He wasn't becoming angry at Carly, but angry at the fact that she wanted him to get some other guy to ask Sam out. It didn't matter who the guy was, he absolutely couldn't fathom the thought of another guy dating his girlfriend!

"Please, for me?" Freddie's eyes widened and his nostrils flared out slightly, Carly failed to catch the action. That was not something that he needed to hear from Carly, most likely Sam, but never Carly.

"Don't do that." Carly raised her eyebrow and Freddie sighed heavily. "You think that you can just go around and say 'please, for me' and expect me to do whatever you want. Well not this time!" Carly smiled innocently and Freddie narrowed his eyes, hating this situation.

"Please, for me?" She was most likely never going to stop, meaning he would either go crazy and tell her that Sam was his or he would do nothing other than go insane. There was only one choice, he needed to give in, unfortunately.

"Fine…" Carly smiled at him and walked off. He kept his eyes narrow and his glare forward, he needed to keep his cool. Of course, he knew it would be just like what happened with Valerie, role play. The only thing he hated about it was that _Carly_ just initiated it. That meant by doing this, he was pleasing Carly and in turn, impressing her. "DAMN IT!" Freddie roared and slammed his fist into a nearby locker, rage was already coursing through his veins. He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and heard Sam's soft and gentle voice.

"Freddie, what's wrong?" Sam asked him. Whenever she was near him, it was like milk and honey, her voice was ever sweet and melodious to his ears. Upon hearing her, he took a deep breath and managed to calm down completely. He turned to face Sam and smiled softly while gazing into her eyes. He could easily tell that her blue orbs were filled with concern.

"It's Carly, she just got me to tell Jonah to ask you out." Sam frowned and glanced down, slowly shaking her head. She hadn't anticipated that move and wondered why Carly would care that much. She also knew Freddie could be insanely jealous, even if it was Jonah and faked. "I think we'll have to talk to Jonah and Valerie about role playing as a date again."

"It'll be okay, Freddie. We did it with Valerie, so Jonah can role play as a good boyfriend. We'll have to figure out what to do for the end of it, though."

"Yeah, that's true."

"Let's talk to them after school. Just, try to be calm." Sam smiled and looked around her, making sure nobody was nearby. She quickly leaned forward and turned her head, kissing Freddie on the cheek. He smiled at her and exhaled slowly, making sure to remain calm. "Well, I'm off to class now. Also, do your hand a favor…" Sam took his hand and held it up, laughing slightly. "Don't punch anymore lockers."

"I won't, Angel." Sam quickly kissed his lips and walked away.

-NEW SCENE-

"She did what!" Jonah exclaimed, his jaw falling to the floor. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Hey, calm down," Valerie said as she placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed his cheek. Sam and Freddie stood in front of them, holding each other's hands in theirs. Jonah sighed and rubbed his forehead, he didn't like Carly before, and now he didn't like her even more. The whole thing at the lockers had just been awkward for him. "It'll help Sam and Freddie keep their secret even more, as well. Think about it, what if Tyrone suspected Sam of being Freddie's bride?"

"Well, that would be a bad thing." Valerie looked into Jonah's eyes and slowly nodded, reminding him that it would be a very bad thing.

"So, if you role play as her boyfriend, any suspicion placed on her will go away. She will have had a boyfriend and no one will ever suspect her of dating Freddie."

"I guess…How will this relationship end? Oh, and do I get revenge on Carly somehow? I really would like to freak her out!"

"Um, how would you go about doing that?" Sam asked while tilting her head to the side.

"I don't know yet..."

"We'll think of something," Freddie said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Let's start the role play in class tomorrow."

"Okay." Jonah sighed and crossed his arms, trying to think of something at all tha could come from this. Then it hit him. "Hey, this could be just like Valerie, you guys could date without having to worry!"

"Yeah, that's right! I can call up Sam while she's with Carly." Freddie smirked deviously and Sam gave a slight chuckle.

"Hey, I need to spend time with my friend, too," Sam replied.

"Nonsense, why spend time with someone that makes you feel bad?" Freddie smiled and pulled Sam into a hug, kissing her forehead. He was only joking, he knew Sam was right. She needed to spend time with Carly just as much as any of her other good friends. He liked Carly too and didn't want to make either Carly or Sam stop liking each other. He also knew well that Carly didn't _mean_ to make Sam feel bad, so it was nothing she could control, really. "Yet, you are right…but I'm still going to call you at least once while you're with her!" Sam laughed and kissed Freddie's chin, she didn't mind at all if Freddie did that. She only hoped it wasn't while she was doing anything important.

-NEW SCENE-

The next day, Freddie entered the classroom with Jonah and sighed, the role play would now begin. "Hey Jonah," Freddie said while walking to the desk. Jonah looked up and raised his eyebrow.

"Hey what's up?" They practiced this with the girls, so it should run smoothly. Yet, they both still felt awkward about it.

"You remember that girl that was with me when you handed back my notes?" Jonah put his hands in his pocket and nodded.

"Yeah, she was cool, and cute too." People looked over at the two and listened in, which was actually not what Jonah or Freddie wanted. They figured they should just ignore the people.

"I'm talking about the blonde one."

"Yeah, her name is Sam, right?"

"Yeah…I hear she kind of…likes you." Freddie felt an odd churning inside of him, as though he was probably going to get sick. He knew he needed to get this done quickly or else he would be sick.

"She does? Tell me about her." Jonah sat on the corner of one of the desks, growing sick himself.

"She's got really…_great teeth!"_ The churning in his stomach only seemed to grow. Jonah sighed and closed his eyes.

"That's great, but what's she like?"

"Well…she's really nice, cool, and pleasant…to be around." It was true, but Freddie didn't like the feeling of telling another guy to date her for it, even if it was just role play. He gagged and Jonah slowly stood up, actually wondering if Freddie would be okay.

"Hey dude, are you alright? You look kind of sick. We can stop…"

"Yeah…" Freddie placed his hand on his stomach and groaned. "So, why don't you…ask her out?"

"Alright, I will. Thanks for hooking me up." Freddie raised his eyebrow and swallowed.

"I'm talking about the blonde one."

"Yeah, I know." Jonah looked at his friend with concern, he hoped Freddie would be okay. He was actually feeling pretty sick himself, but he knew that most of his time would not be spent with Sam, Freddie would be the one spending it all with her. He walked to his desk, but would keep a close eye on his friend, making sure Freddie wouldn't get too sick and keel over.

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That's the end of that chapter! Thank you all who are reviewing! I would never have gotten this far without you!

Keep in mind, that I am not trying to make Carly look bad obviously, so don't complain about the fact that Jonah doesn't like Carly. He doesn't, but that is for his own reasons. He doesn't like the pain that she, through her grandfather, are causing his friends. He doesn't know her like Sam and Freddie and therefore doesn't trust that she could ever stray from her grandfather's ways. He's also not like Valerie who is more calm and patient, therefore more understanding and lenient about things. So again, please enjoy this, and don't complain about Jonah's dislike for Carly...


	49. Role Play: Honeymoon Phase

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

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Chapter 49 (Role Play: Honeymoon Phase)

Three days passed by, so far things were running smoothly. Anytime Jonah called, it was actually Freddie calling Sam. The first night, he called right when Sam was talking to Carly and asked her to go watch a movie with him. Currently, Freddie was sitting in his French class while holding his cell phone out. Jonah had his eyebrow raised and watched as Freddie texted Sam.

_"You got to be kidding, well, I guess they do have that freedom for now," _Jonah thought while leaning back and giving a deep sigh. He would have been texting Valerie, but she told him not to do that. Sam was normally like Valerie in the sense that she'd rather study than text, but in this case, it was her first opportunity to actually manage to do stuff with Freddie openly while she pretended to date Jonah. "Hey Freddie, you should complain to Carly about the whole texting thing!" Freddie looked over and laughed slightly, that wasn't a bad idea.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," Freddie stated. "Sam just sent me a text saying that she needs to get started on her work, and I better as well." He closed his phone and put it in his pocket. "She and Valerie are the masterminds behind this whole role play, aren't they?" Jonah laughed and gave a quick nod. Sam and Valerie were the ones scripting everything, the boys wouldn't have thought of half the things if it wasn't for them. "Well, what can we do without our girls?"

"Not much, man. Not much." Freddie chuckled and looked at the paper on his desk. He continued to work on homework until the bell rang. From there, he grabbed his backpack and took his quiz from the desk. "Hey dude, I'll catch you later. By the way, what do you think I should send in that one text that the girls want me to send…making her seem obsessed with her boyfriend?" Jonah blinked and slowly shook his head, Freddie shrugged and crossed his arms in thought.

"How about just something about how cute her head is." Jonah shrugged and Freddie left the room to find Carly at her locker.

"Hey Freddie, how did French class go?" Carly asked while smiling at him.

"Terrible!" Freddie exclaimed while holding his test paper up. "I got a B plus on a test!" Carly gasped and smiled.

"That's not part of the Freddie Benson master plan!" Freddie rolled his eyes and frowned. While he did want to make an A, he didn't really worry too much about the grade. Carly was an oddball, she didn't really know what he planned.

"Well I couldn't concentrate because Jonah was sitting right next to me text messaging Sam the whole time! Did you know they've spent like every second together for the past three days?" So he was boasting, he and Sam hadn't spent every second together, but it was a good exaggeration to use.

"I know, they're like a total couple now!"

"It's disgusting!" Carly rolled her eyes and smiled as Sam stepped next to them. Her phone beeped and Sam checked it.

"Hey, I've got a text from Jonah," Sam said as she read the words. "The back of your head is totally cute." That had to be the oddest phrase she had ever heard. _"I'm sure he didn't think of that one on his own…"_ Sam smiled and looked up, not seeing Jonah stepping behind her. "Aw, he thinks the back of my head is cute!" Jonah took a deep breath and spoke, feeling weird about doing this with his best friend's girl. Not only that, his best friend was right there.

"I'm not just thinking about it, I'm _looking _at it," Jonah said in a quick voice. Sam turned around and gave him a quick hug.

"Aw, I missed you!" Remembering the three second rule, Jonah and Sam quickly ended the hug. Sam looked over at Carly and Freddie, then looked over at Jonah. "Hey, want to go get some lunch?" They would leave together, then split.

"Sure, as long as you don't sniff the fruit salad!" Sam laughed and Carly smiled awkwardly. Freddie suppressed a chuckle and crossed his arms. He knew what they were talking about, he was the one that told Jonah about it. He and Sam had gone to the smoothie shop and some dude tried to sniff the fruit salad. When he did, someone hit the guy and his face fell into the salad. It caused a chain reaction of chaos in the shop.

"What about sniffing the fruit salad?" Carly asked while raising her eyebrow.

"Last night, we saw this one dude," Sam started while laughing. Jonah chuckled and glanced to the side. "You had to be there."

"Come on, let's go," Jonah said. He wanted to see Valerie as soon as possible, and no doubt Sam wanted to get her moment alone with Freddie. Sam nodded and the two left Carly and Freddie. Freddie stepped forward and mimicked the two.

"You had to be there!" Freddie said while scoffing slightly.

"Oh come on, be happy for Sam," Carly said as she stepped forward. "She hasn't had a boyfriend since fifth grade when Frankie Murkin rudely dumped her." Freddie raised his eyebrow and looked to Carly. He remembered that memory well.

"She broke his leg."

"Yeah, and then he rudely dumped her!" Freddie rolled his eyes and shook his head, it really didn't matter all that much. He was her boyfriend, and that was why Sam didn't have a boyfriend in so long, she already did have one.

"Yeah, well she has one now." Carly nodded in agreement and started walking off. "I'm going to go this way, so see you at rehearsal tonight."

"Later, Freddie." Freddie gave a salute and quickly rushed off, he was going to meet Sam in the school gymnasium and help her to draw a good picture of her with Jonah.

-NEW SCENE-

Later at rehearsal, Sam and Freddie decided on annoying Carly into not liking Jonah all that much. It was a plan they made with Jonah and Valerie. They had already discussed some ideas that iCarly was getting and the wedgie bounce seemed nice. Jonah wanted to ride on the wedgie bounce, but probably wouldn't get to do it.

He did suggest it to Sam and Freddie, so they started thinking of how and why Jonah could get onto the wedgie bounce. They still didn't have a big idea, though.

"Okay, so let's go over ideas for iCarly," Freddie said while walking toward Carly and Sam. Sam was in a beanbag chair and sending text messages to Freddie's cell phone. He luckily had it turned off, otherwise it would be beeping every time he received a text. He did feel a vibration in his pocket whenever a text came, and that was constant. "Sam, where is the list of iCarly ideas?" A vibration was felt and Freddie exhaled slowly and closed his eyes. "Sam!"

"Oh, here," Sam replied as she reached back and pulled out a paper. It was the drawing that she and Freddie drew. She handed Freddie the paper and he took one look at it, frowning as he turned it around.

"This is a drawing of you and Jonah in a big heart surrounded by smaller hearts." Carly sighed and Sam looked up at Freddie.

"Okay, give me that." She took the paper and handed him the correct sheet that held the iCarly ideas. Freddie placed it on the clipboard and Carly stood in front of him.

"We were talking about the fan that blows stuff, or the wedgie bounce."

"I don't know, the wedgie bounce scares me," Carly said while shuddering. She wasn't overly fond of the idea of being bounced up and down by the underwear. "Who thought of that idea, anyway?"

_"Jonah, he wanted a thrill."_ Carly turned toward Sam and smiled.

"Sam, what do you think?" The constant vibrations in Freddie's pocket continued, he knew he should have turned it completely off. "Sam!" She still didn't respond to Carly, but then, she didn't really want to respond to her that much. Truth be told, the vibrations in his pocket were getting a little annoying. Carly turned toward Freddie and gave him a look of annoyance. "Okay, this is getting annoying."

"Yeah, how are we going to rehearse if she won't_ quit texting Jonah!"_ Sam smirked, knowing full well that she was getting under Freddie's skin. It was fun to tease him every now and then.

"Like this!" Carly knelt next to Sam and smiled. "Hello, I'm Carly, and I'm Sam…this is a new bit that we like to call…" Carly narrowed her eyes and looked at Sam. "Obsessively texting your boyfriend!" Sam stopped texting for a minute and looked at Carly with a smile.

"Oh hey, Carly! Your hair looks pretty."

_"You're kidding…"_ Carly placed one hand over her eyes and shook her head with annoyance. Freddie and Sam merely looked at each other and smiled. Carly stood up and looked over at Freddie. "There's no way rehearsals are getting done today…let's go downstairs and talk to Spencer."

"Fine…" Carly left the room first and Freddie snickered. "Hey Sam, I think it'll be okay to let go of the rehearsals just this once, don't you?" Sam looked up and raised her eyebrow, wondering what Freddie meant. "How about you and I go over to the smoothie shop and grab a smoothie later?"

"Yeah that sounds fun," Sam said while smiling at her lover.

"Okay, give it a few minutes and make it look like Jonah. I'll see you in a bit." Freddie winked at her and stepped out of the room, he quickly joined Carly and walked down the stairs to see Spencer working on his clay project. "Hey, is that a hamster wearing a space helmet…" Freddie started to reach for the hamster but Spencer quickly screamed at him.

"Don't touch it!" Spencer exclaimed. After some talking and explaining of the clay project, Sam started hurrying down the stairs.

"Hey, where are you going?" Carly asked while looking at her in distress.

"Jonah's at the smoothie shop and wants me to meet him there," Sam replied while opening the door and rushing out.

"But!" Carly sighed and turned around to look at Spencer. "Sam has a new boyfriend and he's all she can think about!"

"Ah, the honeymoon phase," Spencer said while walking to the counter. Freddie had to hear this, he raised his eyebrow and chuckled while taking a step forward with Carly.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well when someone's in a new relationship, it's like they're blind to everything else but that other person. Like when I started dating that girl, Jennifer, I had a bad case of poison ivy for two whole weeks and I didn't even know."

"Well, how did you find out?" Freddie asked while crossing his arms.

"It spread…to places…"

"Where?" Spencer waved his finger in the air and Freddie stepped closer, letting him whisper the answer in his ear. Freddie groaned and looked to the side. "Ouch…" He stepped to the side and looked toward the door, it was Sam time. "Well guys, on that note, I need to go pick up a few things for Mom."

"So you have to leave too?" Carly asked as she narrowed her eyes. "Fine, I guess we'll deal with you later."

"Yep, so I'll catch you on the flip side." He smoothly walked out of the apartment and closed the door, snickering as he walked down the hall. "Time to go meet Sam at the smoothie shop!"

-NEW SCENE-

The next day, Freddie was meeting with Sam, Jonah, and Valerie just moments before rehearsal. "So, you think you have to blow off rehearsals at least once?" Freddie asked while raising his eyebrows. Sam gave a curt nod and Jonah leaned against the wall. "Okay, well then…we should put something on your voicemail and state the reason why you're missing the rehearsals." Sam pulled out her cell phone and looked at it.

"Sure, I can do that," Sam said with a shrug. She moved her finger to the voicemail button and looked over to Jonah. "Jonah, come over here…think like Freddie, or just think of Valerie." Jonah nodded and stepped over to the phone. Sam pressed the button and started the recording. "Hey, you've reached Sam." Sam looked over at Freddie and smiled. "I'm with the most awesome guy ever!" Jonah looked over at Valerie and smiled softly.

"And I'm with the cutest girl ever," Jonah added in a quick voice. Valerie quickly mouthed the word water park, hoping they'd catch on. Sam nodded and smiled as she spoke into the phone.

"We're going to be at the water park all afternoon!"

"So don't bug us!"

"And don't sniff the fruit salad." Freddie stifled a laugh as Sam hung up the phone and smiled at him. "Okay, so what do you want me to do instead of rehearsals?" Freddie tapped his chin and smirked when he thought of an idea.

"Wait for me at the main park down the street."

"Okay…"

"I'll show up and surprise you."

"Oh by the way, ask Carly to find a way to make me jealous because of the whole dating Jonah thing." Freddie narrowed his eyes and raised his eyebrow while crossing his arms.

"I am not asking her out." Sam winced and quickly shook her head, that's not quite what she meant.

"She won't accept because you have to be pushy. She's my friend, I'm sure if you say 'date to get back at her' then she's definitely not going to go for it."

"It's going to make me sick, but okay. Now you _know_ I have to do something perfect with you." Sam smiled at him and lightly tapped his cheek.

"Yeah, but you know you're just role playing right now. I can't wait to see what you have in mind for me."

-NEW SCENE-

Sam had a blanket on the grass in the park while waiting for Freddie to show up. It was a perfect view of the lake, so that's why she chose the spot. Freddie would meet her after the iCarly rehearsals, so that gave her some time to relax. She sighed and lay back on the blanket, closing her eyes and exhaling slowly. After lying there for a few minutes, she felt something lying next to her, she knew it was Freddie. She could feel him lightly placing a rose to her lips and slowly start moving it down her body.

"Freddie." She laughed and opened her eyes to greet Freddie. "Hey, how was rehearsals?"

"Sickening," Freddie said as he kissed her temples. "I had to get out of there as fast as I could. However, I think we should probably not blow off any more rehearsals."

"Yeah, I agree. I really don't like doing that to Carly, I mean she cares so much about the rehearsals."

"Yeah, well she told me just recently that she would rather you not date someone so that you could stop blowing off the rehearsals."

"Well, I've been dating you and I haven't blown any off."

"True." Sam wrapped her arms around Freddie's neck as he positioned himself above her. "I just couldn't wait to come and see you, and now I feel like all is right with the world."

"I'm glad to have that effect on you." Sam lifted her head and kissed Freddie's lips. She then leaned back down and sighed with contentment.

"Sam, how are we going to end the role play?"

"Jonah should role play as a cheater." Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam closed her eyes in thought. "As I've been role playing as a girl who is obsessed with my boyfriend, the only way for my type of person to break up with the guy is for him to try and cheat on me. We've been setting it up so that Carly knows him well…so maybe he should go after her."

"Yeah, and we know already that she doesn't like him, so nothing will happen. Plus, if he does that, then that means you can get mad at him and put him on the wedgie bounce like he wants to do."

"Yeah, so he'll get to have some fun with that. Plus, he doesn't like Carly, so he gets to freak her out! We'll just have to talk to Jonah and Valerie about this plan."

"True…and now, for you." Freddie smirked and kissed Sam's lips. She moved her hands up behind his back and he did the same with her. They broke lips and Freddie lifted his hand and brushed Sam's hair. "I just got an idea."

"What?" Freddie looked over at a hill and Sam glanced over to see what he was looking at. "Oh no, you wouldn't!" Freddie grabbed the blanket and grinned. "Freddie!" She laughed as he pulled it over them and started rolling up in the blanket. "Don't do it…" He then kissed her lips and started rolling toward the hill, once on it, they started rolling down the hill. Sam laughed and kept herself close to Freddie, he knew she was having fun. They reached the bottom of the hill and rolled out of the blanket, letting it fall on top of them. "You are crazy."

"I have a wonderful girlfriend who makes me crazy." Sam giggled and blushed as Freddie gently caressed her face. "I can't begin to tell you just how much I love you. The reasons are too great, I have more reasons to love you than there are stars in the sky at night."

"There are normally millions…" Sam gave one soft chuckle and Freddie softly kissed her forehead.

"You outshine them all." Sam's blush deepened and she continued to gaze up into his eyes.

"You really know how to make a girl feel good."

"I try my best." Sam smiled and kissed Freddie once more. He breathed in and then exhaled softly. "We should probably get out of this position, because it is far too tempting to continue on. If I continue, then I am afraid I will not be able to stop."

"Yeah…" Freddie rolled off and lay beside Sam, taking her hand in his while gazing up at the clouds. He squeezed her hand and she smiled. "This is nice…I love looking at the clouds."

"Same here, they're really beautiful and calming to look at." Sam nodded in agreement and continued to gaze upwards with Freddie.

* * *

I hope you liked this chapter. Hm, not may reviewed the last chapter, only one person I think...how sad. Oh well, let me know what you thought of this chapter!


	50. Role Play: Freakout

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 50 (Role Play: Freak Out)

Jonah entered Carly's apartment, finding Sam leaning against the counter and sipping some water. She and Freddie requested he join them on the rehearsal day, so he decided to go by. They were going to talk about what he should do during the rehearsal, but Freddie needed to get his equipment set up. Carly didn't realize Sam was already there.

"Okay, so what am I supposed to do?" Jonah asked while folding his arms across his chest. "This seems like it's going to be annoying…" Sam chuckled and shook her head in reply.

"Look at it this way. We're going to rehearse the wig bit, so I want you to laugh when we do it." Jonah raised his eyebrow and waved his hands through the air, he wasn't laughing at anything Carly did. Pretty much everyone knew that he didn't like Carly.

"That would require I laugh at something Carly does. I don't like her, I don't laugh at her jokes." Sam frowned and Jonah glanced to the side. "I just can't like someone like her, I'm sorry. I mean, how can I like someone who would be against my best friend's culture and one who would probably tear you two apart if she found out you were involved in such a thing?" Sam shrugged and Jonah tapped his chin lightly. "Now, I agreed to go ahead and try to play someone who will try to cheat on you with your best friend, but that's just because it's going to freak Carly out." Sam smiled and rolled her eyes, she wasn't going to force Jonah to do something that he didn't want to do. "Oh, and by the way…what is the fan bit idea?"

"That's the alternative to the wedgie bounce."

"Then I don't like it." Sam laughed and patted Jonah on the back. Of course he didn't like it, he wanted to do the wedgie bounce. After all, he was going to have a safety harness that would make his underwear not chafe. She motioned for him to follow and started walking toward the elevator. They made it to the studio floor and stepped out of the elevator, Carly saw Sam and welcomed her. Freddie spotted Jonah and stated that Sam brought him with her. Jonah looked at Freddie and grinned. "What's up, player!" He blinked and sighed. _"I'm never saying that again."_ He looked over at Carly and frowned upon seeing her. "Carly." She inhaled and smiled kindly at Jonah.

"Look, iCarly rehearsals are kind of private," Carly began. Sam stopped her and gave a kind smile.

"No worries, he's just going to sit over there and look cute while we do our stuff." Jonah walked toward the car seat and waved his hand through the air.

"You won't even know I'm here!" Jonah said while sitting down. He leaned back and folded his arms over his chest while Carly suggested they rehearse the wig bit. _"I'll go ahead and laugh for Sam._"Sam put on Carly's wig while Carly put on Sam's wig. Sam started it off.

"Hello, I'm Carly. I live with my brother Spencer, do my homework, and I shower every day!" Jonah laughed and clapped his hands once, causing the girls to look at him and smile. He leaned back and Carly began her impression of Sam.

"I'm Sam," Carly began. "I do bad things, harass people, and eat whatever doesn't eat me first." Jonah and Freddie both raised an eyebrow. That just didn't seem right to them. Sam did often give wedgies to Gibby, but she really only bothered him or anyone that insulted her.

_"Did Carly just insult her?"_ Jonah thought while pressing his lips together._ "Nah, that wouldn't insult Sam, but its like Freddie says, Sam happens to be a good person and she doesn't eat _all_ the time."_ The girls looked back at Jonah to see his reaction since he didn't laugh at Carly's portrayal of Sam. He simply glared daggers at Carly, causing her to have a weird look on her face when she turned back around.

"Okay, let's try the fan bit now…" Sam stopped and looked back at Jonah before looking over to Sam.

"Yeah, about that," Sam stated. "Jonah doesn't think it is funny." Freddie chuckled and Carly raised her eyebrow while looking over at Jonah.

"It seems…kind of lame to me," Jonah remarked while shrugging his shoulders. Carly narrowed her eyes and gave a slow sigh.

"Okay, let's talk about a new Messing with Lewbert, then," Carly suggested. Jonah laughed and slowly stood up.

"That's the guy in the lobby, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"You know what you should call him…you should call him Captain Wart Burger!" He made sure to make a good pirate accent, causing Sam to laugh at the statement. Freddie didn't laugh out loud, but he was actually laughing at the saying as well.

"Captain Wart Burger?"

"No, you have to say it like Jonah did," Sam remarked. Jonah smirked and looked over at Carly, preparing what he would say next.

"Oh, Carly, when you're doing the wig bit…you should try acting more like Sam," he stated. Freddie and Sam looked over at him and raised their eyebrows, this wasn't part of the script.

"That's funny, I thought I _was_ acting like Sam," Carly replied in an offended tone of voice. Jonah clasped his hands together and shook his head, thinking up a nice insulting comeback.

"Have you ever thought of taking acting lessons?" Carly's mouth opened slightly and she narrowed her eyes. _"Well it's true, Sam is a much better actor. That's just my opinion, it could be a little biased."_

"That's it, I'm going to the restroom for a second. I'll be right back." Carly walked out of the door and Freddie took that opportunity to laugh.

"High five, dude," Freddie said while raising his hand. Jonah lifted his hand and slapped Freddie's.

"I'm not so sure it was necessary to do that," Sam said as she looked to the door. "I mean…"

"She'll get over it," Jonah remarked while rolling his eyes. "If it makes you feel any bet-" Carly walked back into the door and Freddie walked back to his equipment. "Hey Carly."

"Hi Jonah," Carly said while putting on a fake smile.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just fine." She shuddered and turned around. Jonah snickered and crossed his arms, feeling very satisfied with himself.

-NEW SCENE-

"I'm sorry! I didn't know I wasn't supposed to touch that," Jonah said while rubbing the back of his neck. He was talking to Sam and Freddie while waiting for Valerie to leave the restroom. They were discussing part of the role play yesterday where he messed up Spencer's play. He didn't mean to do it, he didn't even know it was important. "I wish I could go back and fix it. If I had known not to mess with it, then I wouldn't have."

"It's okay Jonah," Freddie said while patting his friend's shoulder. He knew it was just a mistake, as did Sam, so they really couldn't be mad at him.

"Yeah, you're making a mountain out of a molehill," Sam said while rubbing the coffee table with a rag, she was trying to remove a spot that had been bothering her. They were at Freddie and Sam's place. Jonah and Freddie were on the couch while Sam was moving around the living room. Valerie stepped into the living room and sat next to Jonah, she knew what they were talking about.

"Yeah, I'm sure it will be just fine," Valerie said while kissing Jonah's cheek. "Sure, Spencer may be a bit upset, but he'll be okay in the long run, won't he?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Freddie stated. He looked over to see Sam still scrubbing furiously at the table. "Sam, you're going to end up polishing the entire table before you're done there."

"You know how I am, I can't stand completely messy things!" Sam protested. Freddie laughed and slowly stood up, walking over to her. He placed his hand onto the rag and slowly took it away.

"Just relax…" Freddie glanced at the spot and saw it almost completely gone, it was hardly noticeable now. "See, you got it. No one will even notice it." Sam pressed her lips together and sighed, he did have a point after all.

"Fine, but I'm going to know it's there!" Freddie laughed and pulled Sam close, kissing her forehead.

"Yeah, well try to ignore it. Besides, if you keep that up, we're going to be late for iCarly." Sam had nearly forgotten that they were supposed to do iCarly in a few minutes. "By the way, I believe this is where Jonah must 'cheat' on you."

"Yeah, but how should we go about doing that?" Valerie asked while looking over. "Should Sam take Jonah over when iCarly is going and he attempt to kiss Carly while Sam's in the room?"

"Hmm, I'm not-" Suddenly Jonah's phone went off and he checked it, seeing an unidentified number. He read the numbers and frowned while looking over at Sam. "Hey, isn't this Carly's number?" Sam looked at his phone and nodded. "I wonder what she's calling me for…" He placed the phone to his ear and sighed. "Yo, this is Jonah."

"Jonah, it's me, Carly. We need to talk, can you come over here?"

"Uh…sure…" He hung up the phone and looked at the others. "She wants to talk. Should I visit?"

"Yeah, this is where you can go ahead and freak her out," Freddie said while rubbing his chin. "If you attempt this, then she'll start complaining about it. She'll probably want to tell someone about it then Sam can overhear her talking about it."

"Right, and then I get to do the wedgie bounce! Yes! It'll be awesome!" The others laughed and Jonah stood up. "I'll go over and we'll see what happens."

"Good luck, Jonah," Valerie said while kissing him once on the lips.

"Thanks, I'll need it." The group said their goodbyes and Jonah left to enter Carly's apartment. He couldn't wait to try the wedgie bounce. He shifted his pants and made sure the harness was in place, it was. He made it to the elevator and went up to the studio. Upon entering, he saw Carly pacing the floor, she looked at him and he gave a half smile. "You wanted to talk to me, Carly-o."

"No need to add the O, just sit down," Carly said while pushing him over to a chair.

"Sure…" He sat in the chair and watched as Carly sat in hers. For some reason, Valerie came to mind. So now he was side tracked with thoughts of his girlfriend.

"Jonah, I need to talk to you about Sam." Jonah was still thinking about Valerie, so he raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"My lady…" Quickly remembering that he was with Carly, he shook cleared his throat and focused on the role play.

"Yes, well, I'm really happy that you two are so into each other, but I need her for the show. You can't just keep distracting her."

_"Oh, you don't care that she's so happy? What's this all about? Your show has become more important than your friend's own happiness? Is that it?"_ Jonah scoffed and decided to interrupt Carly, deciding he didn't need to hear Carly say any more. "Sam hasn't complained about it."

"Yeah, because she's so into you that she can't think straight!" With that statement, Jonah had to keep his anger inside. It was difficult, since that sounded like Carly was just insulting Sam, even if she wasn't. He decided to go ahead and freak Carly out now rather than wait any longer.

"Oh, so you don't like me spending so much time with Sam?"

"No." He stopped the urge to roll his eyes, it would be bad if he did that.

"Then maybe I should spend a little more time with someone else." Carly raised her eyebrow and Jonah leaned forward. Her eyes widened and Jonah looked into her eyes. "Kiss me." Carly gasped and leaned back, suddenly feeling very weird.

"What!"

"Sam doesn't have to know." Carly quickly flicked Jonah on the forehead and stood up, he rose with her. "You just thumped me…" It didn't hurt at all, he just found it annoying. _"Sam, Freddie, you two owe me…but then, this is fun!"_

"How dare you try to kiss me when you're dating Sam! You…You're icky!"

_"Icky? That's the best you can do? Hah! Step one of breakup, complete." _Carly ran toward the door, stopped and turned around.

"I'm telling Sam!" She ran toward the door and Jonah quickly rushed over to it, closing it when she started opening it.

"You don't want to do that." Jonah looked out the window of the door and saw Sam walking down the hall, at least he wouldn't be in the room with Carly much longer. Carly stepped back and glared at him as he looked toward her. "Think about how happy I make Sam, now what kind of friend would you be if you ruined her first great relationship by ratting me out?" Not that he thought Carly was the greatest of friends, but it was all for the sake of role play. Sam got to the door and opened it.

"Hey Carly I got…" Sam looked over at Jonah and smiled. "Hey cupcake, what are you doing here?" Jonah placed his arm on her shoulder and smirked at Carly.

"Carly asked me to come over." Carly figured Jonah was right, and she shouldn't tell Sam. She sighed deeply and looked toward her friend.

"Yeah, I wanted him to help me with my imitation of you," Carly replied. "For the wig bit…" She grabbed the blonde wig and put it on her head. "I'm Sam, I like to eat pork chops in bed." That was not true at all, Sam never ate pork chops in bed. If anything, she ate chocolate covered strawberries in bed. She gave a laugh, just humoring her friend.

"That's exactly how I'd say that!" Sam said while clapping her hands once. She turned to Jonah and gave him a quick hug. "You're so helpful." Jonah looked at Carly and she glared at him once before quickly leaving the room. Jonah quickly stepped back from Sam and sighed slowly. "Well that was interesting...I'd say you did a good job of freaking her out. I'm going to go downstairs now and get her to tell me what you did. Either that, or she's telling Freddie and I should listen in."

"Yeah, and now I know how Freddie feels whenever he has to tell Carly that he likes her," Jonah said while placing his hand on his stomach and groaning. His heart was racing and bile was starting to rush up his throat. "I want to go and kiss Valerie a million times, now. That will make up for what happened…" Sam smiled and rolled her eyes while turning to the door.

"Okay, get ready for the wedgie bounce, I just have to go downstairs now." Jonah nodded and Sam quickly hurried downstairs to find Carly shouting at Freddie that Jonah just tried to kiss her. Freddie then said they should go upstairs and get started on iCarly, so Sam quickly bounded up the stairs and into the studio. "Okay Jonah, that's done." Carly and Freddie entered the studio, Sam looked over and smiled. "Hey, why don't you go over there and stand by Freddie."

"Okay." He stepped next to Freddie and crossed his arms, Freddie gave him a smile and held looked toward the girls.

"You really freaked her out," Freddie whispered. Jonah chuckled lightly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, well I'm going to go makeout with my girlfriend after this." Freddie chuckled and stepped forward, holding his camera in his hand. iCarly started up and the girls introduced themselves. Soon, Carly suggested the wig bit, but Sam stopped her and whispered that they should do the wedgie bounce. Carly was confused since it hadn't been rehearsed or anything, but Sam ignored that and called Jonah over. "Okay!" He hurried over and grinned. "So what am I doing?"

"This is going to be awesome," Sam said while stepping over toward a small step ladder.

"Yes, yes it is," Carly stated. Sam brought the ladder behind Jonah and started to climb up it.

"First, I step up here and grab this red rope with the large hook on the end of it."

"So cool," Jonah said in a quick and excited voice. That wasn't actually role play, since he was just extremely excited to get a chance to do this. It was like a ride at the amusement parks.

"Yes it is," Carly remarked while grinning deviously. "And now Sam hooks the rope onto the back of Jonah's underwear! Just go with it, Jonah." Jonah shrugged and felt Sam pull at the harness he had on, it looked like underwear. She put the hook into it and stepped to the side. Sam whispered for Jonah to act like he was in pain, so he did just that. "Freddie, is the button on Sam's remote ready to activate her special surprise?"

"Yep, it's the bottom button," Freddie replied. Sam and Carly then stepped over to Freddie and pressed the button, activating the wedgie bounce. Jonah screamed out as he went up in the air, it was definitely a thrill for him. "Jonah, you get to ride for two hours, hope you enjoy it!" Oh he would, but then he'd probably get tired of riding after some time. He thought on it for a moment and figured, no, he would not tire of it. His role play was finished, or it would be in two hours when Sam and Freddie return to get him down.

* * *

I hope you liked that chapter! Silly Jonah, having too much fun on the wedgie bounce, haha. Let me know what you thought!


	51. The Shirt

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 51 (The Shirt)

"Freddie!" Sam exclaimed as she ran toward the back of the school. She knew Freddie usually hung out behind the school during lunch and stared at the clouds, he was always intrigued by them. Sam turned around the school and saw Freddie looking at her curiously, she was wearing a different shirt than she normally was. She had a tear streaking her face. "Freddie, I'm in trouble." She wiped her tear and tensed her body up.

"What? Why?" Freddie stepped toward Sam and looked at the shirt, she was supposed to be wearing the shirt that Carly had given her for the anniversary of when they met. It was actually an iCarly t-shirt that Carly had made for her. Upon realization, he saw that she was wearing the jacket belonging to Rip-off Rodney. "Um Sam, why are you wearing Rodney's shirt…and what did he do to you? You're crying, your shirt is missing, and you are wearing Rodney's shirt…" His eye twitched and Sam saw where he was going with his thoughts, she needed to get him away from there.

"No! It's not that kind of trouble!" Rodney _had_ said something really bad to her, though. Something that scared her, but she didn't want to tell Freddie because she was afraid of what he might do to Rodney. Freddie looked at Sam and sighed as he placed his hands on her sides and kissed her forehead.

"Okay. Then what is wrong, baby." Sam sniffed once and sighed.

"I gave Rodney the shirt! Carly's going to be so mad at me!" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam took out the two Cuttlefish concert tickets and stared at them. "I asked him for these, he said they were worth two hundred dollars and I said I didn't have two hundred. Then he said that the iCarly shirt was worth it…I don't know what I was thinking, I just gave him the shirt! I know it was wrong. You must be upset with me too."

"No, no, I could never be mad at you for something like this." Sam sniffed once and looked into Freddie's eyes, he smiled softly and pulled her close, giving her a comforting hug. "Listen, you only did it because you wanted to find something to give to Carly for her gift on the anniversary of you guys meeting. You probably weren't thinking properly and that's fine, I'm sure Carly will understand. Just tell her that it's something that you two could do together and that you didn't mean to give away the shirt."

"What if she gets mad, though?" Freddie gently brushed Sam's hair back and placed his chin on top of her head.

"It's going to be fine. Anyway, lunch is just about over, so I'll talk to you in a little bit, okay?" Sam nodded and Freddie wiped away a tear from her eyes. "Let's not dry those tears. It's no big deal. It's just an iCarly t-shirt that Carly made, she can make a new one. If possible, both of you can work on making a new one. This Cuttlefish concert, though, it will go away."

"Yeah…thanks, Freddie. I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"And I, you…don't forget iCarly is tonight." Sam nodded and gently kissed Freddie's cheek before rushing back into the school. Freddie smiled as he pushed his hands in his pocket. He pressed his teeth together and breathed through them. "Rodney…"

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie got through cleaning his lens for iCarly and headed down the stairs, the show was set to begin in two minutes. He figured Sam was telling Carly that she traded the shirt for the tickets and that she didn't mean it. What he didn't know was she was going about it the wrong way and Carly wasn't as accepting and forgiving as they thought. He made it down the stairs and looked at the girls, they seemed to be arguing. He walked over to them and Carly was yelling at Sam, putting Freddie on the defensive.

"Hey!" Freddie said in a quick voice. "You know that iCarly thing we do every week? Yeah, it's starting!" Carly brushed him off and Sam looked at Carly, not showing the signs of being hurt.

"Okay, make me another shirt if you want to, but we can still go to the concert!" Sam said quickly. Carly scoffed and handed Sam back the tickets.

"I'm not going to the concert with you!" Carly exclaimed. Freddie rolled his eyes and pressed the elevator button.

"Okay, now you're being ridiculous."

"Well it's better than being someone who gives away gifts!" Sam was on the verge of tears, but her pride wouldn't let her stop the arguing and admit that she was wrong.

"Fine, don't go to the concert!" She would just go with Freddie.

"I won't!" At this point, Carly didn't realize it, but everything she did before that hurt Sam concerning Freddie was rising up inside of Sam and fueling her anger.

"I don't care!" Freddie walked over to the girls and crossed his arms, growing impatient with them.

"I care way less than you!"

"You don't know how much I don't care!"

"Yeah, well all you think about is ham!" That wasn't true, that was far from the truth. Freddie narrowed his eyes and frowned, Carly was going a bit too far with that.

"I'd rather have a shirt made of ham!" The elevator opened and Freddie pushed the girls in, trying to ignore the constant yelling they were doing. He wasn't pleased with this. They made it to the studio and walked out. Carly shouted something about Sam not caring about her feelings. Freddie almost shouted at Carly with that statement.

_"If she didn't care about your feelings, she would have spared them and told you up front to back the hell away from me because you can't have me,"_ Freddie thought while grabbing his camera and walking to the girls. They started the show and put up a video of a mom receiving a gift from her kid. After some amount of talking, they continued the fight and left the studio. Freddie sighed and turned the camera on himself. "Yeah, iCarly is experiencing some technical difficulties…" Freddie turned off the camera and set it down, running his hand through his hair._ "Damn it, I am going to have to do something, aren't I?"_

-NEW SCENE-

Sam and Carly were at their lockers when they saw Rodney walking buy with the iCarly shirt on, and there they began their fighting once more. Freddie saw Rodney walk buy and narrowed his eyes as he walked toward the girls, waiting until they stopped slamming their lockers, and they never did. "Hey…enough with the lockers…" They continued to slam the lockers and Freddie let out a growl. "Enough!" The girls instantly stopped and looked toward him. He sighed and shook his head. "Come on, this is too stupid. You guys are best friends."

"_Were_ best friends," Sam replied. She and Carly began making noises at each other, further annoying Freddie. He sighed and shouted once more.

"Okay, so what about iCarly? If you guys hate each other what's going to happen to the show? Think about our fans…and me. Without that, then I'm back to painting clay mugs with my mom!" Okay, that was an exaggeration, he never really did that with her. Carly sighed and turned toward Sam, both girls knew he was right.

"You know, maybe Freddie's right," Carly said in a shy voice.

"Yeah, this thing just got out of control." Freddie crossed his arms and sighed, that much was true.

"This whole thing happened because we were trying to do something nice for one another..."

"If I say I'm sorry, then will you?" Just then, something unexpected happened. The girl that Sam said she would take to the concert, though she wouldn't, ran around and screamed that she was so glad about it. Nobody knew how she knew about that, but it was probably because Freddie accidently had the camera on when Sam said it. Carly sneered and turned toward Sam. The fighting started up again and Freddie groaned. The girls started yelling and Freddie slowly shook his head.

"They were so close," Freddie said in a quiet voice. "About to make up, about to hug…" The girls started slamming the lockers and Freddie rubbed his forehead. _"This again…"_ The girls left and a teacher came out of the nearby classroom. _"Oh crap."_ Freddie soon found himself being dragged away for slamming lockers.

After about thirty minutes of explaining that he didn't slam the lockers, he finally stepped out and saw Rodney walking toward his locker, the shirt was off and he was wearing something else. "Rodney…" Freddie breathed out a growl and followed Rodney to the locker, leaning against it and smiling kindly for one brief second. He wasn't sure why, but there was just something that he felt that made him despise Rodney in that moment. What did Rodney do? He only took a shirt, that was all. Yet Freddie felt something more must have gone on. "Rip-off Rodney, how are you?" Rodney raised his eyebrow and looked over at Freddie, smiling at him. He crossed his arms and slowly closed his eyes.

"This is hurtful, yet appropriate." Freddie shrugged, not caring.

"Do you know what else is hurtful, and not quite appropriate?" Rodney thought for a moment and shrugged in response. "Where is the shirt, Rodney? Cough it up." Rodney raised his eyebrow and started to close his locker, but Freddie quickly put his hand on the edge of the locker door and held it open. "Is the shirt in here? You better not have given it to anyone else." He was serious, but Rodney failed to see that in his eyes.

"Heh, and exactly what is this shirt that you are talking about?"

"It was an anniversary present from Carly to Sam, _Carly_ desires it back, so cough it up." Rodney closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

"I earned the shirt fair and square, it was worth about two hundred bucks. You know the work I do is fair. Sam gave the shirt to me, and that earned her something of equal value. The tickets for the shirt, both of which were worth two hundred bucks…" Freddie raised his eyebrow and quickly grabbed Rodney's shirt in his fist, glaring into his eyes and clenching his teeth together. Rodney held up his hands and gulped when he saw the fire in Freddie's eyes. Freddie exhaled slowly and flared his nostrils.

"Who the hell do you think made you who you are today, Rodney? I know all about your game. I may not participate in your kind of business, but I do know all about it. So give me what I need, asshole."

"Look, I'm telling you…my, that's a scary face." Freddie rolled his eyes and Rodney gave a brief sigh. "Do you have anything to buy the shirt with?" Freddie narrowed his eyes and Rodney held his hands out. "I mean, I can't give it to you for free, if that's what you're asking."

"You want compensation for the shirt, is that what you're asking me? You're telling me that it has a fee? Okay, well, is a knuckle sandwich enough of a payment for you?" Rodney raised his eyebrow and Freddie swiftly punched him in the face. He screamed out and blood came from his mouth. "That may leave a bruise as well. That's also my pay."

"Listen dude, damn that hurt! I just can't give you the shirt!" Freddie raised his eyebrow and opened the locker door all the way, he looked in and saw the rolled up shirt sitting on the bed of the locker. "Uh, you're not thinking of taking the shirt are you?" Freddie quickly turned his glare onto him and he immediately silenced. "Okay, take it! I've got nothing against you taking it with you." Freddie smiled and nodded his head at Rodney as he took the shirt from the locker.

"Thank you, Rodney. It was a pleasure doing business with you." Freddie released his hold on Rodney and let him dust off his clothes. He placed his hand on the locker door and shut it. "By the way, this conversation, it never happened." He turned around and started to walk away. Rodney glanced up and called after him.

"Do I at least get the tickets back?!" He received no response, meaning he would not be receiving any tickets. Freddie stopped and glanced back at him.

"Hey, it's a fair trade! This shirt for a swift punch, nosebleed, and a black eye…I think you've gotten your money's worth." Rodney groaned and leaned against his lockers. Freddie merely growled and walked off, still completely frustrated with the way things were going at the time.He had no clue what made him so angry with Rodney. Maybe it was the fact that for Sam to be crying, something more must have happened than what she had told him._ "I'll give this shirt back when they make up. To think they could start a fight over a shirt…I'm sure it's more than that, though. Sam has been angry with Carly lately because of her damned crush on me."

* * *

_Well hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you for all the reviews. The next chapter should be up soon._  
_


	52. Freddie's Plan

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 52 (Freddie's Plan)

Almost a full week passed along and the girls were still fighting. Freddie was beginning to grow more irritable. He was currently devising a way to fix the fighting or else have another iCarly done with the two screaming at each other. Each night, Sam came home in tears and would immediately go into her room. She would often shout for Freddie not to go in and his mom would tell him that sometimes a girl needed to be alone. Sometimes he was able to talk to her and comfort her, though.

He had devised a plan, so now he just had to put it into action. The show was being done today and the plan involved it. He was going to have to teach them both that there was no sense in fighting. It involved putting their hairs in ponytails and tying them to ropes, pulling the ponytail of the girl that spoke out. Of course, he had a certain way to go about it.

He knew Carly was in the wrong, but she learned a little differently than Sam. Sam also needed to learn that she couldn't always have things her way. In order to teach these girls, he would discipline Sam but not yank Carly's ponytail. This would teach Sam that she can't always have things her way, plus it would make Carly feel guilty about the whole thing with Sam since she wasn't getting yanked and Sam was. In order to teach someone that you love, you have to discipline them, and that was how he was raised. So Sam would be the one disciplined, he didn't care about disciplining Carly.

He walked into Carly's apartment and headed up the stairs where he would wait for Carly and Sam to arrive. _"I've had enough of this fighting, I've had enough of Sam crying every night, and I've had enough of Carly. There's no way in hell we'll ever tell Carly about our relationship, not until I'm sure that Carly can and will possibly handle the response maturely."_ Freddie narrowed his eyes and started typing on the laptop. _"From what Spencer said, women like to be told they're right. Right now, the girls are not correct." _He then heard the fighting sounds of Carly and Sam, they seemed to be fighting about what segment they were going to do on the show.

"Well I'm in charge of iCarly, so I say we're doing the Mexican jumping beans!" Carly exclaimed. Freddie lifted his eyes up and sighed as Sam protested.

_"Sam needs to learn that there are times she should just remain silent…"_ He walked up to the girls and tapped his foot angrily. "Wrong, both of you!" Carly and Sam both looked at him and raised their eyebrows, neither girl liked it when he yelled at them. "Tonight, I'm in charge of the show." Sam and Carly both chuckled and rolled their eyes.

"You just go over there and do your stuff, tech boy," Sam said quickly, not really thinking. Freddie looked at her and raised his eyebrows, causing her to instantly silence and wince inwardly. _"Sorry Freddie…I don't want to be mean to you, you know that."_ Carly shook her head, apparently she thought Freddie was joking.

"Yeah, you don't tell us how to do our show," Carly remarked. Sam looked at her and appeared ready to shout at Carly that she shouldn't talk to Freddie like that.

"You're going to do this how I want to, or you're going to find yourself a new tech producer." Carly gasped lightly and Sam looked over at her.

"He's bluffing," Sam said with a small smile. Of course he was on that, if Sam was involved in iCarly, he was never going to let her do it without him.

"I don't bluff." The girls looked at him with suspicion and he heaved a heavy sigh. "Okay, I was bluffing when I said I don't bluff, but I _am_ serious about quitting!" He looked to Sam with a look that told her if he quit, she was quitting too. Carly looked defeated and gave a small sigh.

"Fine, what do you want us to do?" Carly asked.

"Go put your hair in a ponytail." That was an order, but maybe the girls missed it, because they started protesting and asking questions. "Get your hair in ponytails…now!" The girls winced and left the room to get their hair up in ponytails. When they returned, they saw two ropes hanging down, they had confused looks on their faces as Freddie tied the ropes to their hair. He started the camera and stepped in front of the girls, grinning at the camera, though anyone could tell he was annoyed as ever. "Hello people of Earth and beyond…this is a little show we like to call iCarly." He looked at the girls and they quietly introduced them, both of which seemed shy in the process. "Tonight we're going to shake it up a little bit."

"Can't wait," Sam said in a very shy voice. She was actually not sure what Freddie was going to do, but she could tell he was mad. Freddie looked back and then toward the camera.

"You see, Carly and Sam are in a big fight and both girls think they are right."

"I am right!" Carly defended. Sam rolled her eyes and looked over at her.

"You are wrong," Sam quipped. _"Freddie agrees with me, right? Of course he does, he's my boyfriend."_ Freddie sighed and remained calm, confident this was going to end the fight.

"You see? Well, the fight is going to end tonight because you, the fans of iCarly are going to decide who is right by voting online, after the show." Carly and Sam stared at Freddie with slacked jaws, they didn't fathom him coming up with a plan like this.

"So what does this have to do with tying up our ponytails?" Carly asked impatiently. Freddie rolled his eyes and growled slightly, causing her to slightly jump back.

"I'm getting to that. Each girl gives her side of the story, but, if the other girl interrupts, insults, or yells…her ponytail gets yanked." Carly and Sam both stared at him with wide eyes as he stepped behind them.

"This is ridiculous."

"I'm not doing this," Sam said while twisting her face slightly. Freddie grabbed the handles and pulled on both girls, giving Carly the harder tug. The girls screamed out and Freddie looked toward the Camera.

"Very good, now the first to talk shall be Carly." Sam pressed the boo button on her remote and Freddie sighed as he pulled on her ponytail. "Do not insult someone when it is their time to give their side. Hear them out. Now drop the remote." Sam quickly obliged and Freddie looked over to Carly. "Carly, you may begin."

"It started when I bought Sam a T-shirt that I spent two weeks to make," Carly said while looking at the camera, feeling that she was in the right. "Then Sam traded it for tickets to a concert." Freddie knew the ultimate tug of Carly's hair would be when she found out that he got the t-shirt back from Rodney.

"You said you wanted to go to the concert!" Freddie pulled Sam's hair and she yelped out.

"It's Carly's turn!" Sam started to protest, but Freddie sighed and pulled on her hair with each protest. He hated to do it because he knew it hurt, but she needed to learn to wait her turn.

"Oh alright…"

"I worked so hard on that shirt," Carly said in a sad voice. "Then she went to the concert without me." Freddie raised his eyebrow and sighed, she hadn't wanted to go with Sam to the concert.

"But…" Freddie held up the rope and Sam quickly silenced, letting Carly continue.

"She hasn't even apologized for it, either." Freddie knew that Sam was very prideful at times and could be hurt easily, she wanted to apologize, but couldn't.

"Yeah, very nice," Freddie stated as he turned to look at Sam. "Now Sam, you may give your side of the story."

"Finally," Sam said with a slow sigh. "Well first off, she said the shirt was no big deal, so I kind of traded it for tickets to Cuttlefish, her favorite band." Freddie nodded and looked toward the camera.

"Let the record show that Carly is fond of Cuttlefish."

"Well, the tickets were something that she really wanted to do, and it was something we could both do together-"

"I would have gone if you had just apologized!" Carly exclaimed. Freddie wanted to pull her rope, but decided to let Sam have that joy. He figured that Sam would pull harder.

"Uh, she just interrupted, yank her ponytail!"

"Nah, I'm going to allow it."

"Why!" Freddie looked into Sam's eyes, it wasn't Carly that he cared to discipline. Both girls were acting like spoiled brats, but Carly seemed like a bigger one in this case.

"Simple, because I love y-her!" He almost slipped up there, but fortunately he caught himself. It would make matters worse if he didn't.

_"Nice save."_ Sam grunted and quickly pushed Freddie to the side, she grabbed Carly's rope and began pulling excessively. Carly shrieked and looked at Sam.

"You're not the rope keeper!" Carly quickly grabbed Sam's rope and pulled on it with great force. Freddie's eyes widened and he quickly stood up, he wanted this to stop, but it seemed to be getting out of control. After some time of shouting for them to stop, he finally gave up and ended the show and undid his ponytails. "Thank you, Fr-"

"Keep quiet!" Freddie snapped at her. She stepped back and Sam looked over. He looked at Sam and gave a soft sigh as his featured grew softer. "I'm sorry I even did this. No, wait, I'm not sorry. Let's just go downstairs and count the votes." He grabbed his laptop and the girls looked toward the ground, not wanting to say anything more that might anger Freddie. They slowly followed him as he walked down the stairs. Once down, they sat on the couch and remained silent as Freddie moved to get a drink of water. He looked over and saw the girls rubbing their heads, he sighed and moved over to the chair. He opened his laptop and looked at the three choices he had put in the poll, the third choice had the most.

"My hair feels like it was yanked by a vacuum cleaner," Carly said as she brushed her hair. Sam shifted her eyes toward Freddie and then to the floor.

"Mine feels like it was yanked by a Freddie," she replied. Carly rolled her eyes and looked at Freddie with impatience.

"Would you please just hurry up and count up the votes?" Freddie shrugged and looked toward the computer.

"Okay, now before I start, will you promise to accept the decision, loser apologizes?" Carly and Sam both nodded their heads and Freddie looked over at Sam. "Okay, Sam…number of viewers that think you are right…six hundred and ninety three." Carly looked displeased and quickly looked over at Freddie, not impressing him any.

"And how many votes did I get?"

"Seven hundred and five…"

"Hah!" Sam shrank back and Carly laughed once at her. "It looks like I-"

"Wait!" Freddie narrowed his eyes and Carly looked over. He wasn't pleased with how Carly was treating his girlfriend at the moment. "I put up a third option for them to vote for." Carly and Sam responded with surprised gasps as Freddie read his options out. "The first says Carly's right, the second says Sam's right, and the third says Carly and Sam are both acting dumb and should just make up and be friends again."

"…how many people voted for that one?"

"Two hundred fifty three thousand seven hundred and nineteen…" Sam chuckled and smirked, sometimes she loved that brain of his. Of course, who was she kidding? She loved his brain all the time. He and the viewers were right, she and Carly shouldn't fight over something so stupid. She looked toward Carly and gave a small smile, Carly returned it. "Our fans don't like it when best friends fight, and neither do I." Sam was touched and quickly wiped a tear from her eye. Carly looked over and frowned.

"Aw Sam, you're crying," Carly said with a sad voice. She was sorry for the fight as well, it was really dumb for them to fight over a silly thing.

"No I'm not…it's just, Freddie's such a dork that it makes me emotional sometimes." Freddie opened his mouth but then closed it into a smile.

"I'm sorry…" Sam closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I'm sorry." The girls then gave each other a hug and Freddie smiled softly. Soon Spencer came out and got excited about the hug, he was happy that Carly and Sam seemed to be done fighting. He told them to follow him to the kitchen where he would feed his fish. All the while he was giving the demonstration, Freddie couldn't help but think. If Carly got upset this easily over something that could be fixed, then what would happen when the day came that she had to learn about Sam's relationship with him. That day wouldn't come, that was what went through his mind. He was sure that one day, Tyrone might take her away or Carly might leave and they wouldn't ever tell her. Yet, if they had to, they were sure she would dislike them. Not just for the fact that she had a crush on him, but because of the arranged marriage.

He watched as Carly picked up the fishbowl and Sam asked if she was taking the fish back to the pet store. Freddie then remembered the shirt, he smirked and looked to the girls. "Sit down and close your eyes," he said.

"What? Why?" The girls asked while sitting on the couch.

"Close them." The girls closed their eyes and Freddie moved toward the bookshelf and reached behind it, grabbing the shirt that he had hidden back there. He pulled it out and walked over to the girls, holding it in front of them. "Okay girls, open them." Sam and Carly opened their eyes and gasped when they saw the shirt, they were shocked and confused at how Freddie managed to get the shirt. "I had a little talk with Rodney and he agreed on a deal that seemed fair enough in giving me the shirt." He unfolded the shirt and smiled. "See, no marks or anything on it. Oh, and I had it cleaned since Rodney's stench had been on it." He folded up the shirt and tossed it to Sam's lap.

"I-I can't believe you would do this," Sam said in a quiet but shaky voice. She had to keep from crying and needed to resist the urge to kiss Freddie out of appreciation. Carly was happy as well, she didn't think the shirt would be returned so easily.

"Why fight over something that you can probably fix? Why fight over something you have no control over? Sam may not have meant to get rid of the shirt for all we know, but Rodney is a tricky person. Believe me, he will think twice before conning you girls out again."

"Thank you, Freddie," Carly said as she stood up. "I'm so happy that I could just kiss you!" Sam raised her eyebrow and looked up, Freddie sighed and walked toward the door.

"I need to get home, sorry I can't stay. I would just _love_ to make out with you, Carly." Carly groaned lightly and Sam looked over, smiling as she watched Freddie exit.

"I really didn't mean to give it away," Sam said while hugging the shirt close to her chest. She smiled and looked at Carly. "I don't know what I was thinking. I was just so excited and wanted to get you those tickets. Rodney wanted the shirt and I didn't want to give it away right off the bat, but he knows his way with words…plus, he said some things..."

"What did he say?" Sam shrugged and stood up, it wasn't anything she wanted to tell anyone. She didn't even want to tell Freddie, for fear that he would get mad at Rodney. "Sam?"

"He said…" Sam looked toward the ground and closed her hands. "He said if I wanted the tickets or not, he wanted the shirt. He said that he would remove it with his own hands if he had to, that he was going to press me up against the lockers and force a kiss. He said he always wondered how it'd feel to have that control over a girl…I had no choice but to give him the shirt." Carly gasped and quickly gave Sam a hug.

"Oh my god, I didn't know! That jerk! I'm so sorry!" Sam closed her eyes and felt a tear fall down her cheek. Sam heard Carly's door slam shut and her eyes widened, it hadn't been closed all the way and there was no way the wind did it. That meant Freddie had just heard that.

"Oh no…"

"What is it?" Carly kept her hands on Sam's arms and gave her a concerned look.

"Carly, I have to go!" Sam quickly turned around and fled.

"Sam!" Sam ignored Carly and rushed out the door, closing the door and hurrying into Freddie's apartment. She looked out the peephole and saw Carly rush out her door and down the hall. She sighed and turned around to see Freddie moving some papers on a table.

"Freddie." She walked over to Freddie and wrapped her arms around his arm, he frowned and looked at her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Freddie asked as he turned to her. His anger was rising, but it wasn't at all directed toward Sam. "I could have done something!"

"That's why I couldn't tell you." Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam buried her face into his arm. "If I told you, you would have gotten mad."

"Yeah, but for a good reason…"

"I'm not going to tell you that there is no reason to get mad, because anger would be justified. Yet, if you had gone to Rodney for that, we would have been found out. Our secret would be shot and Rodney…knowing him he would have made us have to pay something to get him not to go public with the secret. I didn't want that to happen, I knew it was more important than the shirt." Freddie turned toward her and wrapped his arms around her, giving comfort into her. "I'm sorry I kept something like that from you."

"It's okay now, don't worry anymore." Freddie kissed her forehead and she buried her head into his chest. Emily peeked her head out of the hallway and raised her eyebrow. "Rodney is a bastard for what he said, but don't worry. Next time, I do want you to tell me, though."

"I will Freddie, I promise. I was so scared then, I didn't know what to think…I don't think he'll do that again, though."

"No, he won't ever do that again. Believe me, he will never threaten to do something like that again. I promise." Sam sobbed once and Freddie continued to hold her close. Freddie shifted his eyes to the table and saw that Jonah had just sent him a text message. He frowned and looked to Sam. _"Never again, Rodney…"

* * *

_Hope you liked the chapter, seems there was something more to Rodney then what met the eyes. It also seems that Freddie's planning something, I wonder what. Well stick around for the next chapter, you're sure to enjoy. Drop a review!


	53. Rodney's Fright

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 53 (Rodney's Fright)

Jonah stepped into the school hallway and narrowed his eyes, he wasn't sure exactly what happened, but he knew Rodney needed a stern talking to. All he knew was Rodney said some very bad things in the manner of threats to Sam, and Freddie wanted Jonah to have a "friendly conversation" with the guy. He was definitely going to have a conversation with him.

Currently, it was after hours in the school. Rodney usually hung out in the school after hours, so there wasn't any real problem. He cracked his knuckles and stared down the dimmed hallway, Rodney would be found somewhere, most likely by his locker. Jonah slowly walked down the hall in the direction of the locker where the con man would be found. He knew these hours were reserved for Rodney's special appointments, when students got special and highly priced goods. No student would be buying anything tonight, however. He slammed his fist into his hand and slanted his eyes more, he was angry enough as it was.

He moved to an intersection of the school and looked to the left, then to the right. He could see Rodney in the distance, so he turned and slowly started walking toward him. Rodney was busy ripping off a student, so Jonah decided to lean against a locker, slightly out of sight, until he was done. He crossed his arms and glanced up toward the ceiling. Freddie did tell him not to use much violence, but it would be okay to rough him up a bit if needed. For Sam, he was definitely going to rough up Rodney.

The student walked way and Jonah smiled at him, giving a slight wave. He looked over and saw Rodney open his locker, now was the time to go and have a chat with the con artist. He put his hands in his pocket and calmly walked toward him. Upon arriving at the locker, Jonah whistled a small tune and placed his hand on the top of the metal door. Rodney moved his head back and raised his eyebrow as he looked at Jonah, a look of confusion etched across his face. Jonah smiled and put his hand into the air, waiting patiently until the guy was done with whatever it was he was doing.

Rodney furrowed his brow and continued to stare at Jonah. Jonah wasn't one of his usual customers, nor had he told him that he was going to be here. "Hey Rip-off, how's it going?" Jonah asked with a small smirk. "I would like to have a little talk with you, if you don't mind." He raised his eyebrow and stepped back from his open locker, still a bit wary about Jonah being there. He crossed his arms and moved his mouth back slightly.

"I'm sorry, sir, but nights are for special request customers only," Rodney said in a quiet voice. He started to turn back to his locker, but Jonah quickly closed it with his hand. "Uh, I need to get my stuff out of the locker, if you don't mind." Jonah frowned and Rodney glanced over at him, becoming a bit nervous with the situation, he was uncomfortable of course.

"Consider me a special request, as I'm paying you a very special visit. I believe it was you that terrorized a friend of mine with words." Rodney laughed and shook his head, knowing well what Jonah was talking about.

"It was just a joke." Then he stopped and shifted his eyes to the side. "Um, I don't know what you're talking about!" Jonah narrowed his eyes and flared his nostrils. Rodney swallowed nervously and felt fear rising up.

"Something tells me you do know, Rodney." Rodney chuckled nervously and reopened his locker, he was starting to sweat. "I can see the beads of sweat running down your face, I know that you know what I am talking about. Sam Puckett." Rodney's eyes widened and fear shot through him. He didn't really care about her, but he hadn't known she would send in someone to talk to him about it. Given his definition of "talking," he figured it wasn't anything good. He was going to have to talk or run away.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He ignored his locker and bolted into a high run. Jonah slapped his forehead and groaned.

"Rodney! I'm not through with you, get back here!" Jonah bolted after him and clenched his teeth together. "You're not getting away that easily, I just want to talk. I'm not going to hurt you!" It depended, he wasn't going to do anything too damaging, but he was going to give the guy a scare. "Running and hiding only proves your guilt! Now come on out and let's have an understanding about this." Jonah stopped at the end of the hallway and growled. "There's nowhere for you to run. I'm not in the mood to chase."

He turned around and spotted a locker door that was slightly open, he smirked and started walking toward it. "I wonder where the rip-off artist is, I still haven't talked to him yet. Jonah beat the side of his closed fist onto the lockers as he walked toward the one that was slightly open. Upon reaching the open locker, he knelt down and opened the door, staring into the eyes of Rodney with a smirk on his face. "Why hello, I believe we have some business to attend to." Rodney shook slightly and chuckled.

"I-I still don't know what you mean, I didn't do or say anything to Miss Puckett!" Jonah roared and slammed the locker door shut, he then stood up and started kicking it repeatedly. "Ah! Stop, stop, it sounds like gunfire! It's loud, I can't stand it!" He then opened the door and saw Rodney panting heavily with sweat running down his face. "Seriously man, why do you care anyway? I know you dated her once, but she broke up with you because you tried to cheat on her. Isn't that the case? What does it matter, seriously?"

"That doesn't mean I don't still care about her." Jonah reached in and grabbed Rodney's shirt, he then growled and pulled him out of the locker. Rodney shouted and lost his balance as he stumbled and hit a wall. He fell to the floor and looked up with a whimper, seeing Jonah glaring at him while menacingly approaching him. "Sam tells me that you said some pretty bad things to her." Jonah grabbed Rodney's shirt and pulled him up. "Do you care to enlighten me on what some of these things might have been?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, honestly!" Jonah narrowed his eyes and glared into Rodney's. "Seriously, I said nothing to her." He was lying and he knew it, he just didn't want to get into any trouble. He quickly pushed Jonah off of him and ran off once more. He heard Jonah shout at him as he turned the corner. _"Damn it, I'm in so much trouble right now. All this just because I scared Sam into giving me that shirt, it was just a lighthearted fun."_ He quickly grabbed the handle of a classroom door, not really thinking. He looked over and saw Jonah turn the corner and stare him down, he gulped and started pulling on the handle as Jonah walked toward him. "Come on! Come on, open!" It was locked, obviously.

"Having a little trouble there, Rodney?" Rodney flipped around and pressed his back against the wall. His heart was racing, he was in a panic at the moment. "I'm not going to hurt you, Rodney. You know that, violence just isn't my thing. Sam wouldn't want violence, however I _do_ want to talk to you, and maybe rough you up a bit. You know...just give you a little scare, get your heart pumping!" Rodney gulped and met Jonah's intense glare.

"Look, I didn't say anything!" Jonah grabbed at him, but he swiftly dodged to the side and hurried down the hall. He was not going to let Jonah catch him so easily.

"Again with the running? I said running is only an admission of guilt!" Jonah chased after Rodney once more and saw him running up the stairs. "You would think you'd run anywhere _but_ upstairs." He quickly followed Rodney up the stairs and glanced over to see a curtain hanging from the wall. Normally it was flat against the wall, but this had a huge bump in it. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he walked toward it. "Gee, this is a _perfect_ hiding spot, Rodney!" Jonah grabbed the curtain and pulled it back, smirking as Rodney gave a small chuckle.

"Heh, you found me…well then…bye again!" Rodney tucked under Jonah's arm and ran off. Jonah narrowed his eyes and followed after him. "I don't know why you're making a big deal out of this! All I told her was it was either a kiss or the shirt." Jonah raised his eyebrow and Rodney cursed himself, he had just admitted guilt. He made it to a wall and Jonah quickly trapped him by placing his hands on the wall on either side of him. Rodney gulped and stared into Jonah's eyes. "Okay, so I said I always wondered what it would be like to press a girl against a wall and take her…"

"Bastard…" Rodney quickly gutted Jonah, causing him to grab his stomach and seethe. Rodney quickly ran off once more and Jonah let out a shout. "Get back here! We need to talk about this!" Rodney looked back as he ran and saw Jonah chasing him, he really didn't like getting caught in this situation. "Come on Rodney, let's talk about what possessed you to terrorize an innocent girl like that!" Rodney rolled his eyes and shouted back at Jonah.

"What do you mean by 'innocent girl' huh? It's Sam Puckett that we're talking about! How is she innocent? I bet she's not even virgin!" Jonah growled loudly and Rodney quickly ran around a corner, he needed to get away from Jonah and fast. He couldn't admit wrong, hell he didn't even think anything he did was wrong. "I'm not guilty at all, seriously. I mean, it was just a joke! It didn't terrorize her, she's not bothered by these things!" He quickly ducked into a crevice in between lockers and a wall. He hoped Jonah would pass him up and that he could make it to the other end of the lockers and bolt in the opposite directions.

"Yeah, explain why she was crying after you said it. Also, you just pissed _me_ off! For the record, Sam is a virgin." Jonah stopped by the lockers and listened, he could hear a soft rustling noise. It sounded like someone scraping against a wall to get away. Jonah sighed and stepped toward the crevice, looking in. Rodney gasped when Jonah's shadow fell on him. He quickly looked up and over at his pursuer. "Hello Rodney, we meet again." Jonah grabbed the sides of the locker and started shaking them, causing a loud noise to enter Rodney's ears. Rodney shouted out and groaned as he slowly made his way out of the crevice. "We're shaking up your world, Rodney!"

"Damn it, that was so loud!" He quickly dashed past Jonah and rubbed his head, he now had a massive headache. Jonah turned around and started chasing after him. Rodney looked back and saw the intense flames in Jonah's eyes. He looked forward and moaned. "What do you want!" Jonah barked after him and Rodney turned the corner, Jonah turned after him. If his heart could beat any faster, he might risk having a heart attack. If all Jonah wanted to do was scare him, then he was succeeding in his mission.

"Retribution, that's what I want! I want to make sure you're never going to talk to Sam in such a manner again, perhaps not even look at her in such a way!" Rodney gulped and found a set of double doors, he grabbed the handles and fumbled around for a moment before opening and entering. Once he was in, he frowned and looked around, he had just trapped himself by entering the school's gymnasium. He walked toward the center and heard the doors open, he gasped and closed his eyes. "Well Rip-off, seeking solace in the gymnasium, this is pure genius!"

"Shut up, please." Rodney heard Jonah's slow footsteps and turned around to see Jonah walking toward a large basket full of balls. "Oh no, oh please no…" Jonah grinned and took a rubber ball from the basket, he cracked his neck and turned to look at the wide eyed mouse. Rodney chuckled nervously and took a single step back as Jonah slowly turned around to face him. "Heh, w-what are you planning on doing with that ball?" Jonah smirked and raised his eyebrows as he tossed the ball up slightly and caught it.

"How about we play a little game, Rodney…This is what I like to call dodgeball. Oh and what is this? My, my, you don't seem to have any balls." Rodney gulped and saw Jonah take out a second ball. "We're going to go until you say you are going to apologize to Sam and you will never say anything to her again unless it is something good and not something that will scare her. Let me show you just how scared she was, and I will show you by getting you to feel her fright. However, her fear was probably on a much higher level than yours will be."

"You've already scared the crap out of me, so come on dude!" Jonah slowly shook his head and shouted as he tossed the two balls toward Rodney. He yelped and quickly dodged the balls.

"Aw, is the little pansy afraid to get hit by a rubber ball? I'm not done yet, I've got plenty more right here." Rodney gulped as Jonah took another ball out. He started to throw the balls at a rapid pace, Rodney dodged some, but a couple hit him in the chest. Jonah was actually trying to miss, but Rodney's dodging was causing him to get hit.

"Please stop!" Jonah growled and threw another ball toward him.

"Did you stop to think about what you were saying to Sam? I don't think so!" Jonah tossed another ball and Rodney let out a yelp as he spun around, but still got hit in the back. "Do you ever wonder what a girl is going through when a threat of some guy probably physically stronger than her taking advantage of her? That is a lot of fear. I hope this shows you just what it's like to have someone else be in control and you are the one fearing!"

"Oh come on! It wasn't anything bad!" Jonah threw another ball toward Rodney and missed his head by an inch. "Please, I'm scared enough!" By now, Rodney was crying and his heart was racing completely. If this was what it was like to have someone else be in control and terrorize someone, then he had to admit that it felt really bad. He had to agree, maybe Sam's fear was magnified tenfold because of the type of terror she was being put through. Rodney dodged another ball, but hit his foot into the wall. "Ouch!"

"Oh, did you hurt yourself? You keep trying to dodge, but whenever you do, you end up hurting yourself. That's a shame." Rodney shouted as Jonah threw another ball toward him. "Say you're going to tell Sam you take back your threat! Say to me that you will never threaten her in such a manner again, and then I will be satisfied!" Jonah threw another ball and Rodney yelped as he tried to dodge the ball. "You've still got no balls. I think I'll go ahead and throw one of these where the sun doesn't shine, what about that, Rodney? Does that sound good to you?"

"Okay! Please, enough of this!" Rodney clasped his hands together and fell to his knees. Jonah raised his eyebrow and bounced a ball in his hand. "I'm sorry!" Now Rodney sounded like a blubbering fool. Jonah slowly walked toward him and dribbled the ball slowly on the floor. He waited patiently as Rodney continued to plead with him. "I won't do it ever again, I promise! I'll even tell Sam that I'm sorry. You're right, she must have been so afraid, I'm sorry! I deserve this terror, I won't mention this night if you don't ever mention what I did."

"I won't tell anyone at all what you've done." Jonah smirked and tilted his head to the side. "You just never mention this night. Thank you, I'm glad you've seen the error of your ways, Rip-off. Have a good night, and enjoy school tomorrow." Jonah started walking toward the door and tossed the ball into the basket. Rodney fell forward and curled up as the gym door opened and closed, he closed his eyes and sobbed once, eventually going to sleep amidst all the balls. When he opened his eyes, sunlight was pouring down on him.

"Rodney?" A voice asked. Rodney moaned and got up on his hands, he looked over to see Sam staring at him with confusion and wide eyes. She had gym class first. He only saw Sam, he did not see the class or teachers walking in. Sam swallowed hard and slowly crossed her arms. "Why are you sleeping on the gym floor? Also, why are there dodgeballs all over the place? Hmm…are you comfortable on that floor? If you are, I'm glad. You deserve to sleep on the cold, hard floor."

"You're right!" Rodney exclaimed as he quickly rushed over and held onto her legs. She gasped and stiffened up.

"R-Rodney, what do you intend to do to me with the class here?" Rodney looked over and saw Freddie watching, he then looked to Sam and quickly released her.

"Nothing, and I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said I wanted to force you or take advantage of you in any way! I was wrong to threaten you, and I never will do it again! Honest, I won't ever do it again!" Sam's eyes were wide with shock and Freddie's lips slowly formed a satisfied smile, Jonah had done his job. "You're an innocent girl, you don't deserve a man making sexual threats or advantages toward you. I know you probably won't forgive me, but that's fine! Just know that I will never do this again!" Rodney felt someone step next to him, he swallowed and looked up to see Ms. Briggs staring down upon him. "Hi there, Ms. Briggs, what can I do you for?" The teacher narrowed her eyes and Rodney knew he was in trouble. If not for sleeping in the school at night, there was the fact that he just admitted to making a sexual threat toward Sam in front of the entire class.

"Young man, stand up," Ms. Briggs ordered. Rodney slowly stood up and started at the ground, shamefully. If anything, he was not going to look into Sam's eyes. He didn't want to see her expression. He didn't want to see just how guilty he really was, and he knew he was pretty guilty. "You made a sexual threat toward Miss Puckett? I want you to follow me." Ms. Briggs grabbed his arm and started tugging at him. "I'm sure Principal Franklin will place proper judgment upon you." The teacher stopped at the door and looked toward the others. "Class will begin when I return. Until then, I want you to sit quietly."

"So, why are you here? Where's the usual teacher?"

"I am teaching in his place today, that is all. Now keep quiet." Ms. Briggs looked over toward Sam and sighed. "Miss Puckett, you are exempt from all exercises today unless you wish to participate. Rodney will receive proper punishment." Sam gave a slight nod and watched as the teacher pulled Rodney away, she was still confused by what exactly had happened. Either way, she was glad to be done with it now. She had no reason to fear Rodney anymore, since he looked like he would never use fear to get what he wanted again. She did have a suspicion about who may have been involved in his fright, though.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed that chapter, I decided to post earlier than usual. Leave a review if you wish, hopefully you will ^_^.


	54. Trust and Honesty

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 54 (Trust and Honesty)

Freddie sat up in his bed with the television on and laptop in his lap, he was typing his homework up. His mind wasn't on his homework, though, his mind was racing with the thoughts of what happened earlier that morning. Rodney had been taken to the principal and been given suspension for what he had done, it was a fine punishment, he thought.

Someone knocked on his door and he glanced up. "Come in!" The door opened and Sam stepped inside, he smiled at her and raised his eyebrow. "Hey Sam, don't you have homework to do?" Sam closed her eyes and smiled as she shut the door. Freddie carefully moved his laptop onto the table next to his bed as Sam crawled next to him and placed a gentle hand onto his chest. He tenderly moved his arm around her back and rested his hand on her shoulder while she placed her head on his chest. "So, to what do I owe this wonderful visit?"

"I just wanted to lay with you," Sam said while rubbing her head on his shirt and glancing at the television. She inhaled and slowly breathed out. Freddie looked at her and watched as she eyed the screen, he gently brushed the back of her hair, thinking about how beautiful she looked. Of course, it also seemed like she had something on her mind. He moved his hand to her arm and slowly rubbed it, causing her to smile and rub the top of her head into his neck. "I love you."

"I love you too, Sam." He gently kissed the top of her head and watched as she looked back to the television and frowned slightly, trying not to let Freddie know she had something on her mind. Despite how had she could try, she knew he could see right through her. He looked over to the window and watched as a bird perched on the windowsill; it sat there for a few minutes and then flew off. Sam saw the bird as well, she thought it was a wonderful sight. He moved his gaze back to her and smiled lightly. "Is there something on your mind that is troubling you, Sam?"

"Well…" She shifted her gaze toward the side and then back to Freddie, smiling softly at him. "Freddie, I know you're the one that scared Rodney. I'm not sure how or what you did, but I get the feeling you were involved in one way or another." Freddie chuckled lightly and exhaled slowly, she could see right through him as well sometimes. He gently squeezed her arm and looked into her eyes with an honest expression. He slowly nodded his head and Sam gave a small sigh.

"I did." He pursed his lips together and Sam raised her eyebrows while giving a soft look. "I told Jonah that Rodney said some harsh things to you. I didn't tell him what those things were, but I told him that I thought he should go and scare Rodney a bit. He did a lot more than I thought he would do, though. I was going to tell you…" Sam smiled and looked at him only with a look of pure love. She didn't care that he had Jonah frighten Rodney, she was just happy that he was honest with her.

"While I _did_ say for you not to do anything, it is comforting to know that you wanted to defend me like that. I am okay, you know." Sam closed her eyes and Freddie merely smiled at her, she seemed so innocent. He was thrilled to have her love and to know she was with him. "Just do me a favor, Freddie. The next time a guy says or does something to me, please tell me if you're going to do something about it. I don't want you or even your friends to get in trouble over me. What if Jonah got into trouble, what if something went wrong? I wouldn't want it to be over me."

"I know, I just couldn't stand it that Rodney would dare talk to you like that. I promise, though, I will tell you the next time I get angry with someone." Sam smiled and softly kissed his cheek, thankful that she could actually talk to him about these things. She loved how honest he was with her and how she could always trust him, no matter what. "It's just like I couldn't stand it when you and Carly were fighting." Sam hummed softly and rubbed her head against his chest as she got comfortable.

"I know, I hated it too. It scares me sometimes, because I think that one day I may end up getting mad and telling her that she can't have you, then a huge fight will take place." Freddie slowly shook his head and ran his fingers down the back of her hair. "I am curious though, how come you kept yanking my ponytail and didn't ever pull on Carly's?" Sam looked at Freddie curiously and he gently kissed her forehead.

"It's simple, love. When you love someone, you need to teach them some things, and those things can be taught through love and discipline. I felt that you needed to have patience, if you interrupt someone and get mad all the time, then you don't grow and matters do not become any better. I didn't care if Carly got that lesson or not, I only cared for you at that time."

"I see, well thanks, I guess I did learn a little patience. However…" Sam raised her eyebrow and smirked as she looked into Freddie's eyes. He raised his eyebrow as she placed a finger on his nose. "I believe it is you who became impatient and had Jonah scare Rodney."

"Oh?" Freddie laughed and ran his hand through her hair once more. "Well, I have to defend my angel, my princess." Sam giggled and a blush crept onto her face. He placed his finger under her chin and tilted her head up slightly. "The most beautiful goddess in the world is you." He gently leaned forward and tenderly kissed her lips. It seemed that her lips were always warm and soft, she always thought the same of his. He leaned back and Sam gently rested her head back on his chest. He definitely was gaining muscle from going to the gym.

"You're my prince, and that sounded so corny." Freddie laughed lightly and Sam smiled as she felt his chest rise. Sam closed her eyes and exhaled slowly while Freddie gazed lovingly at her. Emily walked in and saw the two in their position, she smiled and crossed her arms. It was an enjoyment to her to see Sam and Freddie grow deeper in love with each other. Freddie was rubbing Sam's back and staring out the window, he turned his head and saw Emily watching him.

"You two seem so comfortable there, I just hate to bother you," Emily said in a soft and quiet voice. Sam gave a soft sigh as she opened her eyes and looked over at Emily, smiling at her. "Well, supper is ready if you two are hungry enough to come eat. Or I could just bring you your plates." Sam's shoulders rose as she smiled at Emily, Freddie chuckled and kissed the top of Sam's head. Emily smiled and turned around. "I guess I'll see you guys at the table in a few minutes." Sam and Freddie nodded as she left the room.

"I guess we should get to the table, dork." Sam smiled and gently kissed Freddie's lips. Freddie smiled and slowly got off of the bed, he walked around to Sam's side and held out his hand. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her off of the bed, letting her fall into his chest. She gasped and looked into his eyes, she took a slow breath and shifted her eyes toward his lips. "Nice how you planned that." Freddie smirked and looked into her eyes, then her lips, he wrapped his arms around her waist and tilted his head.

"Nice how you look like you want another kiss…" Sam chuckled and Freddie kissed her once more before leading her out of the room and into the kitchen.

-NEW SCENE-

A week later, Sam and Freddie were sitting in the living room of their apartment before heading to school. They were wearing the new shoes from Daka, which of course sucked. They bought a few gifts for each other using the money they received, but were starting to wonder if the shoes where really worth it. Sam let out a pained moan and Freddie looked over at her. "Take off the shoes, Sam," he said in a quiet voice.

"Yeah…" Sam took off her shoes and Freddie gently placed her feet on top of his legs and started to massage them. She let out a gentle sigh as he skillfully cared for her pained foot. "You have the most amazing and gentle hands I've ever felt." Freddie smiled at her and bent over, lightly kissing the top of her toe. "If Carly knocks on the door again, don't answer." Freddie chuckled lightly and nodded his head. The prior day, when everyone went shopping, Sam and Freddie had been talking and Carly knocked on his door and asked him to come over.

"Today is only for you my Queen. Today, yesterday, tomorrow, and every day after that is reserved for you." Sam blushed as Freddie leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Do your feet feel any better?" She nodded in reply and Freddie gave a gentle smile. Her feet did feel a little better, so she was thanking Freddie's miraculous touch. "I think we should head to school pretty soon." Just then, a knock was heard on the front door. Freddie raised his eyebrow and glanced over. "Who is it?"

"It's Carly, do you want to walk to school with me?" Freddie slowly shook his head and looked at the blonde angel near him. "Freddie?" He gazed into her eyes and decided not to tear his gaze away.

"Not this time, Carly. I have something important to take care of."

"Okay." Sam smiled softly as she wrapped her arms around Freddie's neck. He placed his hand on her lower back and pulled her into a hug. She nuzzled his neck and felt him pick her up bridal style, she yelped and laughed for a second as Freddie kissed her.

"Hey, I need to get the shoes on so we can leave," Sam said in a quick voice. Freddie knelt down slightly and Sam laughed as she reached and grabbed her shoes, placing them on her abdomen. "Okay, I'm ready! Carry me away, my sweet prince." Freddie nodded and walked toward his door, Sam laughed as she grabbed the doorknob and opened it. "Freddie, you're not carrying me all the way to school, are you?"

"Hmm, that's tempting." She giggled and looked into Freddie's eyes as he carried her out the door. Emily stepped out of the kitchen with a coffee mug in her hand, she smiled and took a sip of her drink.

"Those two are so much in love, Sarah was right to think they would make a good match," Emily said while walking to her couch. She sighed deeply and took a seat, thinking of her old friend. _"It's been years, Sarah, I have tried my best to take care of Sam. Have I done a good job?"_ A knock was heard on the door and Emily looked over. "Who could that be? Come in!" The door opened and Spencer walked into the apartment, he closed the door and Emily gave a slight frown. "Spencer, what brings you here?"

"I wanted to talk about something, actually, Ms. Benson," Spencer responded. He sighed and crossed his arms over. "I just wanted to say that I actually feel guilty…I know that my grandfather has been giving your family a lot of grief." Emily kept her eyebrow arched as she took another sip of her coffee. "Carly's been easily influenced by grandpa…and Dad comes over to the country very rarely, more so than Colonel Morgan. But I think that's all going to change, I think he's going to move back..." Emily stopped and her eyes widened briefly, they then dulled and she sipped some more coffee. "I think if he were here, maybe Carly wouldn't be so influenced. I'm kind of worried about Freddie's well being, in a way…"

"You shouldn't be, Freddie is a strong boy, well…young man." Spencer raised his eyebrow as Emily stood up and walked over to a portrait in order to adjust it. "If anything, I would be more worried about the bride's well being, not his. She is the one most hurt by Carly and Tyrone. I don't know what your father has done, possibly nothing. Either way, I can't say I approve of your grandfather's intolerance." Spencer crossed his arms and frowned, this was the first he heard of Freddie's bride already being chosen.

"Ms. Benson, who is Freddie's chosen bride? I haven't heard of him having one, plus he always tells Carly he likes her."

"I know." Emily closed her eyes and sipped her coffee as she turned around. "It is that crush she has on him, and the fact that she would be intolerant of my culture and assumes he will change from it that makes him feign his feelings for her. He does it because it will push her away. He has also been searching through a bunch of guys for one that Carly will like." Spencer tapped his finger on his arm and hummed slightly.

"So he doesn't really like her like that…"

"Why would he? His bride has already been picked. I cannot tell you who she is because I am...confident that you will tell Tyrone." The thought hurt her for some reason, she just couldn't bear to lose any more of her family thanks to Tyrone.

"I wouldn't. Carly might, since Grandpa can easily get whatever he wants out of her, but I wouldn't tell him."

"I am not sure I can trust you. Once you give a reason to _be_ trusted, then I might consider it." With Tyrone controlling his family so much, it was hard for her to trust any of them, it seemed. Spencer shrugged and sighed while slowly shaking his head, he didn't really have much choice.

"Well what can I do to show you that the Shays _can_ be trusted?" Emily laughed and walked toward Spencer. She narrowed her eyes and stared into his matching eyes.

"Your sister doesn't show signs of being able to be trusted. She tells Tyrone everything. So far, I have you trying to ask me who Freddie's bride is…that's the _same_ thing Tyrone's been trying to find out for months now. As far as I know, you, your sister, and that pathetic coward of a man that you call your father are just stuck under that old timer's thumb. Unless your father could possibly show me that you Shays could be trusted, then there's no way in hell I'm going to start trusting you."

"Look, I just want to end this whole feud. I mean, I've studied Arranged Marriage, and I realize it isn't all bad. I don't know if the bride's family had to pay money or anything but-"

"No." Emily's lips pursed together to form a flat line, she hated when people just assumed that. Sarah would never sell her own daughter. "Freddie and his bride met before the choosing, they dated before the choosing, they started to fall in love. I researched the bride and her family for months, _years_ before choosing to accept her as Freddie's bride. So if you'll kindly _back off _that would be greatly appreciated. There is no way I would put Freddie or his bride with someone they would hate. No way in hell."

"I understand, and I apologize. Listen, whatever it takes to prove that I could be trustworthy…I mean, I'm fighting a war with my grandpa over Carly, anyway."

"Who can trust someone who never finishes what they start, anyway?" Spencer's jaw fell and Emily set her cup on a nearby table. "You did quit law school early, didn't you?" Spencer frowned and glanced shamefully toward the ground. "Someone who says he's going to do one thing and then quits to do another…it's shameful, really." Spencer slowly closed his hands and sighed.

"If you must know, I wasn't planning on telling Carly until it happened, but…I've been going to law school for two years now. I will graduate next spring." Emily raised her eyebrow and gave a tiny smile before rubbing her chin.

"So, you're considering that again? Well then…if you _do_ manage to graduate and you're telling the truth, then maybe I'll be tempted to believe you. Yet, I...still don't think you're trustworthy. You, nor that father of yours are trustworthy in my book…not as long as you're stuck under the thumb of that Tyrant."

"I'm not! I'm telling you that we can be trusted. Carly may need to be away from her grandpa for a bit so she's not brainwashed by him, but I know that not even Dad is stuck under Grandpa's word. Maybe I can arrange a meeting for you and Dad…I mean he comes here on a rare basis, like I said."

"Yeah, a Shay is going to come here for me...What makes you think I want to talk to you Shays anyway? The only reason I tolerate you is because my son happens to be friends with Carly." That could have been her biggest lie, but she wasn't about to tell the truth, and why would she? After all, the truth could hurt some people, couldn't it?

"Oh give it a rest!" Emily took a step back and Spencer narrowed his eyes. "You think I can't see it in his eyes when he's around my sister? Freddie seems more annoyed with Carly than he does friendly with her. Sure he may be friends with her, but I can guarantee you that he wouldn't be unless..." Spencer closed his eyes and shook his head, taking a small breath to calm himself down. "What's the other reason you tolerate us so much, hmm? There must be some reason…up until Sam brought Freddie over, you never even talked to u…" Spencer blinked and Emily raised her eyebrow, she was wondering what he was thinking. "It isn't Sam, is it?"

"No, Freddie doesn't like Sam. There's no reason to put them together since they don't like each other at all, Spencer. Now go back to your apartment and leave me alone, I have no need to discuss this anymore with you."

"So, it isn't S-"

"Go!" Emily pointed to the door and Spencer jumped back slightly. He shrugged and walked out the door, not sure if it was true that Sam was probably not Freddie's bride.

* * *

I hope you liked this chapter, there's a nice little twist coming up.


	55. Attacked

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

A/N: I decided to post this up earlier than usual, I'm just feeling generous.

* * *

Chapter 55 (Attacked)

Freddie sat outside of Principal Franklin's office, he was waiting for Sam to come out. She had thrown a football and accidently hit Mr. Howard in the face, so now she was discussing detention. Nobody knew why Freddie was sitting there, but then, no one really cared. Half of the people in the school really didn't know either of them, so they didn't care if they were dating or not.

Hopefully, Sam wouldn't get a detention for tomorrow, since it was the fiftieth webshow. What Freddie was confused about was why they didn't wait two more weeks when they could have a full year. It had been almost a full year of knowing Carly, and she still had a little crush on him. Fortunately, he was able to be more subtle, it was unfortunate however that it made Carly like him more. Even still, being subtle about it made Sam happier, she wasn't hurt as much from it, and neither was he hurt.

The door opened and Freddie quickly stood up, ready to greet Sam, but it was Principal Franklin that left. Freddie sat back down and placed his hands on his knees while looking around the area with boredom. The door opened again and he stood up once more, but it was Mr. Howard that ran out, holding his mouth. Freddie raised his eyebrow and stepped into the doorway as Sam stepped next to it. He placed his hands on her side and softly kissed her forehead. "How did it go, Sam?"

"Not good at all," She replied as she frowned and closed her eyes. "I have detention tomorrow night with Mr. Howard." That was the day of the fiftieth webshow, so it definitely wasn't a good thing. "Carly's going to be mad at me, isn't she?"

"No, not at all, love. She might be a bit sad about it, but I doubt she'll be mad at you. Besides, who could stay mad at this face?" Sam smiled as Freddie brushed her hair from her face.

"So, is that all you got to say?" Freddie smirked and Sam gazed deeply into his eyes. "Oh, you got something else to say?"

"Yeah, you shouldn't have thrown the ball." Sam chuckled lightly and Freddie kissed her forehead once more. "Come on baby, let's get you home. I'm sure we'll think of some way to do that webcast." Sam smiled and nodded as Freddie took her hand in his and began walking with her toward the school doors. They would have to go see Carly later, but they figured it could wait. "I have known Carly for almost a year now; I think it has been a year, actually…" Sam gave a subtle nod and Freddie lifted his head slightly. "Well, it is good to know her, I guess."

"I'm glad you think so, she is a great friend. I mean sure she doesn't know a few things, but that's perfectly fine. I would be afraid of what would happen if she knew we were together and all. I mean, she doesn't like arranged marriage."

"She just doesn't understand arranged marriage. We could try to explain it to her, but it is probably not going to help. She's also right beneath the thumb of Tyrone, as per what Mom said that Spencer told her before." Sam looked forward with wonder and placed her head on Freddie's shoulder.

"Do you think Spencer really can be trusted? I mean Tyrone sort of controls them all, in a way…I think he has more control over Carly than anyone else." Freddie wasn't sure how to answer it, Spencer did act like he could be trusted, from what Emily said. Apparently he'd been going to law school in secret for a couple of years, so that was new. He figured it was as Emily said, until Spencer proved there was any reason to trust him, he was still not that trustworthy.

"He does still harbor some secrets. He's pretty crazy too, not that that is a bad thing, but he probably could prove trustworthy have sometime. If he is, then he could be our lawyer." Sam giggled once and Freddie tapped his chin. "If it is as he says, it would be understandable that he is against Tyrone for trying to take Carly away from him." It was a good point, Spencer could be pretty mad for the guy attempting to take away his little sister. "I'm sure her wants to raise Carly on his own and not let his grandpa do it."

"Freddie, why is it always only Mr. Howard that gives me detention? I mean first Ms. Briggs and now Mr. Howard…what did I ever do to them?"

"Well to Mr. Howard, you did just throw a football in his face." Freddie smirked and Sam let out a playful gasp and slapped him on the arm. "Ms. Briggs hasn't done anything to you in quite some time, though."

"Yeah…but I'm surprised, you do more than I do, but you never get caught." Freddie smirked and his eyebrows rose slightly. "You're never going to tell me how you do it, are you?"

"Well I don't want you getting even more detentions, but you know I usually just cover myself up. Oddly, it's harder for me to do something when I try than to actually not try. I mean if I was trying to get into trouble, it might be a bit harder." Sam laughed and Freddie shrugged his shoulders, she found it hard to believe that he could hack computers but not do simple things to get detention. "You know what I always find fun?"

"What?" Freddie pointed toward the right and Sam looked over to see a couple of teachers taking care of Gibby.

"I've given him a Texas wedgie every once in a while…and he doesn't ever know it's me." Sam laughed once more and remembered Freddie telling her about when he was cloaked up and identity hidden, that was once when Gibby got a wedgie. The two walked out of the school doors and toward the street, they saw Jonah's car drive up and park next to them. Valerie was in the passenger side.

"Hey guys, do you want a ride?" Valerie asked while grinning at them. What they loved about Jonah's car was the windows were dark, nobody could see in the car. So if Tyrone wanted to come back and spy on Freddie, Jonah could just drive them wherever.

"Sure, that'd be nice." Sam and Freddie entered the backseat of the car and Jonah drove off. "You know what would be really nice is taking a road trip in this car. Nobody would see us, so we could do whatever." Jonah chuckled and Freddie draped his arm around Sam's shoulders.

"Yeah, but that's only if my parents were to allow that," Jonah said while stopping at a streetlight. "So, are you heading to Bushwell?"

"Yep, we're going to go see Carly," Sam replied. "I got detention with Mr. Howard."

"You do that a lot," Valerie said while giving a slight laugh. "Well, how are you going to do the webshow, then?"

"We're working on it. I'm guessing we'll think of something. I think Rodney's going to be in the same detention…" Sam frowned and Freddie pulled her closer. Sam closed her eyes and chuckled lightly. "Freddie, any closer and I'm going to be sitting on your lap." Freddie smirked and placed his hand on her leg. "What are you doing?"

"Letting you sit on my lap," Freddie replied. He picked her up, causing her to yelp and laugh as he positioned her in his lap. "Now, that's not bad."

"Freddie, you're such a dork sometimes."

"I'm your dork." Freddie placed his hands on Sam's side as she turned her body to face him and straddled his waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips. Jonah and Valerie looked at each other and chuckled as they turned their gaze to the road.

-NEW SCENE-

The next day, Jonah and Valerie were waiting at the Benson apartment for their friends to get home from detention. Somehow, Carly managed to get detention and Freddie had to sneak in. They were watching the show on the computer with Emily. "Can you believe Mr. Howard?" Valerie asked while crossing her arms. "He's such a rat, and a bastard, he's a rat bastard!" Jonah and Emily both laughed and Valerie looked over at the kitchen. "I'm going to check on the muffins and see if they're ready to be taken out of the oven." Valerie was making some banana nut muffins for when Sam and Freddie return, she thought they'd enjoy them. Valerie walked into the kitchen and saw a strange object on the counter, above it was a broken window. "Ms. Benson!"

"What is it?" Emily asked while looking toward the kitchen.

"Could you come in here? I think someone shattered the window…" Emily raised her eyebrow and walked into the kitchen, Jonah followed close after. She inspected the window and then looked toward the item; it was a strange cylindrical object with a note embedded into it. She clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes. "What is it?" Valerie looked toward Emily with eyes filled with worry.

"Vandals, they've been attacking us for the past year, but neither Freddie nor Sam know about it." Emily picked up the object and frowned. "I didn't want to worry them, but they may figure it out eventually. This city is filled with gangs who are intolerant to my culture…they hadn't started until Tyrone…" Emily narrowed her eyes and her body began to shake, Tyrone was behind the attack. The first attack happened when Tyrone threatened Freddie that he had gangs that he could control and use as force.

"What is it?" Jonah asked while stepping next to Valerie. He took the paper from the object and read it. "Get out now, we don't want your kind in our city…we hope you enjoy our gift…it's a blast." Jonah raised a curious eyebrow and looked over at Emily. "What does that mean?" Emily's eyes widened and she looked toward the object in her hand.

"It's a bomb! Get out of the kitchen!" Valerie gasped and Jonah quickly pulled her, yanking her out of the kitchen. Emily looked for a place to deposit it and chucked it toward the window, but she was too late. The item exploded and threw her against a wall. "Ah!"

"Ms. Benson!" Jonah quickly rushed into the kitchen and saw Emily positioned against the wall, she was unconscious. He knelt beside her and started to shake her. Valerie stepped in and stared at Emily with wide and fearful eyes, Jonah quickly turned his head and pointed to the door. "Get help!" Valerie nodded and quickly ran out the door. "Come on, wake up, Sam and Freddie need you!"

_"Sarah…have I done a good job with Sam? Am I going to make it?" Emily saw herself surrounded with darkness, in front of her was her old friend, Sarah. Sarah was smiling and walking toward her. "Sarah, Sam is growing up."_

_"Yes she is, Emily," Sarah replied as she gave her friend a hug. "I think you're doing a great job with her. I do have a question, you knew these attacks were going on and you did not tell Sam or Freddie, why?"_

_"I didn't want them to fear living here. This isn't a dangerous place, but it's only made dangerous because of Tyrone."_

_"Yes, but you don't have to spare them, they need to know what is going on." Emily nodded and Sarah placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for caring for my daughter, I am so glad that you have been raising her well. I think you have found the perfect husband for her as well."_

_"Thank you." Emily smiled and felt tears rushing down her face. Just then, she heard a voice shouting at her. Sarah looked over and then back with a smile._

_"I believe it's time for you to wake up. Continue to raise Sam well, I trust you." Sarah stepped back and placed her hands together while smiling. "I'll see you again one day, today is not the day." Emily watched as Sarah began to fade. "Do not worry, something, perhaps someone, will come that will turn the tables on Tyrone and he will stop bothering you. You will have no control over it, however."_

_"But what will that be, and when will it happen? I want Freddie and Sam to feel safe!"_

_"You'll figure it out soon, Emily. They will be safe, with you, they are safe." _

"Marissa!" Emily moaned and rubbed her head as she opened her eyes, the blast was powerful. She also heard someone call her by her first name, not her middle, which was Emily. She hated that. She could tell someone moved her to the couch, since the floor was definitely not that soft. Her vision slowly came back and she saw who was surrounding her. Jonah was looking at her with concern, Valerie was standing with wide and fearful eyes, Spencer was standing up and looking at her, concerned as well, and Robert Shay was kneeling beside her.

"Robert!" Emily exclaimed as she sat up. Right when she did, she screamed and Robert quickly placed his hand on her back, letting her slowly descend against the couch. She let out a soft sigh and looked toward Robert, her eyes narrowing. "What are _you_ doing here?" Spencer gave a wary smile and took a slow step forward. Emily looked at Spencer and her face softened slightly.

"Dad was paying one of his rare visits because he wanted to congratulate Carly on her fiftieth webshow," Spencer said while crossing his arms. "He's only here for a couple of hours, though." Robert took a cotton swab with some alcohol on it and started dabbing a wound on Emily's head. Emily growled and he merely shrugged his shoulders as he started to apply a gauze pad to it.

"I'll ask again, why are you here?"

"Spencer and I were watching the webshow," Robert said as he applied adhesive tape to the gauze and looked into Emily's eyes. "We heard what sounded like an explosion and then this young lady ran into the apartment." He pointed to Valerie and Emily gave her a soft smile. "She seemed well shaken. We got in and carried you to the couch…You have minor injuries, so you should be okay." Robert's face softened as he looked over to Emily and lightly rubbed a finger over the gauze pad. "What happened, Emily?"

"Your damned father is the one causing the city gangs to attack my family, that's what's happening! This is why I say you Shays can't be trusted!" The front door slammed open and Emily decided not to look over, it was painful to move.

"Mom, what happened to you?!" Freddie shouted as he and Sam hurried to the couch. "Jonah called and said you got knocked out." Sam remained silent, seeing Spencer and Robert both in the room. Normally, she would be freaking out because Emily had been hit or something. Even though she felt something about Spencer and Robert that seemed different than Tyrone, she didn't know what. Robert closed his eyes and sighed softly as he slowly stood up.

"Your mother-" Emily put up her hand and looked toward Freddie.

"I suppose I should tell you the truth," Emily said in a quiet voice. "The city gangs have been attacking me ever since Tyrone tried to take Carly away." Sam gasped lightly and Freddie narrowed his eyes. Carly entered the apartment just then, fearing for Emily.

"What's going on?" Carly asked as she rushed toward the couch.

"Ms. Benson needs some rest," Spencer said while rubbing her back. Carly nodded and looked over at her father, smiling when she saw him.

"Dad, I didn't know you were here."

"I'm only here for a couple hours, I wanted to be here to congratulate you on your fiftieth webshow." Robert gave Carly a quick hug and looked back to Emily. "I think you're going to be okay, Emily." Emily scoffed and carefully crossed her arms, trying not to wince as the pain surged through her body. "Get some rest…"

"Yeah, I'll do that, just get out of my house," Emily said as she narrowed her eyes. Robert sighed and gestured for Spencer to leave, so they did. Robert took one last glance, frowned, then moved from the room. Carly stayed behind and Emily turned her head to glare at her.

"I think you should go too, Carly," Freddie said in a quiet voice. "Mom needs rest, and there are too many people here." Carly nodded slowly and walked out of the apartment. When the door closed, Sam quickly knelt beside Emily.

"Emily, what happened? Tell me," Sam said quickly. "How come you didn't tell us you were having problems!"

"I didn't want to put fear into you kids," Emily replied while slowly sitting up. "I don't want you to be afraid of anything that is out of your control…Your mom instructed me specifically to take care of you, and that is precisely what I have to do." Sam hugged Emily and let the tears leave her eyes.

"You don't have to worry about us, Mom," Freddie said as he placed his hand on Sam's back. "I wouldn't let anything happen to Sam. As for the gang attacks…you're a high ranking police officer, you're practically in charge of the entire police force. Can't you just do something about it?"

"I've been trying to, but gangs are numerous in the city, we can't just bust them up in a year. The only way to get them to stop is to get Tyrone to call them off, and that's impossible." She sighed and slowly shook her head. "That man really works me to my last nerve, I'm telling you…" She leaned back in the couch, it wasn't going to be possible for her to move. "Valerie made you guys some muffins…"

"They're not done yet," Valerie said in a quiet voice. She was still shaken by what had happened. Jonah gently rubbed her back and Emily tilted her head back onto the back of the couch.

"Okay then, I'm just going to sleep a little. Congrats on the show, by the way. From what I saw, you did great." Sam and Freddie smiled as Emily tried to stand up. "Okay, someone help me to my bed, please…" The group helped Emily up and slowly walked with her back to her room, they were thankful that no serious damage was given.

* * *

I hope you liked this chapter, well as much as one could. Please do review!


	56. Burned

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 56 (Burn)

Emily walked into the living room and watched a clip of iCarly that was done the previous day. Two detectives had called her up and requested permission to drop by the Shay residence and talk to Carly about the possibility that they saw a man selling pirated DVDs. The two detectives were already over at the Shay residence, so she decided not to interfere.

If that was the person they were looking for, then they definitely needed to go after him and search for evidence and find proof that he was the person. A knock was heard at the door, so she stood up and answered it, seeing Detective Tagg at the door. "Okay, we think that the Shay apartment has a perfect vantage point for seeing the shop of the man with the DVDs, we intend to use it as a stakeout in order to find proof that we can arrest the man," Tagg said while glancing back at the door. Spencer was screaming out.

"Okay, what's going on in the Shay residence right now?" Emily asked as she raised her eyebrow. Tagg sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Detective Stimbler is getting acquainted with an old camp buddy of his." Emily slanted her eyes and stepped across the hall, she opened the door and saw Spencer standing behind the counter and Stu Stimbler standing in front of the counter. Tagg stepped in as Emily cleared her throat, Stimbler stiffened and chuckled nervously while glancing over at Emily and Tagg. Emily crossed her arms and pressed her lips together.

"Detective Stimbler, on this stakeout, I want no nonsense out of you, do I make myself clear. That means you are required to handle your job professionally above all else. I've had complaints with you in the past, so I better not receive any further complaints. You know your job." Emily turned toward Tagg and furrowed her brow. "Detective Tagg, I require you to watch after Detective Stimbler. If he acts out unprofessionally, I order you to let me know. As for the stakeout, I want a full report on my desk every day from now until I find that you have enough proof to arrest the man that you are following.

"Yes ma'am." Emily turned around and exited the apartment; she entered hers and closed the door. She walked over to the couch and sighed, it had been a couple of weeks since the attack on her, she was shocked since it had really been the first violent attack. Tyrone called her up after that and after she yelled at him, he mentioned that he didn't condone their violence, but he did support whatever it took to remove her from Seattle.

_"He's lucky I don't arrest him, that cocky little bastard. Of course, I can't because of that deal..."_ Emily leaned back and rubbed her forehead, she was growing more and more impatient with him. Another knock was heard on the door, so she let out a soft groan while walking toward it. When she opened the door, she saw a young woman with tattoos going down her arm and two brown ponytails. Her eyes widened slightly and she gave a soft smile, she knew it was Sam's cousin, Annie. "Annie Puckett, what brings you here? I know I'm not your parole officer." She smirked and Annie gave a slight laugh.

"That's you, always the joker," Annie said as she smiled and hugged Emily. "I thought I'd come visit Aunt Sarah's best friend…Well, the lady that is Sam's guardian." Emily gestured for her to enter inside, so she did. "I really do miss Aunt Sarah." Emily nodded and turned off the television.

"We all miss Sarah. Tell me, what brings you here?"

"For one thing, Sam wants me to give Freddie a fake tattoo." Emily raised her eyebrow as Annie sat on the couch. "They made a bet and the loser had to get a tattoo of the winner's face, Sam won."

"Heh, Sam is pretty good with the bets. I don't think Freddie has met you before, has he? Also, I shouldn't be concerned about the tattoo, right?"

"Right, it is absolutely fake, so it will come off with enough soap and water. By the way, I heard what happened a couple weeks ago, I'm _so_ sorry."

"It's okay, I've had bastards try to vandalize a lot of my stuff. That's just the first time any violence has come from it. You know, I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should just move back to India." Annie gasped and shook her head.

"No, don't do that, we'd miss you and Freddie," Annie said while walking over to Emily and rubbing her back. "Besides, I bet people will start to be more accepting of your culture soon, they have to be! Besides, why wouldn't they? You're a great person. You took Sam in, Aunt Sarah trusted you, so to me, that automatically tells me you're a great person."

"Sarah didn't trust a lot of people…" It was true, Sarah didn't even trust her own family half the time. Her entire family was pretty much confined to the criminal lifestyle.

"Yeah, you see…if you moved to India, where would Sam stay? I wouldn't want her to stay with my parents, they're not proper. Trust me, they are _bad_ people. Sam's grandparents aren't too kindred either…I'd say the entire family basically shouldn't be trusted with raising her." Emily sighed and sat on the couch, she ran her hand through her hair and slowly shook her head. If she were even going to move, she would have to take Sam with her because she was Freddie's chosen bride. "You're strong, Ms. Benson, so don't give up or give in to what these people are saying. It's just not proper."

"Oh, I don't intend to give in. I can't reveal who Freddie's bride will be, if I do, then Tyrone Shay is going to come here and take her away from us." Annie smirked and moved her eyelids down slightly, she had a pretty good guess about who Freddie's bride was.

"Oh, you could tell me, I wouldn't tell anyone. Why would I tell anyone? You're the one who took Sam in and is taking care of her, so you definitely have my approval. Greg feels the same way, he says that he would be behind you all the way if you needed something."

"Well, that is good to know." Emily smiled softly and leaned back in the couch. She had to admit, she was glad there were some people that supported her culture. "I really don't like Tyrone…now Robert, he's not that bad. He's still a spineless jellyfish who doesn't know how to move out from under his father's thumb, but maybe he'll figure it out soon. Spencer…well, that's another story I guess…I know that not the entire Puckett family exactly agrees with my culture, but it's nice to know there are a few."

"So, you've already chosen Freddie's bride?" Emily gave a subtle nod and Annie grinned widely. "It's Sam, isn't it!"

"Uh…" Emily's mouth opened slightly and she smiled gently at the woman. "Yeah, it's Sam, and those two are deeply in love. I don't think there could be more love than they have right now. Well, maybe they could, but I still would have to say they really do love each other. Now, their friend Carly, I like her but I know how hard it is for Sam to deal with her liking Freddie…I actually remember Freddie and Sam considering putting her name on a dating site." Emily chuckled and slowly rubbed her chin. "That actually might work. If she likes a different guy, then she'll leave her crush."

The door opened and Sam stepped in. "Hey Emily, has…" Sam saw Annie and her mouth fell. She smiled and Annie slowly stood up. "Annie, you're here!" She quickly rushed over and hugged her cousin. Annie smiled and rubbed her back.

"Aw Sammy's got a husband," Annie said with a smirk. Sam blushed and stepped back with wide eyes, she was shocked that Annie knew.

"How did you figure out? Did Emily tell you?"

"Well sort of, I kind of guessed." Annie ran her hand through Sam's hair and smiled softly. "Let me represent the Puckett family when I say you have my approval, I know you would have Greg's as well. I think you've found yourself a great guy, now let's go give him that fake tattoo." Sam laughed lightly and Emily gave a tiny smile.

"What did you want, by the way?" Emily asked as she placed her arm on the top of the couch.

"Oh, I was just going to ask if you saw Annie. I thought she might have come in here looking for me."

"Okay, well have fun and try not to freak your husband out _too_ much." Sam giggled and nodded as she and Annie hurried out of the door, Freddie would probably figure out it was a fake tattoo, but she was going to let him figure that one out on his own.

-NEW SCENE-

"It's been a few days and the cops are still there," Freddie said as he let out an exasperated moan. He leaned against Sam's bedroom wall and watched as she wrote on a sheet of paper, he had been helping her to do her homework.

"I know, Carly's getting a bit tired of it, too," Sam replied. She scribbled down some more marks on the paper and leaned back in her chair. "Finally, I'm done!" She moaned and Freddie walked up behind her. "It wasn't too hard, but there were a lot of questions." He placed his hands on her shoulders and started to massage her back, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back. "Mm, you have the greatest hands ever, I'm sure I mentioned that before." He chuckled and bent over, kissing the top of her head.

"You mentioned it. I feel kind of bad for Spencer, you know…"

"Yeah, that Detective Stimbler is not all that great of a person. He even brought his kid with him and the kid ate Spencer's cake and hit him in that very painful area that you guys have." Freddie winced and continued to massage Sam's back. She sighed contently and closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. "We should probably get Valerie to help fix that cake." Freddie nodded and Sam continued. "It was funny when Emily came in with that swimsuit. It reminds me of a Speedo…" Freddie chuckled softly and shook his head, he would never wear one of those things, at least not in his lifetime. "I want to see you in that swimsuit."

"Please, it would barely fit me." Sam smirked and looked at him deviously. "No way, Sam, you will never see me in something like that. I wouldn't even try to put it on." She turned around in her chair and gave him a puppy dog face, Freddie groaned and tilted his head back. "Don't do that, Sam! I am not putting that swimsuit on, you'll just have to deal with the boxer swimsuits." Sam moved from the chair and walked toward Freddie she kept her pleading look on her face. "It isn't going to happen."

"Please, for me?" Freddie narrowed his eyes and Sam smirked, she knew full well whenever she did that, it worked. He turned around and walked into the bathroom, Sam could hear some clanging noises as he searched for the swimsuit. He walked back into the room and Sam saw he put it over his pants. He smirked and raised his eyebrows. "Oh come on, that's not how I meant it." She puffed her lower lip out and Freddie sighed as he walked back into the restroom. After a few minutes, his upper and clothed body peeked around the door.

"This is very painful, Sam." She raised her eyebrow and watched as he walked into the room. Her eyes widened as they scanned down his body, she blushed and fell back slightly. He looked down and his eyes widened. Not only was the swimsuit very small, there was something that Sam did not need to see. He groaned and quickly ran out of the room and into the bathroom. A few minutes later, he walked back in and found Sam sitting on the bed, staring at the wall. "I didn't want to wear that thing, I'm actually not sure where Mom got it from."

"I…wow…the…" Freddie sighed and slowly shook his head, he understood why she seemed to be a bit fazed. She closed her eyes and quickly shook her head. "Sorry I had you put that on…" Her face turned a deep shade of crimson and Freddie moved the corner of his mouth back. She slowly stood up and walked over to Freddie. "I see that you, um, you're well endowed." He tilted his head and Sam swallowed lightly as Freddie turned toward the door. "I think I'm going to faint now, Freddie."

"Yeah, try not to think too much on that one, Sam." He walked out of the room and saw Emily giving him a curious look. "Sam wanted to see that swimsuit thing on me and so I put it on." She winced lightly and Freddie gave a small sigh. "Yeah, I don't think that's going to be happening again." He pointed his thumb toward Sam's door and raised his eyebrows up. "You may want to go talk to her now. As for me, I'm going to be in my room." Emily chuckled slightly and watched as Freddie moved toward his bedroom.

"Well Freddie, it was bound to happen at some point of time," Emily said while shaking her head.

-NEW SCENE-

Tyrone walked to Emily's door and opened it, seeing Emily sitting on her couch, she raised her eyebrows and looked up at him. He appeared as angry as usual, so she knew something was up. "Well Tyrone, you're back in this city, I see," Emily said as she took a sip of the tea she had. "What brings you here, still searching for Freddie's bride, are you?"

"What have you told my son?" Tyrone asked while clenching his fists. Emily raised her eyebrow and Tyrone growled while taking a step forward. "Robert has come to me and told me that, for some godforsaken reason that I know not, I should consider calling off my control of the people trying to 'force' you out of here." That was a shock, Emily never thought Robert would ever try to tell his father to quit something. "Well, once I tell him completely about what your kind is like, then he will agree with me and vote to send you back from whence you came!" Emily closed her eyes and exhaled.

"I came from America, Tyrone. I was born in America…I have no control over where I was born, nor do I have control over my family's culture. I'm not sure what your son has told you, but I definitely hold no respect for any of you Shays."

"Right, what about Spencer?" Emily paused for a moment and narrowed her eyes slightly as Tyrone smirked. "You honestly have no respect for yo-"

"I honestly see no reason why I should be concerned with someone under your control, anyway." Tyrone growled and watched as Emily took a plate from the coffee table and held it up, it had cookies on it. "Would you like a cookie, Tyrone?" He crossed his arms and laughed at the gesture, she shrugged and set the plate on the table. "I guess not."

"Please, like I'd accept your cookies. They're probably laced with poison." Emily raised her eyebrow and took a sip of her drink.

"I highly doubt that I, a highly respected police officer, would lace cookies with poison." Emily picked up one of the cookies and stared at it. "Of course, when it comes to you…you probably have enough venom in you to cause every other poison in this world to have no effect on you." She bit into the cookie and Tyrone raised his eyebrow while holding his glare. "I thought you weren't the violent type, Tyrone."

"I'm not. As I told you before, I don't support the use of violence. Though, had that bomb rid this town of you, perhaps things would be a bit better." Emily shrugged and leaned back, biting into her cookie once more and swallowing. Tyrone sneered at her and narrowed his eyes. "Look at you, acting so nonchalant. You must think pretty highly of yourself." She took another bite of the cookie and closed her eyes, chewing slowly and taking another sip of her drink. "You disgust me, Benson. You and your entire family disgust me."

"Yes, well you seem to think pretty high of yourself as well. You Shays disgust me. I suppose if you want to know who Freddie's wife is so badly, here." Emily slowly took a sheet of paper from her pocket and lifted a pen from the table. She wrote down a name and handed Tyrone the paper. "There you go, Tyrone. It is her name, read it out loud oh Tyrone dear." He sneered at her and shook the paper once as he turned his head down toward the paper. Emily silently sipped her drink as he read the name off the paper.

"Anita Dick." Emily kept her composure and Tyrone merely blinked. "Anita Dick…"

"Good, very good, now say it faster. Maybe you can say it about five times." He repeated the name quickly and his face grew red. Emily slapped her leg and laughed, soon she was staring at Tyrone with a smirk on her face.

"Wow Tyrone, I didn't know you needed one so badly. If you need one attached, I'm sure I can find a doctor. Unless you're looking for something else, which I can't provide, being a female."

"Damn it! I'm going to get you for this, just you wait!" Emily cleared her throat and shrugged her shoulders.

"Go ahead, maybe I'll arrest you next time, like I should." Tyrone growled and quickly turned to leave, not caring to continue the conversation. "Huh…I guess he couldn't take it, the damn imbecile." She smirked and picked up another cookie, enjoying her victory very much.

* * *

There, I hope you liked that. The next chapter will be a HUGE one. I don't mean huge as in incredibly long, I just mean huge as in, you're going to get a big shock with that one. The one after it as well.


	57. Rain

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 57 (Rain)

Emily tapped her fingers on her desk while glancing out her office window, she frowned and leaned back in her chair. Recently, Sam and Freddie had decided to go with Carly and figure out if the one selling pirated DVDs was the culprit, but he wasn't. She couldn't believe how dumb the two detectives were, but it wasn't her place to critique them. It was only her place to tell them how bad they did and how stupid they are and then decide whether to cut them a break or not. In effect, it actually was her job to critique them. She was waiting for Detective Stimbler to come into the room as she had already seen and talked to Detective Tagg. His report was lying on the center of her desk in a large manila folder, she was not too pleased with some of the things she read in there, not at all was she satisfied.

Her secretary came in and said that Detective Stimbler was outside, so she called him in. She turned in her chair and crossed her arms as the detective entered the room, appearing to be timid. She moved her jaw slightly and stared at him, he slowly sat down in the black leather chair in front of the desk, he watched as Emily opened up a drawer. She looked in and spotted a picture she had hid away in the drawer years ago, it was of her and a childhood friend of sorts, if you could call him a friend. She closed her eyes and quickly took a pen from the drawer.

_"I really need to get rid of that picture, but I've kept it with me for some damn reason I don't understand,"_ She thought while slowly opening the folder on her desk. Detective Stimbler pressed his fingers together Emily read over the report once more, marking some points. He wasn't sure why, but he had a bad feeling. She narrowed her eyes and glanced up. "Detective Stu Stimbler, I am not pleased by what I am reading in this report. From what this states, you have acted very unprofessionally, and even criminally!"

"Well I mean, it was only a little fun and games," Stimbler said while slowly glancing to the side. Emily raised her eyebrow and he let out a slow sigh. "Yeah, that's not a good argument, is it?" Emily slowly shook her head and closed the folder.

"You had a job to do and you did not do it. Instead, you brought a child to your work area!" Stimbler quickly opened his mouth to protest but Emily was not hearing it. "This isn't the type of job you bring your kid to, and I don't care if the child's nanny didn't want to look after him anymore."

"Yeah, but…Oh…"

"You do _not_ bring a child to work. That's not even the worst part of it, I believe Spencer Shay has even complained of you using his credit card and taking his food without his permission. You cannot loiter as such in another person's home without their given permission. Also, what is this about you _spanking_ Spencer?" He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. Emily stood up in her seat and glared angrily at Detective Stimbler. "It is not only immoral and improper; it is _illegal_ to conduct acts in such a manner, it is _assault_. I suppose you want the Seattle Police Department to be sued for your misconduct, for your sexual harassment?"

"I didn't mean-" Emily narrowed her eyes and held out her hand, his jaw fell and she continued to glare into his eyes. She was already having a bad day, too many things were on her mind, and Stimbler had just been the trigger to set her off. It was bad timing on his part, as she might have overlooked his behavior and been lighter on him.

"Your badge, Stimbler…hand over your badge and your gun." Stimbler's eyes widened as he slowly stood up, bewildered by what was happening. He slowly took off his badge and removed his gun then he placed them in Emily's hand. "Now I want you to go clean out your locker, as of today you are no longer employed by this department…"

"I…I'm sorry, I have nothing else to say." He bowed his head and slowly walked out of the office, Emily was right after all, he behaved with improper conduct for a police officer. Emily sighed and slowly sat down, she needed a break. She just wanted relief from all the crap going on everywhere. She figured that once she left the building, she'd find her car with a different color on it or maybe some wonderful and beautiful words written on it to tell her how _appreciated_ she was to the community.

_"Question…why the hell do I bother, sometimes?"_ She sighed and slowly stood from her seat. She turned to the window and frowned as she stepped toward it. _"Damn Shays, Tyrone's the problematic one here. Robert I don't have a giant problem with, he's just weak, and he always has been a weak and spineless man."_ Emily chuckled softly and crossed her arms over, she could definitely remember years of Robert just doing what made his father happy. _"He just sucked right up to daddy."_ She scoffed and glared down at the street. _"Damn man needs some backbone, but that will never come to pass."_ She sighed as she closed her eyes and remembered her past.

-NEW SCENE-

"Shouldn't you be overseas right now?" Tyrone asked as he sat down at a table. Robert tapped his fingers on the table and sighed as he glanced over towards a picture on the wall. He didn't have to be overseas, so he was coming and going as he pleased. He figured Spencer was doing a good job taking care of Carly, so he wasn't going to take her from him, despite Tyrone's wishes. "If you're going to be moving back into the country, why don't you bring Carly to move with you?"

"That's simple, father," Robert said as he narrowed his eyes slightly. "I think Spencer's doing a great job of taking care of her, there is no reason for me to take her out of his care." Tyrone's jaw fell and he quickly let out a growl, he wasn't going to stand for that. Robert crossed his arms and let out a slow sight. "I know what this is about, Dad. You want to take Carly away from her friends and raise her to hate them just as you do, but that's not fair for her. I know already that you've been feeding her lies about some matters…"

"Robert! You know I'm right, there is nothing good about those Bensons!" Robert raised his eyebrow and Tyrone merely glared at him. "Think about it, the Bensons…they're trying to take some girl and possibly move her into slavery!" He rolled his eyes as Tyrone continued his rant, he knew arranged marriage wasn't at all like that. In most arranged marriages, the couples had respect for one another, or so that was what he thought. "I don't know why you asked me to stop putting pressure on them, I mean they certainly have no right being here!"

"Damn it, shut up!" Tyrone gasped as Robert slammed his fist on the table and glared at him with narrow eyes. "Emily has every right to be here. This is a free country, I'm in the military for a reason, dad…I'm in the military because I fight so that people can live in this country, not so that my goddamn father can try to scare them out because he doesn't agree with them!" Shock grew over Tyrone's face as Robert glared into his eyes with fire burning, he didn't take to kindly to his father's choice of words, that much was obvious.

"Robert Shay, you better sit down!" Tyrone stood up and glared back at Robert with an intensity that mirrored his. "Now you listen here, there is a young woman out there somewhere who doesn't have any idea what she's getting herself involved in, so I intend to help her in any way I can. If that means getting rid of the Bensons, then so be it!" Robert narrowed his eyes and slowly clenched his fists while shaking his head with disappointment.

"Wasn't it you that told me never to judge another human being? They're all the same no matter how weird or different they may appear to be?" Tyrone raised his eyebrow and Robert merely sighed as he recalled an age old memory.

-_Flashback-_

Ten year old Robert Shay was walking home from school when he saw a girl his age playing with a dog, she appeared to be trying her best to teach it how to fetch a stick. She held the stick in her hand and waved it in the air at the dog while staring into its eyes.

"Now you're supposed to chase the stick!" The girl said as she beat the stick in the air. "You do it like this." She imitated throwing the stick and put it in her mouth, then she held her arms out. "See! You're supposed to catch the stick, not _stare_ at it!" She took the stick from her mouth and coughed slightly. "I don't know why I just did that. You're a lazy dog. Oh well, go fetch the stick lazy dog." She threw the stick and the dog turned its head to gaze at it. "Oh come on! Go fetch the stick, I know you don't want me to fetch it!"

"Why are you talking to that dog as if it understands you?" Robert asked as he stared at the girl. She looked at him and raised her eyebrow. "Why did you put that stick in your mouth? Do you like…eat wood or something?" The girl's face shifted and an offended look grew on her face.

"No, I eat all my vegetables and get dessert at the end of the day!"

"Ew, vegetables are gross!"

"Eh, whatever, at least I know I'll get dessert." The girl picked up a stick and narrowed her eyes as she walked toward him. "You can just sit here and gnaw on wood!"

"What-" The girl shoved the stick into his mouth and hurried inside, he spit it out and clasped his throat. "Aw man…_freak_!" The girl was always doing weird stuff whenever he passed her home, it annoyed him greatly, and he always wondered why she did half the stuff she did. He tossed the stick at her house and shouted out at her. "You're a freak!" With that, he ran off to his house, not seeing the girl looking out the window.

"Yeah, well you're a jerk," the girl said in a quiet voice. She sniffed and ran toward her bedroom. Robert reached his house and looked over as his father's car drove into the driveway, he stopped and smiled as Tyrone stepped out of the car.

"Son, as I was driving…did I see you throw a stick at a young girl's window?" Tyrone asked while looking down at him. Robert shifted his eyes shamefully to the side and Tyrone slowly knelt beside him, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Why would you do that? You could make friends with the girl, who knows what could happen?"

"She's a freak, though," Robert said while crossing his arms. "She's always doing these weird things. Like once, I thought I saw her on the ground eating a flower and some grass!" Tyrone chuckled lightly and slowly shook his head.

"Robert, listen here, you know that everyone is different, do you not?" Robert shifted his foot slightly and Tyrone slowly stood up. "You like to sit around and watch insects walk across the ground, then you stomp on them. How would you feel if someone called you a freak because of that?" Robert clenched his hands and shouted in his defense.

"I'm not a freak! I mean just because other people don't do that and I'm different doesn't make me…" His eyes widened and Tyrone smiled softly as he rubbed his son's hair. He leaned against the car and watched as Robert slowly took off his backpack and handed it to him. "I'm going to go talk to the girl now…"

"Okay, now what are you going to say to her?" Tyrone raised his eyebrows and smirked as he took the backpack away.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to call you a freak…"

"And?" Robert clasped his hands behind his back and moved his leg slightly.

"Please accept my apology and maybe we can be friends." Tyrone nodded and gave his son a hug.

"Very good…just remember that everyone is different and has their own ways of living, don't be the one to judge them for their differences."

"You're right, I won't!" He quickly ran down the street and finally up the sidewalk to the girl's door. He knocked and stood there until she opened the door and glared at him, a tear was rolling down her face.

"What do you want?"

"I'm sorry that I called you a freak and judged you for being different, it was wrong of me and I was being very mean! Please forgive me and then maybe we can be friends!" The girl blinked and looked inside her house, she slowly stepped outside and closed the door, staring at Robert with wide eyes. "It's just sometimes I think its odd how you do things, like when you were eating grass that one time." She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"I wasn't eating grass, I don't do that." She looked toward the ground and a tear fell from her eye. "It's those bullies that pick on me every day. They think I'm stupid because of my parents. If I told you, you'd do the same thing!"

"No, I wouldn't."

"You would too."

"I would not. I want to be your friend!" The girl sighed and looked into his eyes as though she was searching for any sign that he was lying. "You can tell me, and I'll make those mean bullies stop!"

"Hah, what could you do? Anyway, it's just that my family has this cultural tradition and these bullies don't like it, so they are always mean to me. In fact, I should be going inside because they always come by around now."

"No, let's do something, like play!" The girl raised her eyebrow and shook her head.

"Like you'll want to play with me…"

"I will! What's your name? Mine is Robert."

"Marissa Emily Davidson, but I don't like my first name, so call me Emily."

"Okay! Come on, let's play tag…you're it!" Robert tapped her wrist and ran off.

"Hey!" She laughed and chased after him, but he was a faster runner. He quickly hid behind a tree and decided to wait for her, he would jump out and say 'boo' in order to shock her. Of course, she didn't come around. He peeked around the tree and saw her standing in the middle of three guys.

"Hey Emily, it looks like its time for our daily dose of beating up the neighborhood freak!" She whimpered slightly as one of the boys beat his fist into his palm. "Why won't your family leave? You should get out of this neighborhood and then we'll leave you alone!" The boy lifted his hand up, but something grabbed it.

"Leave her alone!" Robert exclaimed while narrowing his eyes. Emily looked up and blinked at him, she raised her eyebrow and sighed.

"You're an idiot if you think you can take them on," she said in a quiet voice. Robert grinned at her and closed his eyes, he knew that. The boy pulled his hand back and turned to Robert, his two friends stepped behind him and glared at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" The boy asked while narrowing his eyes.

"I said leave her alone, she can do whatever she wants!" Robert exclaimed while shaking his fists, he didn't care what the bully did to him, he just wanted to defend his new friend. "She doesn't have to leave the neighborhood because you don't like her, if anything, it's _you_ that should leave for trying to pick on her!"

"Oh? Well then, if you're so intent on defending her, I guess we'll just stop picking on her." The boy crossed his arms and closed his eyes while nodding. "Yeah, we'll find some new meat…_You!"_ Robert's eyes widened as the bullies started to surround him and beat him up. Emily gasped and quickly grabbed at the bullies.

"Hey! Leave him alone! Stop it!" One of the boys quickly pushed her to the ground, causing her to yelp as her arm hit a rock. She sucked in through her teeth and held her arm while slowly standing up. "I said _ENOUGH!"_

"Look kid, just shut-" Emily picked up the rock and tossed it at him, fortunately for her, there were quite a few rocks nearby. The boys stopped and lifted their arms in defense as she continued to throw rocks at him. "Okay, okay! Stop it…that hurts!" Emily narrowed her eyes and the boys quickly ran off. "Fine, we'll leave you alone! Just stop throwing rocks at us!" Robert moaned as he lay on the ground, he sighed and Emily knelt next to him and lightly touched a bruise on his arm.

"Thanks for standing up for me, even though it was stupid…not many people would have done that." Robert looked at her and closed his eyes while grinning brightly.

"What? I'm not in pain or anything! It didn't hurt at all!" Emily laughed lightly and helped him to stand up.

"Come inside, Mom can help fix you."

"Thanks…"

-_End Flashback-_

_Emily stepped out of the police station, ready to go home for the day. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over. "We became such great friends after that day…"_

_"When did it change?"_ Robert thought as Tyrone left the apartment and he sat down on his couch, running his hand through his hair. _"When did we stop being friends? Why?"_

_Emily frowned as she walked toward her car and opened the door, she knew why she didn't like the Shays anymore, or at least Tyrone. "I thought Robert had backbone, boy was I wrong. He just sucked right up to Daddy…"_

Robert stood up from the couch and walked into a nearby bedroom, he stared at a small photograph on his desk, it was of him at a very young age, Emily was with him. _"Her parents chose me first."_

Emily frowned as she drove down the street, watching as rain started to beat against her windshield. She sighed and turned a corner. _"He lost his mother, and that's when everything changed. His father was deathly abusive to Robert...His father changed, his father changed everything and surprised us all. He suddenly became irritable and didn't approve of anything he thought was different…but it wasn't that reason that he said no to my parents, he had never met me until my parents decided on Robert. He didn't know that I belonged to his own family's list of mortal enemies…that damned hypocrite."_

The coffee maker in his kitchen rang out, so Robert walked into the kitchen and grabbed a coffee mug. _"Dad and Emily's parents had that major fight. Dad even took the child away from her…"_ He poured the liquid into his mug and frowned as he brought it to his lips.

_"Robert sided with his father when Tyrone said he was to never speak to me again. He sided with his father when Tyrone said that I was nothing but crap on the face of this earth…A whore because I had a kid at fifteen…Robert never spoke a word, that's how he sided with his dad..."_ A single tear rolled down her hardened face as the rain continued to fall.

_"I had no choice or say in the matter…"_ Robert stood beside a window and gazed out as heavy rain beat against it. _"Dad said he would shun and disown me if I didn't do as he said. Dad was a physically violent man as well…I was afraid of the abuse. Then he took Emily's kid from her when born…"_

_"To this day, I still don't know the reason. He stuck up for me, he taught me to stand firm and be strong when people went against me, and then he went and shattered everything…my best friend."_ Through the pouring rain, she couldn't see the figure down the street facing her way, holding a large object in his hand and glaring at her car.

Robert growled as he placed his drink on the windowsill, he slowly turned around and walked toward the closed the closet and opened it to grab a jacket out. _"Father wins again and I really am a weak, spineless creature. That's what my wife even called me…but we had an odd relationship, we never even loved each other, we hated each other and always seemed to be at each other's necks…No wonder she left me for another man."_

The phone rang and Robert answered it, he could hear his father's voice on the phone. "Robert, there's been an accident…maybe we won't have to worry about her anymore," Tyrone said quietly.

"What? What the hell are you talking about, Dad?"

"I think Emily was driving down Birch Street and someone spliced her tires. Given the rain, she spun out of control and hit the tree, the paramedics are here…I was driving down the intersection when I saw it happen."

"What!" Robert's eyes widened and he slammed the receiver down. "Emily! Be okay…" He then rushed out of the door and toward his car. Tyrone had better not be at fault.

* * *

This is one of two chapters that everyone's been waiting for, the big ones. I hope you liked this, there were a lot of surprised here. Stick around for the next chapter, you'll love it.


	58. Still Beating Heart

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly or the song in this chapter

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 58 (Still Beating Heart)

Robert ran through the hospital halls, panting heavily. His hair was pretty much a mess, as were his clothes. He was soaking wet from head to toe, the rain seemed to be falling down harder than it had been earlier. He knew it couldn't have been an accident if Emily's tires had been spliced, someone planned it. Most likely the ones that planned it were the gangs of the city.

For him, at this moment it was impossible to keep a rational mind. He managed to find the room that Emily was in and stop just before entering the door. He glanced in the window and spotted Sam, Freddie, Jonah, Valerie and Tyrone standing near Emily's side. He had no clue what Tyrone was doing there, but he didn't think it was anything good. He took a deep breath and opened the door. Everyone turned to look at him as he glared at Tyrone.

His eyes shifted over to Emily, she looked so peaceful, but bruised. He wasn't sure how she was or when she was getting out, but he hoped it would be soon. Freddie and Sam were staring at him with raised eyebrows, both of them were wondering what he was doing there. He turned his eyes back to Tyrone and narrowed them. "Kids, please leave the room," he stated. They seemed hesitant at first, so he repeated himself. Upon doing so, they left the room. Tyrone crossed his arms and Robert clenched his fists. He charged toward Tyrone and grabbed his shirt, pushing him against the wall. "Don't tell me you didn't have anything to do with this!"

"What do you mean?" Tyrone asked as he pressed his hands against the wall and glared into Robert's eyes. "Set me down, Son. The woman will be released for home when she wakes, the doctors say she only has minor injuries." Robert growled and slammed Tyrone against the wall, causing him to shout out. "What the hell do you think you're doing!"

"The _woman_ has a name!" Tyrone raised his eyebrow and Robert narrowed his eyes, taking a very angry tone toward him. "Her name is Emily Benson."

"Oh give it a rest, Son." Tyrone laughed and lifted his hand, patting Robert on the shoulder. "I don't know what it is she's done to make you act this way, but whatever it is, it can't be good." A growl escaped Robert's throat and Tyrone shrugged his shoulders. "I did not plan anything. I was driving down the street and I saw someone splice the tires on a car, the car crashed and I got out so that I could help whoever was inside. When I got there, I saw that it was Ms. Benson, is that a problem? You don't have to believe me, but I do think you shouldn't worry yourself over something like this…"

"Why the hell are you even here, _Dad_?" Tyrone pushed Robert off of him and swiftly dusted his clothes off. He narrowed his eyes and looked at his son, baffled by how Robert was acting. He crossed his arms and stared at him in the eyes.

"I see it is just concern for another human being, therefore, that is fine. After she is released from the hospital, you will go back to staying the hell away from her. We really should get Carly and Spencer away from her as well."

"I am not forcing my children to leave their home, father. They are friends with Freddie, is that so wrong?"

"Yes! They cannot be allowed to be friends with a Benson! I want you to give me a call later and we shall discuss ways of removal for them, or ways of finding a new home for Spencer and Carly. I will be _expecting_ a call from you later today." Robert narrowed his eyes as Tyrone slowly exited the room, he huffed and slowly turned toward Emily.

"Whatever you say, father…" He touched his hand to the side of Emily's face and frowned, she struck pain into his heart. "I'm sorry for this, Emily. Maybe if my father wasn't such a bastard…but perhaps I shouldn't be blaming him for all of this." He stepped over to a radio and turned it on to a soft volume. "I thought you could use some music, I seem to remember that you enjoyed listening to music while you slept." Slowly, he moved a chair over and sat down. He blamed himself for a lot of things, but particularly for being weak when it came to his father.

Robert glanced over at the radio as the song _Someday_ by Nickleback started playing. He sighed and looked back to Emily, the song seemed to fit his relationship with her perfectly. In a low voice, he began to sing along with the song, singing it to Emily. "How the hell did we wind up like this, and why weren't we able to see the signs that we missed and try to turn the tables?" He placed his hand on her arm and frowned, remembering all of her rage. "I wish you'd unclench your fists and unpack your suitcase." He hated how his father had stopped what would probably have been the greatest thing of his life, and now Tyrone was endangering Emily and her son. "Lately there's been too much of this and I don't think it's too late."

He closed his eyes and felt his heart aching for the first time in years, though it had been aching since Emily stopped talking to him, it ached more because he saw the woman he adored lying in a weak state. "Nothing's wrong as long as you know that someday I will..." He slowly opened his eyes and looked toward Emily with sad eyes. "Someday, somehow, I'm going to make it all right but not right now. I know you're wondering when…" As he sang with the song, he could feel just how much the song spoke. It made sense to him because it was true, it was exactly how he felt. Everything went toward what was in his heart.

"Someday, somehow, I'm going to make it all right but not right now. I know you're wondering when…" He wasn't sure if Emily could hear the song or not, but he knew she probably wouldn't care if she could hear it. After all, she did hate him, and Tyrone was at fault for that. His own father wrecked what may have been the greatest thing he ever had.

"Well I'd hope that since we're here anyway that we could end up saying things we've always needed to say, so we could end up staying." There were so many things he'd always wanted to say to her, so many things that needed to be said. She needed to hear, but would she ever? Would she ever care? He still cared. "Now the story's played out like this, just like a paperback novel. Let's rewrite an ending that fits, instead of a Hollywood horror." Those words couldn't be more true than they sounded. He'd wished desperately that things could have ended differently. Maybe they could have figured a way around Tyrone before, but he was weak then.

He sighed and slowly lifted his eyes up to the window, Emily thought he was a spineless coward because of Tyrone. He moved his eyes back to Emily and thought that her finger twitched slightly. He slowly shook his head and continued with the song. "Nothing's wrong as long as you know that someday I will..." He took a deep breath and a single tear fell down his cheek. Who was he to promise what she probably didn't want? Of course, he would never forget what they had. "Someday, somehow, I'm going to make it all right but not right now. I know you're wondering when. You're the only one who knows that…" He ran his hand through her head and smiled lightly. "Someday somehow, I'm going to make it all right but not right now. I know you're wondering when…"

He thought her face twitched, but then he assumed it was just his imagination. Maybe she was waking up, but it didn't seem like she would wake up anytime soon. He moved the blanket down and winced at the bruises on her body, they had to be painful to have. They were even painful to look at. Why should she go through this pain? Why did his father have to be so arrogant and ignorant? Tyrone was even trying to convince Carly to be just like him.

He slowly leaned back in the chair and exhaled slowly, perhaps it would be best if he satisfied his father, that way Emily wouldn't have to think on how much she hated him. He didn't want to do that, though. He growled and closed his eyes, he didn't want to side with his father yet again. "How the hell did we wind up like this?" He slowly stood up and frowned, his heart still aching greatly. "Why weren't we able to see the signs that we missed, and try to turn the tables?" It seemed the verse he was singing was perhaps the most personal one of all, and it was. "Now the story's played out like this, just like a paperback novel." A novel indeed, and Tyrone was the villain keeping Emily from being happy. He wished that he could change that and make Tyrone go away, but not in a bad way, just out of their lives. "Let's rewrite an ending that fits..." He placed his hand to Emily's face and ran his finger over her lips, frowning as he remembered the moment their friendship ended. "…Instead of a Hollywood horror."

There was no doubt in his mind, no reason why that Emily shouldn't hate him. After all, he was the one that crushed her, was he not? He lifted his eyes up as the song came to an end, he didn't want to hear anything more, so he quickly shut off the radio. "I really am sorry, Emily. I know that how you must feel, you must despise me completely."

It was his father that made him get married to some girl that _he_ had selected. In a way, Tyrone actually arranged the marriage. Even at fourteen, when he and Emily went too far, she became pregnant and Tyrone didn't even want the two to be together. Tyrone took Emily's baby and gave it to Robert. That baby was Spencer, and to this day, Tyrone made sure Spencer never knew of his true mother.

Then thirteen years later, around the same time Freddie was born, he had Carly with the woman Tyrone forced him to be with. Yet, the woman hated him, she told him how miserable she was and how much she despised him, even when they were kids. She told him to take a stick and not only shove it up his ass, but his father's stuck up ass. Then she divorced him and he got custody of the kids. She didn't even want them.

"Look at you, you love children. My ex wife, though married for thirteen years, hated me. Not only that, she didn't want Carly or Spencer. How does a mother do that? I can understand her not wanting Spencer, but _Carly_ I will never understand. Then look at you, not only are you raising your son, you've also taken Sarah's child under your wings. You even care for Spencer and Carly, though you don't want to admit it, I know you do…" He had met Sarah, they were best friends for years, so it was understandable. He lifted his eyes up and chuckled lightly.

"Isn't it ironic? My father actually arranged my marriage and forced me to marry that…woman. Carly never even met her mother." He frowned and slowly shook his head. In a way, Spencer never did either. It irritated him to no end, but Tyrone threatened so many things if Spencer ever found out. He slowly folded his arms across his chest and sighed. "Don't get me wrong, Emily. I do love them, why would I not love my own flesh and blood?"

He slowly turned around and glanced back, seeing a frown on Emily's face. "I still think of you from day to day. Tyrone isn't going to stop until he gets what he wants…Don't think I'm completely on his side…though you probably do. At the end of the day, I'm still not on his side. Maybe one day you will see that…Goodbye, Emily." He closed his eyes and slowly walked from the room, he did have his suspicions that maybe Sam was Freddie's wife, but he didn't really care.

"Hey, he's leaving," Sam said in a quiet voice. Freddie nodded and looked into the hospital room.

"Okay…I wonder what he did that made Tyrone angry, though." Tyrone had rushed off in an angry huff, that act alone confused everyone. "Let's go inside, maybe Mom's going to wake up soon." Sam nodded and the group entered the room, they walked around Emily's bed and Jonah raised his eyebrow.

"Is she crying?" Jonah asked while looking up. "It looks like she's crying."

"That's odd…" Emily slowly opened her eyes and Sam gasped.

"You're awake!" Sam said in a quick voice. Emily smiled softly and looked toward the door. Her head was pounding from the accident.

"Yeah, it feels good to be alive," Emily said while laughing slightly. "I can't wait to get out of here." She heard Robert talking to her earlier, that was why she was crying. "Were the Shays just here?" Sam gave a brief nod and Emily rolled her eyes. "Well then, it's a damn good thing they're gone, I'm sick of them always coming around!"

"Yeah, but I thought Mr. Shay was overseas," Valerie said while tapping her chin.

"Ah, he comes back every now and then. He probably doesn't even have to be overseas anymore." She shrugged and slowly sat up, wincing while doing so. "Would someone please go tell the nurses I'm awake so I can get the hell out of this hospital?" The group laughed and Emily gave a slow sigh, she never was overly fond of hospitals.

"We're just glad you're okay," Valerie said while giving a gentle smile. Emily nodded and thought back to what Robert said about his ex wife, she narrowed her eyes and glanced toward the side. "I'll go get a nurse."

"Thank you, dear." Valerie nodded and quickly left the room.

"By the way, I wanted to tell you something," Sam said in a quiet voice. Emily looked over and smiled. "Well, there is this school, Briarwood, and they're looking for people to attend. Freddie figured out they would probably look at my grades and if they did, I might have to move, so we sent in fake grades to them…" Emily chuckled and Freddie gave a subtle smirk.

"I don't want my love moving away from me," Freddie stated while giving Sam a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"Well, even if I did, I'd love you no matter what, Freddie." Sam turned and gave Freddie a quick kiss on the lips. "I don't care what anyone says, or even if one day Tyrone managed to win, I'd do everything in my power to be with you."

"Same here, I love you too much to just give up on you." Sam blushed lightly and Emily glanced to the side, unsure of how to go about the scene. Her hands firmly grasped the blanket and her eyes narrowed, she hated Tyrone with a passion, but even today she was still confused about Robert. She wanted to hate him, but she found it hard to do so. Maybe it was because he wasn't as bad as Tyrone, maybe it was because of Spencer, whatever it was, she didn't know. Of course, she just got a new person to hate and seek out, Linda Shay, or whatever her last name was. How could any mother not want their children? It was absurd, ridiculous to think of, and she was going to set out to find her and have a little talk with the woman.

* * *

I hope you liked this. It seems both Robert and Emily do still care a little about each other. There's also that huge twist, Spencer's their son. You know what to do, drop a review por favor ^_^.


	59. The Private School

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 59 (The Private School)

Sam entered the apartment and found Emily reading a book while lying on the couch, she smiled and walked over to her. "Hey Mom, what are you reading?" Emily looked up from the book and over at Sam with a small smile.

"Actually, it's an old diary of mine," Emily replied as she sat straight on the couch. Sam smiled and sat next to her.

"Cool, do you still write in it?" Emily chuckled and shook her head.

"No, this was back in my teenage years." She closed the book and set it on the coffee table. "I'm just revisiting the days of my youth, so to speak." Sam smiled and leaned back in the chair, she was pretty interested in when Emily was her age. She thought Emily might have had a good life back then.

"So, your parents paired you with someone when you were thirteen, right?" Emily looked over at Sam and then back ahead of her. There was so much to remember, but nothing she'd feel comfortable with saying. Such as, when she was fourteen, she and Robert got too passionate and heated. She wound up having Spencer, then Tyrone ripped Spencer away practically in the delivery room. It took a long time for her to want another child.

"Yeah, but…" She shifted her eyes toward the ground and Sam looked over at her with concern. "The parents of the man they chose were not willing so we spent about a year trying to search for another person who would be my husband. It was…it was hard." Sam tilted her head and Emily closed her eyes, trying to not let her tear fall. "I stressed to make sure you and Freddie were right for each other and that when you fell in love, I was sure nothing at all could ever tear you apart…I believe I got it right."

"Were you in love?" Emily slowly nodded her head and Sam let out a soft gasp. "Then the man that you were first matched up with, I'm sure he-"

"Felt nothing, or so I thought. His parents didn't like me at all, so they managed to take him away from me by convincing him about how bad I was for him." Sam frowned and looked toward the papers in her hands, she had recently taken Carly's mail for her. She felt like crying for Emily, it would be horrible to love someone so much only to lose them in such a devastating way.

"I'm really sorry that it happened like that…" Emily shrugged and gave Sam a hug.

"Hey, don't worry about me, I'm fine now. What you need to worry about is being happy with Freddie and let nobody tell you who to love." Sam nodded and slowly stood up, she looked at Emily one last time and smiled.

"I have to get Carly's mail to her, so I'll see you later!"

"Okay, have fun." Sam nodded and hurried out of the apartment. She knocked on the door and waited until Carly answered it. Sam smiled at her and walked into the room.

"Hey I got the mail for you!"

"How did you get into the mailbox?" Carly asked while raising her eyebrow. Spencer stopped what he was doing and glanced over.

"Yeah, you need a key," Spencer said in a quick voice. Sam shook her head and chuckled.

"No you don't," she replied. She saw the golf person that Spencer made and blinked before looking back to Carly, smiling at her friend. "Hey lets go rehearse one more time before the show tonight."

"Freddie isn't here yet," Carly stated while giving a shrug.

"Okay, give me your phone." Carly handed Sam her phone and watched as she sat down. Sam was going to be devious and text Freddie while ending it with a symbol of some sort that she always used so that he knew it was really her. She texted "I love you" and then hit the send button. She looked up from the phone and over at Spencer's work. "So what's all that stuff?" She noticed that the wooden man had a hole in the crotch; apparently that was where the ball would be hitting through.

"Golf balls!" Spencer proclaimed. Carly was about to say something when Freddie burst through the door, putting on his usual act.

"Carly! Is this for real, you mean it?" Carly raised her eyebrow and looked over at Sam.

"What did you text him?" Carly asked in a slightly reprimanding tone.

"I _love_ you," Sam responded. Freddie looked at Sam and raised his eyebrow, wondering if he should say anything. Instead, he put on the best dejected look that he could think of. Sam stood up and looked at him while shrugging. "Oh get over it, you were unloved before and you're unloved now, nothing's changed." She met his eyes and he met hers, it was almost as if they were proclaiming their love for each other through eye contact in as many ways as possible. Freddie made a quick downward motion with his eyes and smirked, flirting with Sam through his eyes. She caught it and shifted her eyebrows up and down suggestively. Fortunately for them, Carly hadn't caught on to any of it. Spencer walked by with a paper in his hand, he looked excited about something, so Freddie and Sam stopped their eye flirting and looked over at him as he grinned at his sister.

"Is this a full scholarship to Briarwood Prep?" Spencer asked while raising an eyebrow. Carly chuckled and took the paper from him.

"Briarwood…that's the school for the snotty rich kids…" Freddie asked as he crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow.

"The school for the rich and snotty?" Sam asked. Carly nodded and Freddie tilted his head slightly.

"So they offered you a full scholarship?"

"Well sort of," Carly answered. "That's just if the headmaster likes me, but I don't think I'm going to go anyway.

"Good, because you better not leave Ridgeway…" He said that because he knew Sam would be sad to lose Carly, and if she wasn't happy, he wasn't happy. Carly chuckled and looked over at Spencer while he was kneeling down with his putting stick for the mini golf course.

"Did I not just say I didn't want to go to Briarwood?"

"Not sure, I'm too focused on doing this." Spencer slowly stood up and walked toward the golf course, the others watched as he placed the ball on the mat and prepared to hit the ball. He aimed and hit the ball into the target, through the wooden man's crotch. Sound effects played and Freddie winced, feeling sorry for the wooden figure.

"Remind me to remember this method," Sam whispered as she stood next to Freddie. He gulped and decided to whisper back.

"If and only if I piss you off enough, but wouldn't you rather make up than to hit a golf ball into my crotch?"

"Given your form of making up, yes definitely…"

"I would totally kiss you right now if it wasn't for Carly and Spencer."

"I don't doubt that." Freddie narrowed his eyes and smirked as he glanced to the side. He watched as Carly walked into the bathroom. He glanced over at Spencer and tilted his head.

"Hey Spencer, I think my mom was telling me earlier that she had a question for you." Spencer looked up and his eyes widened, he wondered what question that would have been. He hoped it wasn't another thing about the Shays. "You may want to go see her." He nodded and quickly rushed out of the apartment. Sam raised her eyebrow and watched as Freddie turned toward her. "Carly's in the bathroom, Spencer's not here, and I see you standing right there looking like you really want a kiss."

"Oh, so that's what you were doing." Sam laughed and quickly gasped as she felt Freddie wrap his arms around her waist and start kissing her neck. She tilted her head back and moaned as she brought her hands to her back and dug her nails into his shirt. "Freddie, we're in Carly's apartment!" He lifted his lips up slightly and breathed a slow pant.

"I know, that's what makes it so damn thrilling. Also, that didn't stop us before."

"True…" Freddie moved his lips to hers and pressed her body close to his. He started pushing her back until they made it to the elevator, he pressed the up button and continued to kiss her until the door opened.

"Into the elevator we go, my love." Sam gasped as he picked her off the ground and into the elevator, the door closed and he pressed her against the side of the elevator, kissing her with mad passion. She moaned and buried her face into his shoulder as he continued to kiss her skin. He moved his arms tighter around her body and pressed his body against hers. He then pulled back and looked at her as she lifted her gaze up to meet his. "I love you, Sam. More than anything in this world, I love you."

"I love you too." Sam inhaled and slowly exhaled, catching her breath. She was sure Carly would be looking for them if they didn't leave at that time. "Maybe we should get out of the elevator…" Freddie shrugged and pressed the button for the floor above them. He gently kissed Sam's neck once more and started trailing his lips up toward her ear. She tilted her head back and groaned as he traced his lips across her jaw line and then down the front of her neck. "Freddie!"

"Yes, Sam? Is there anything you need?" Sam sighed and chills ran down her spine as he moved his hands up her body. The elevator made its usual ringing sound, so he stopped and stepped back, smiling as Sam panted heavily. She moved her hand to her chest and slowed her breathing, hoping to catch her breath. "We better get into the studio, we don't want to worry Carly." Sam nodded and smiled as she watched Freddie exit toward his laptop. She followed and hurried to a beanbag chair. The two looked over at the door as Carly entered, she raised her eyebrow and stepped forward.

"You guys were up here already?" Carly asked in a quiet voice. "I was looking for you downstairs and you guys weren't there…"

"Yeah, we've been up here, Carly. I came up here hoping for silence, but unfortunately _that_ came up here." Sam's eyes had been slightly glazed over, but upon acknowledgement, she quickly frowned and glanced over.

"She, I'm a _girl_ Freddie," Sam stated while rolling her eyes. She ran her hand through her hair and sighed. "Of course, you probably wouldn't know a girl if she came up and slapped you in the face."

"I'm not going to respond to that. If I do, I'm sure you'd do exactly that."

"Oh?" Sam smirked and stood up, nearly falling over when she did. _"Damn, I'm still a bit off from what just happened."_ Freddie smirked while looking at the laptop, he loved the effect he had on her. Sam walked over to Freddie and lifted her hand, she sent it toward him but he quickly lifted his hand up and deflected the blow. "Oh come on, Dork…that just wasn't a fair shot…"

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't let you slap the face that is meant for Carly to kiss." Carly rolled her eyes and Sam blinked in response.

_"Good one."_ Sam walked back to her bean bag chair and Freddie moved over to another part of the room. Carly started typing onto the laptop and visiting random places. She clicked on the Briarwood site and squealed, causing her friends to look at her with raised eyebrows. She started talking about Briarwood and Freddie walked over to her.

"I thought you said you weren't going to go there."

"I'm just looking," Carly replied.

"Yeah, well iCarly starts in…" Freddie checked the time and sighed. "Fifteen seconds, off the laptop…" Carly nodded and hurried next to Sam as Freddie started up the webshow.

* * *

Hope you liked that chapter. It's sort of a rest from the last few chapters, it seems. You know the drill. By the way, 100 written chapters so far! I've decided to stop following the series at chapter 98, from there the story will continue at its own pace. Either way, we got a _lot_ of time before then. Haha. I'm betting for at least 105-110 chapters in total. This will probably be the _longest_ iCarly story ever!


	60. The Invitation

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 60 (The Invite)

After the webcast, the group went downstairs and found Spencer trying to do something with one of the golf courses. Freddie grabbed a drink from the refrigerator and handed the girls a couple drinks as well. He looked over at Spencer and walked over with the girls. "Hey, what are you doing?" Spencer looked back for a second and then got to working on the golf course bell.

"I'm trying to fix this thing," Spencer said as he shifted some wires around. "For some reason the bell won't ring and it seems like-" Just then the bell rang loudly and Spencer shouted while falling to the ground. The kids quickly surrounded him and helped him to sit up. "Yeah, I'm okay! I think the bell is working now!" The doorbell rang and Spencer screamed, not really wanting any part of anymore bells. Carly ran over to the door as Sam and Freddie helped Spencer to his feet. They looked over and saw Gibby and a few other kids in the doorway with golf clubs in their hands.

"We saw the mini golf on iCarly!" Gibby said enthusiastically. "We want to play."

"Whoa, no, no, no…" Spencer shook his head and walked over to the kids. "I'm sorry you guys, but this isn't a real course." Gibby took out some money and held it up. Sam raised her eyebrows and Freddie smirked.

"We'll give you money." Sam smiled and walked over to Gibby, stating it would be five bucks per kid. Freddie laughed inwardly and raised his eyebrow while Spencer gave a slow sigh. He didn't want their money.

"Hey, I can't take money from kids." Sam shrugged in reply.

"I can," Sam responded. Spencer rested his chin on his hand as Freddie positioned his hands in his pocket. Sam turned around and placed a hand on Gibby's back while looking to Spencer. "Do you want this kid to spend ten to twenty bucks on some boring mini golf game out there in the cold and rain, where bad kids might tempt him with unhealthy snacks?" Spencer thought for a moment and smiled, thinking of a joke to use.

"Well when you _putt_ it that way…" Freddie shifted his eyes to the side and everyone stared at Spencer with baffled looks. He sighed and turned around. "Please enjoy the course." He walked away and Gibby smacked the money into Sam's hand, shocking her.

"Let's do this!" Gibby exclaimed as he started taking off his shirt. Sam looked over at him in shock, questioning why he would be removing his shirt. Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam cringed slightly while Carly moved to answer the door. Sam leaned in toward Freddie and whispered to him.

"Is there any reason one would take off their shirt to play golf?" She asked while Gibby hit a golf ball. Freddie shook his head and the two looked over at Carly. She had a box from a delivery guy and a card. "What does the card say?" She smiled and read the card, grinning as her eyes moved over the words.

"It says please consider joining us as you enjoy these fine turkey legs, your friends, the students and teachers of Briarwood!"

"They sent you turkey legs?" Spencer had walked into the room as she read the letter, he raised his eyebrow and chuckled.

"Wow, they really want you at that school!" Spencer stated.

"Yeah," She replied while looking back at the card. Sam looked over at Freddie and he met her gaze. She drew in a breath and Freddie could see the distress in her eyes. She didn't want Carly to leave her, even if it meant Carly wouldn't be around to crush on Freddie, she still wanted Carly at their school. Freddie crossed his arms and looked over at Carly.

"What are you thinking?" He asked while narrowing his eyes. Carly chuckled nervously and looked up.

"I'm thinking of a bunch of legless turkeys going 'where are my legs!'" Freddie closed his eyes and slowly shook his head as Sam raised her eyebrow, it was a sad and slightly pitiful statement.

-NEW SCENE-

The next day, Freddie was reading a magazine while in class, there wasn't really anything important going on at the moment. The magazine was one that Sam took and wrote funny statements and notes on every page. One page had two celebrities, one of which was wearing a rather small dress. Sam wrote 'for one hundred bucks, I'll wear this for you' beside it.

"Heh, nice note," He said while giving a slight smirk. The magazine wasn't even about celebrities or dresses, but with Sam, it could be about anything. The teacher's desk phone rang so she answered it. Freddie thought he heard his name so he closed the magazine and looked at the teacher while she hung up the phone.

"Freddie, I have just been informed that your mother's car has been driven into the bottom of a swimming pool," the teacher said in a somber voice. "You are requested to leave class." His eyes widened and he quickly nodded.

_"Tyrone! It has to be that bastard!"_ He grabbed his backpack and quickly left the room. He hurried down the hall and started heading toward the stairs, he would have to get Sam out of her class as well. He looked over to see Sam already out of class and pacing the floor, he raised his eyebrow and made his way toward her. "Sam, mom's been in another accident." She placed her hand on his shoulder and sighed while walking with him and telling him to calm down. "You don't understand, I think its Tyrone…my mom's car is in the bottom of-"

"She's fine!" Sam said while placing her hands on his shoulders and looking into his eyes.

"I just got a message saying…"

"I sent the message to the teacher!" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam let out a slow sigh. "I had to get you out of class so we could talk." He thought she understood the concept of text messaging him if she needed him, but apparently not.

"But…" Sam clasped her fingers onto her nose and imitated the school secretary.

"Ma'am, could you please give a message to Freddie Benson, his mom drove her car into a swimming pool." Well, he had to admit that he admired her on that one, she was a regular. He chuckled and shook his head.

"You are a sick person."

"We have a problem." Sam frowned and her eyes grew heavy.

"What kind of problem?" She sighed and walked slightly past Freddie.

"Well, in homeroom, Carly told me she's going to have that interview with the headmaster of Briarwood." She looked at Freddie and he frowned at the statement, this was not good news.

"So Carly's going to go there?"

"Yeah, if the headmaster likes her."

"Yeah well who doesn't like her, right?" Sam rolled her eyes, knowing he was right. Everyone liked her, but that wasn't going to help anything.

"That's the problem!" Freddie nodded and shifted his eyes to the side, he thought it might actually be okay if Carly went there, but at the same time, he didn't want Sam to have to deal with losing such a good friend to her. "Of course she'll like Carly! Then Carly's going to go there, make all new friends, and then bye-bye us."

"Well we don't want that to happen."

"Good, because I have a plan and you're going to help me." He had to admit, he didn't really want to prevent Carly from doing what she wanted to do. He turned around and Sam grabbed his backpack, nearly falling over at his strength, but somehow managing to stand in place. She knew she wouldn't be walking anywhere. At least Freddie wasn't using all of his strength to get away. If he had been doing that, Sam would be dragged across the hall, and no one wanted that to happen. He stopped and sighed while turning his head toward Sam, she sighed and crossed her arms. "I know you don't like her having that crush on you, I don't either…but I also don't want her to leave us behind."

"I understand." He placed his hands on her arms and lightly kissed her forehead. "What's the plan?"

"We call the headmaster of Briarwood and move the interview to Carly's place." Freddie nodded and the two moved to a small bench. Freddie sat down as Sam read to him the number to Briarwood. He placed the phone to his ear and waited as he was put on hold. Sam looked around as people started to enter and leave the school. "Come on, what's taking so long?"

"I'm still on hold." Freddie shifted his eyes over and moved the corner of his lips back. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes! We're doing this for Carly, she wouldn't like Briarwood!"

"I know..."

"And if you do this, there's a better chance she'll fall more in love with you one day." Sam smirked and Freddie looked up, they knew the game. Sam was saying Carly, but referring as herself. Though, she wasn't sure just how much more she could love him, since she loved him more than anything. _"Of course, right when I think I couldn't love him more than I already do, he makes me love him even more…"_

"You're right, we have to do this for Carly." Freddie stood up and Sam smiled at him. "Of course, there is the possibility that the headmaster doesn't believe I'm Spencer and she thinks-" Just then the headmaster's voice came onto the phone, so he quickly spoke to her. He imitated Spencer's voice and managed to establish that he wanted the interview moved to the apartment. He wasn't sure why, but that's the way Sam wanted it to be. When done, he hung up the phone and looked to Sam. "So why do we want to move the interview to the apartment?"

"Well, the headmaster wants to make sure the headmaster is Briarwood material, right? A nice and proper good girl?" Freddie nodded and Sam walked over to her backpack. "Imagine an apartment filled with dozens of loud, screaming kids…" Sam took out some flyers and handed one to Freddie. "Playing mini golf…" Freddie looked at the flyer and raised his eyebrow.

"Free mini golf, tonight at Carly Shay's apartment, from five thirty to midnight." Sam smiled and he smirked while shaking his head with approval. "You're bad, you're a bad girl." Sam smiled shyly and Freddie held his smirk. "Did I mention you're a very naughty girl?"

"Uh-huh." She smirked and looked into Freddie's eyes. "What are you going to do about it?" He stepped closer to her and held his gaze into her eyes, their noses mere centimeters apart. Sam felt the heat starting to rise in her body as she gazed into his hypnotic and chocolate brown eyes.

"I guess I'm going to have to discipline you." She raised her eyebrow and tilted her head a tiny bit to the side.

"How would you go about that?"

"Tell me, have you ever had a spanking?"

"No, I don't recall…" Freddie smirked and playfully smacked Sam's rear, she yipped and blushed lightly.

"Now you have."

"Well then, maybe I should return the favor." They heard someone clear their throats and turned around to see Jonah and Valerie looking at them with awkward glances. Sam and Freddie chuckled nervously and blushed.

"Okay, question," Jonah said as he lifted his finger in the air. "_Do_ I want to know?"

"I think maybe we came at a bad time," Valerie said while closing her eyes and slowly shaking her head. "Better us catching you in the act rather than someone else, don't you think?"

"Yeah, we'll just go and let you have your privacy." Jonah grinned and Valerie put her hand over her mouth, covering a smile.

"Uh…or you could help us…distribute these flyers," Sam said as she nervously held up the papers. Valerie took the flyers and read it, raising her eyebrow in the process. She looked up at Sam with question. "We don't want Carly to transfer over to Briarwood and forget all about us." Jonah tapped his chin lightly and slowly shook his head, he didn't understand how Sam wouldn't want that. After all, it would mean Carly wouldn't bother them anymore.

"If she forgets you, then you don't have to worry about her anymore. She won't ever act on that silly crush she has on Freddie and you don't have to be hurt ever again…I say why prevent her from going to the snooty little school for rich kids?"

"Because she happens to like Carly," Freddie replied while crossing his arms. Jonah looked up and over at Freddie, believing Freddie was most likely correct on that. "Carly and Sam are best friends and Sam would be hurt if Carly forgot about her. Also, I _am_ her friend too. Why would I not be friendly to someone that is the friend of my fiancé?"

"Well, that's understandable." He closed his eyes and took a flyer from Valerie. "Let's go hand these out. I'll take the south side of the school."

"Right, and I'll take the north…Valerie, Sam, you guys can handle the east and west sides of this building. After that, we'll meet back in the center. I want to get as much done as I possibly can because I failed to mention what mom told me last night."

"What was that?" Valerie asked.

"Linda Peeloff, the headmaster of Briarwood used to be Linda Shay. That woman is the mother of Spencer and Carly, Carly never met her." Sam gasped and Valerie's eyes widened, Jonah simply crossed his arms and waited for Freddie to continue. "Mom told me that Linda didn't want anything to do with them and divorced their father, giving him custody of them. Spencer was only thirteen when she left, she waited until Carly was born to leave Mr. Shay."

"Oh my god, but why would she consider Carly for the school?" Sam asked while rubbing her chin. "If she hates her so much…"

"Probably because Carly is now famous…selfish reasons…"

"How did Emily figure that out?"

"Mom was doing some research and decided to take a break by looking up Briarwood. It's possible Spencer doesn't even know that his mom works there."

"Okay, so it's settled," Valerie said as she looked toward the flyer in her hands. "Let's hand out as many of these as we can and get as many kids there to keep Carly away from that lady, she doesn't deserve to go to a school run by a vicious bitch of a mother." Sam nodded and the group turned to leave the area, handing out as many flyers as they could.

* * *

So we know Carly's mom. I hope you enjoyed this story. Oh, and I feel bad to ask this since I probably shouldn't, but could people read my other story, HUNTING FOR ORIGINS and leave some reviews? It's really depressing to get only _one_ review per chapter...even though I'm not writing for reviews, I'm writing for the sheer enjoyment of it, it's still depressing. Sure it's a crossover, but pretty much everything about the show being crossed with is actually explained to you in the story...around chapter 4. I know you would enjoy it, there's no doubt in my mind. I just think people didn't give it a chance at first...

Anyway moving on, I believe you will love the next chapter. We get to see Emily actually interacting with Linda, I wonder what will happen. Oh wait, I do know, but you'll have to see. I've got full confidence you'll enjoy it!


	61. The Mother

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 61 (The Mother)

Freddie and Sam led a large group of kids down the hallways of Bushwell, they made it to Carly's apartment and grinned, this was it. They opened the door and saw Carly and Spencer standing by the kitchen sink. Carly stared over with wide eyes and a slacked jaw. "Okay everybody, in we go!" Freddie grinned and Sam hurried over toward her two friends.

"Hey what's going on?" Carly asked in a quick voice, she was trying to get ready for her interview and didn't need a million kids in the apartment. Freddie moved his arms out and smiled.

"It's a mini golf party!"

"Right now? I'm getting ready to leave for my interview!" Sam blinked and looked over, a look of recollection coming onto her face.

"The Briarwood interview…is that tonight?" She asked.

"Yes it's tonight!"

"Don't worry, we're just going to play a few rounds," Freddie said as he waved his hand through the air. The doorbell rang and Carly hurried over to the door. Spencer frowned when he saw all the children, he could easily send them out of the apartment. He glanced over at the door and Mrs. Peeloff, his eyes widened and his hands slowly closed. Sam and Freddie looked over at him and saw his reaction, they knew something was going to happen when they saw him getting upset. They slowly walked over to Carly when she let Linda in the room. "Hey Carly." Carly looked over at Freddie and gave an exasperated sigh. Sam stepped in front of her and looked up at Linda, sneering slightly.

"Who's the chick?" Sam asked while narrowing her eyes.

"This is Mrs. Peeloff, the headmaster of Briarwood!" Carly stated while signaling with her hands that she wanted everyone out. She had been extremely nervous, and now she was petrified. Sam held up her hand and smirked.

"What's up Peeloff?" Linda looked away with slight disgust and Sam lowered her arm. She really wasn't fond of children and often wondered why she even bothered to work at a place with children. Spencer walked over and put on the best smile he could, there was no way in hell he was sending away all the kids.

"Well, this is my brother, Spencer," Carly said while gesturing toward him. Linda turned toward Spencer and Carly looked at him with a smile. "Spencer, this is the headmaster of Briarwood!"

"Ah, I see," He stated. He looked toward Linda and allowed his insides to burn with rage. This woman, this was the woman that conceived Carly but hated her. This was the woman who hated his father for having another child. This was the woman in which Spencer hoped to never see again.

"Hello," Linda said as she clutched her notebook tightly. "How are your buttocks?" Spencer blinked and glanced up slightly, he hadn't expected that one.

"My buttocks? They're fine…firm!" Linda nodded and looked at the stain on Spencer's shirt with a look of disgust and terror.

"Oh, that's just food."

"Lovely." Sam and Freddie laughed to themselves as Carly and Linda walked to the elevator. Once they made it inside, Freddie nudged a kid and gestured toward Linda. The kid hit a golf ball and shattered the window in the elevator, causing the woman to wince in shock. Spencer walked over to them and stared at them with a slightly blank expression. They looked up to him and grinned, causing him to raise his eyebrow and cross his arms, he pretty much suspected them to be responsible for the whole mini golf party.

"So, you guys did all of this?" Sam and Freddie nodded their heads and he merely smirked. "Not bad…I think this should be fun."

"We thought you'd be madder," Freddie said in a quiet voice. Spencer crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Nah, I don't think I could be angry." He walked off and Freddie looked to Sam with a smile.

"Hey, how's it going bad girl? Perhaps we should send the party after Linda by saying there's a 'magic ball' in her pockets." Sam chuckled and slowly shook her body as she stepped toward Freddie.

"Ooh, now look who is making the plans," Sam said in a slightly seductive voice. She placed a finger on his chest and moved it downward. "I think it's you who is the bad one here, bad boy." Freddie smirked and raised his eyebrows. "I'll go ahead and try to grab their attention." Sam stepped up onto the couch and clapped her hands. "Hey!" Everyone stopped what they were doing and Freddie looked up at his girlfriend with pride and love. "Okay, so whoever finds the magic purple golf ball wins free tickets to mini golf for a year!"

"A whole year?" Gibby asked, once again being shirtless. "Well give us a hint on where it is!"

"Okay...It's upstairs inside a grown up lady's pocket!" Spencer looked over and snorted at the statement, it was too perfect. The kids all screamed and ran up the stairs with excitement. Spencer shrugged and turned around to the sink. Freddie took Sam's hand and pulled her off, causing her to let out a tiny squeal as she placed her hands on his shoulders and he caught her sides.

"That was perfect, my angel," Freddie said in a soft and quiet voice. Sam giggled and he kissed her lips. Sam pulled her lips back and touched Freddie's nose with hers.

"Spencer's right over there," she whispered.

"See if I care." He set Sam on her feet and tangled his fingers in hers. "You want a drink?" She nodded and Freddie turned to walk into the kitchen, Sam snapped out of her daze and quickly followed after him. Spencer turned around and watched as Freddie poured a drink into two glasses, giving one to Sam and smirking. "We are bad."

"We are." Spencer looked over and walked toward the bathroom, he would need to take a shower. Carly ran down the stairs and glared at her two friends.

"Why!" Carly exclaimed.

"Why?"

"Why would you two intentionally sabotage my interview!" Sam and Freddie both glanced at each other and silently sipped their drinks, they hadn't planned on that, Gibby or someone probably told Carly it was them. "Don't nonchalantly sip your drinks! Answer me!" Sam slowly put her drink on the counter and glanced toward the side as Freddie gave a concerned glance toward her and then looked back to Carly, she did seem to be pretty angry.

"We didn't want you to go," Freddie said honestly. Even though it was more Sam who didn't want Carly to leave.

"You wouldn't like it at Briarwood," Sam quietly added. Freddie sighed softly and looked toward Carly.

"We were only thinking of you."

"No, you were thinking of yourselves!" Carly exclaimed, seething with rage. They were sure that if she knew about her mother, she wouldn't be angry, but they weren't going to be the ones to tell her. If Spencer hadn't told her, then they shouldn't be the ones to do so. Sam slowly got over and walked toward her friend. "This interview was really important to me!" Freddie stepped next to Sam and looked into Carly's eyes.

"You don't want to go to a snotty rich kid's school."

"Well maybe I did and maybe I don't, but I'll never get to make the choice because you ruined it for me!"

"Come on Carly, it wasn't that bad," Sam replied. The elevator opened up and everyone looked over to see Linda walking out. She was staggering, her clothes were torn and tattered. _"Okay, so those kids did do more damage than we thought…oh god…"_ Freddie walked over to Linda and the woman shrieked, she held out her purse in defense.

"Don't blame Carly for all this stuff," Sam said as she stepped next to him. Linda raised her eyebrow and Sam gave a slow sigh. "She had nothing to do with it, we tried to mess with the interview." Carly looked over at her friends and furrowed her brow.

"We did it because she's our best friend," Freddie said with a quiet voice. Currently, they were trying to ignore the fact that this same lady was also the woman that had been Carly's birth mother. She entered the apartment and not once did she acknowledge that fact.

"We didn't want her to leave our school." Linda shifted her eyes from Freddie to Sam and back, remembering exactly why she hated children in the first place. They were insane, crazy, and now they wanted a ball. Of course, she was baffled by Freddie and Sam.

"We'd miss her…but she's like the best kid you could get at Briarwood." Carly smiled at that statement, she was pretty impressed with how the two were acting. They didn't have to do that, but it was fine that they were.

"Don't just go and not let her in because she has a couple rotten friends, she's more than perfect for the school…" Freddie looked over to Sam as she frowned, thinking the statement had to be true. Carly rolled her eyes and smiled as she walked over to them and stepped next to Linda.

"You guys aren't rotten," Carly said with a subtle smile. "Usually." She smirked and Sam gave a tiny smile. Linda sighed and her face softened.

"Well I think there is something to be said for a girl who has friends that care so much about her," Linda said with a smile.

"We do," Freddie responded. He cared about Carly as a friend just as Sam did, though she did annoy him at times with the crush and hurt Sam without knowing it, it wasn't her fault at all. Carly turned to Linda and smiled sweetly at her.

"So there's still a chance that I might get into Briarwood?" Carly asked, still hoping that there was a chance of it happening.

"Well, I won't make any promises," Linda replied. She didn't think Carly really should go, she remembered why she hated the Shays in the first place. Having one of them in her school could prove hazardous. Gibby and several kids ran down the stairs and screamed at her to give them the purple ball. "I don't have a purple ball!" The kids screamed and chased her into another room.

"Go help her!" Sam shouted out at Freddie. He nodded and grabbed a golf club while running after them. He soon ran out and looked at the girls with wide eyes.

"They chased her into Spencer's shower!" The girls stared in shock as Linda ran out of the room and out of the apartment. Emily, hearing all the screaming, opened the door in time to see Linda rushing out. She smirked and grabbed her, pulling her inside and slamming the door shut, ignoring the kids banging on the door.

"Go home!" Emily shouted out at the children. "Get yourselves home before I order every cop in Seattle after you!" The kids stopped and quickly ran off. She smirked and crossed her arms while leaning against the door. "Hello _Linda_, how are you?" Linda sighed and panted while looking over at her savior. She didn't realize she was looking at the very woman who birthed Spencer, and therefore the very woman who probably despised her more than anything for leaving Robert, Spencer, and Carly behind.

"I'm just fine, thank you," Linda replied. She straightened herself up and extended an arm. "I'm Linda Peeloff."

"I'm not shaking your hand." Emily sneered in disgust and Linda slowly lowered her arm.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

_"So this is the bitch that Robert married, the one that didn't want anything to do with him or his children."_ Emily narrowed her eyes and circled the woman like a shark, eyeing her. Linda raised her eyebrow and slowly reached for the door. "You're going nowhere yet!"

"Oh! Sorry!" Linda quickly recoiled and Emily held her glare.

_"Well, Robert didn't see anything in her I suppose…The thieving, vindictive woman."_ She tapped her finger on her arm and made a humming sound. "So, you're the headmaster at Briarwood?"

"Yeah…but how did you know that? Better yet, how did you know my name?"

"Robert." Linda froze in shock, she narrowed her eyes and growled lightly.

"Oh."

"I'm guessing you didn't bother telling Carly that you're her mother."

"It doesn't matter, she doesn't need me."

"Every girl needs a mother!" Emily quickly slapped Linda across the face and glared with intense fury. "A motherless child can't grow properly, without a mother, who the hell is going to do all the things with her that a mother should? Who is going to care for the wounds the way a mother would do?"

"I don't know, I suppose Spencer's doing a great job of it."

"Yeah sure, and I just got crowned the queen of the world! He needs a mother too, he can't be Carly's mother if he's her brother." Linda rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over.

"Look, I just need to get home and change my clothes, okay?" Emily scoffed and rolled her eyes, she didn't care at all about her wants.

"So, _Peeloff_, what is your husband like?"

"I don't have a husband, I hate kids." Linda narrowed her eyes and growled slightly. "I used my maiden name."

"Yes well, your maiden name doesn't sound as good as 'Shay' does it? Here's what I think you should do, I think you should take a vial of your own saliva and drink it, poisoning yourself with your own venom!"

"Oh get over it." Linda rubbed her chin and stared at Emily, slowly remembering who she was. She smirked and narrowed her eyes. "I guess you're just mad because Robert chose me over you." Emily hesitated for a split second and a threatening growl escaped her throat. Robert didn't choose her, it was Tyrone that forced the two together!

"I don't give a damn about that spineless coward. Although, I think you'll agree that his father is worse."

"Well obviously…but hey, surely you don't have a problem with me."

"Of course I do! You left your daughter, step son, and husband behind. The kids need a mother and you deny them that basic right! No, not a right, a _necessity!_"

"If you're so damn concerned about them having a mother, then why don't you be their goddamn mother!" Emily gasped and Linda glared fiercely into her eyes. "I don't want to mother a couple of Shay children, not when there is that goddamn dictator fathering a spineless puppet! I bet Spencer's not any better off, and Carly's bound to grow in the same path!" Emily gasped and swiftly punched Linda, silencing her.

"You shut your mouth. I don't want to be their mother because I can't trust the Shay family all that much…I have no reason to mother them, you_ do_." It was of course, a big lie. She wanted to mother Spencer at least, since he _was_ her child. Carly deserved a mom as well. Linda scoffed and shook her head, she could really care less about any of what Emily was telling her. Emily smirked and tilted her head to the side. "I think we know who the better woman here is."

"Yeah, how unfortunate for you." Emily seethed and Linda opened the door. "Well…goodbye Emily." Linda stepped one foot out of the doorway and slowly turned around, giving a slight smile and twist of her head. "By the way, I thought I'd let you know-"

"See you later bitchy, I don't care." Emily slammed the door shut, hitting Linda and causing her too fall back and hit her head against the wall. She moaned lightly and slowly stood up, rubbing her head. She looked to her left and to her right, frowning when she saw several heads peeking around the corner. She groaned as Gibby jumped out and shouted for everyone to get her.

_"That's it, I'm going to quit my job after this."_ The kids surrounded her and pulled her down, slamming her against the ground. She yelled out as the children all tackled her. _"I hate children!"

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I personally enjoyed Emily's banter with Linda._  
_


	62. More Secrets

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 62 (More Secrets)

A week passed on since his _mother_ dropped by for a visit, he found himself snickering repeatedly at the fact that Sam and Freddie did what they did for her. Even Emily got involved, which actually shocked him. He never thought Mrs. Benson would be one to bother with it. He found out when he left the apartment to shoo the kids away, Linda had complained about some bitch that hit her.

"Well, she does pack a punch," Spencer said as he drove to his class. It was nighttime, Carly still didn't know completely what he was up to. He wanted to surprise her with the degree when he graduated. There was a lot she didn't know, like the girl that he'd started going out with. He never told anyone about her because he didn't want to get his hopes up. He parked next to a large building and exited to find his very close friend waiting for him. "Sasha, how are you today?"

"I'm doing well," Sasha said with a smile. "Are you ready for the big test?" He nodded and entered the building with his friend. They were close, but some things they didn't tell each other, like Spencer telling her how much trouble his grandfather was. She didn't tell her about her aunt and how her cousin had finally found someone to live his life with.

"I'm going to ace this thing. You know, maybe when I become a big time lawyer, I'm going to change some things. No, I will change some things, a lot of things…" Sasha raised her eyebrows and glanced at him, wondering what exactly he was talking about. He probably wouldn't say, but he wanted to make sure Tyrone would stay away from Freddie's family. It was bad enough that Emily had to deal with people threatening her life considering the career she was in, but she even had gang members after her.

"I bet I get a better grade, though."

"We shall see, we shall see…" He smirked and Sasha returned her smirk, both were definitely going to do the best they could.

After the exam was over, Sasha and Spencer stepped outside of the building and sat on the steps. In their hands was a small sack of chips and some soda, it was merely a snack before returning to their homes. Sometimes Spencer would visit her house after class and sometimes she'd go visit him, but that couldn't happen tonight. After all, Sam was spending the night over with her and her mother.

"So how goes fencing?" Sasha asked as she took a bite of her potato chip. Spencer had taken up fencing as a hobby, it was often fun for her to watch. Really, she loved his art and thought he was a better artist than a fencer. As for being a lawyer, she wished him the best of success and knew that his art wouldn't get in the way of his job. That is, if he decided to make a career out of it.

"I'm doing okay, still can't beat that Toder kid…" Sasha laughed and shook her head, earning a small glare from Spencer. "What?"

"He's like this little kid and you can't beat him."

"He's _good_!" Sasha smiled and Spencer slowly exhaled. He looked to her as she gazed up into the stars, she looked beautiful at that moment. He looked up at the sky and set his soda on the ground next to him. Thoughts of his grandfather came to his mind, he admired his grandfather but hated how he tried to control the entire family. He wanted Carly to be happy, and he knew that she wasn't going to be happy with Tyrone breathing down her neck. He was going to teach her to hate Freddie, and Freddie was one of her best friends. He shook his head and looked over at Sasha, smiling as he did so. "So, what are you thinking about?"

"Oh nothing really…" She sighed softly and looked over at him, she always felt that she could trust him. It was weird, how could a Benson trust a Shay? After all, she was part of the Benson family. However, in his eyes, she could see a world of trust. He cared about the Bensons, so why couldn't she believe him. "I guess I'm just thinking about my family…"

"Yeah, and how are they?" He didn't know that she was Freddie's cousin, she hadn't ever mentioned it. Sasha shrugged and he looked back to the sky. "You know, sometimes the night is so beautiful. I couldn't think of a better place to spend it tonight than next to you." Sasha raised her eyebrow and Spencer quickly shut his eyes. "I said that out loud, didn't I?" She chuckled lightly and nodded her head in response.

"Yes you did."

"Well…it's true." Spencer smiled lightly and looked over at her. "I mean, we've kind of been going out for a while now, so I was kind of wondering." She raised her eyebrows up as Spencer slowly rose to his feet. He pulled her up and looked into her eyes. "Would you like to be my girlfriend?" Her eyes widened and her lips parted. She would like to do just that, but for her to do that, she would have to be completely honest with him.

"Yes, yes I would, but first…we need to be entirely honest with each other. I know that both you and I have secrets, secrets that could be hazardous if found out." That was the truth, and he would have to agree with that. There was no doubt in his mind, he was ready to tell her anything that he needed to. He wasn't sure if he needed to tell her about his grandfather's feud or not, since he didn't feel that it affected her that much. "Um…I think I should go first."

"Okay, I'll listen to you." She smiled and nodded, thanking him for being so willing to hear her out.

"Well, you know my mom…"

"Yes, Lisa…"

"Well Everett is her marriage name, as you know. The thing you don't know is that her maiden name is Benson." Spencer's eyes widened and Sasha gave a slow sigh, she was growing increasingly fearful of how he might react. "Her brother was John Benson and he had been selected by a family who practiced arranged marriage. My aunt is Emily Benson and my uncle was actually the second selection for her husband."

"I see." He didn't know what to say, the girl that he was falling for was related to his grandfather's mortal enemy. Tyrone would never allow it, and he was sure his father wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise. Sasha closed her eyes and let out a small sigh.

"My cousin, Freddie, has already had a bride selected. The two are very much in love, but I can't tell you who she is…it is not that I don't trust you, but it is not my place to say who she is. Right now, she's actually with my mom, she's sleeping over. This girl and Freddie are very much in love, their relationship is not how most assume that arranged marriage would be." Spencer nodded in agreement, with all that he researched, he knew love and other things were very possible. "Also, Freddie dated her before the choosing…there was already a lot of chemistry, and Aunt Emily felt they would be great for each other."

"I understand. Then I will tell you something else. My grandfather is the one Shay that can't and shouldn't be trusted. My father is getting better, but sometimes it's hard for him…he loves Emily, he was supposed to be her first bride." When had he found that out? Naturally, his father had told him at one point of time. "My mother can't and should not be called my mother. She's vicious and not to be trusted. I don't like the effect that Tyrone's having on Carly, and I'm doing the best I can to keep him from taking my little sister."

"Well maybe something will happen that can fix that. It is because of Tyrone that Freddie and his bride must hide their relationship. I don't want anything bad to happen to my cousin, and I would hate for your grandfather to turn Carly against them, when I know well that she trusts them. She likes Freddie, so that should be fine. She's nice to him and he's nice to her, but Tyrone doesn't want her anywhere near him…"

"Yeah, but I should tell you…I have a suspicion about who Freddie's bride is. I've had this suspicion for quite some time, actually." Sasha frowned and crossed her arms, wondering what Spencer would do if he knew. She had a feeling that he could be trusted with that information, that he would never betray that info, but she was still unsure if she should let him know. After all, it wasn't her place to tell him.

"So what would you do with that information?" Spencer looked into her eyes and saw what seemed to be a world of trust, it told him that she would trust him, but she was still uncertain about some things. If anything, he didn't feel he needed to know who Freddie's bride really was.

"I would keep it to myself, I would never tell anyone. However, I am a Shay, why would you bother to tell me? I say keep it to yourself, if the time ever comes that you must tell me, then do so. I don't need to know at this certain time." The statement was comforting for her to hear, this way she wouldn't have to feel like she was keeping anything from him. "I wish that Mrs. Benson could trust me, but I know that it's because of my father and Tyrone that she doesn't."

"Your father isn't exactly on her most hated list…"

"True, but it was Tyrone's manipulative way that made him reject her, and therefore she thinks he's weak and a coward. I know my dad, he wants to make things right, but isn't sure how to do that. He's afraid of how she may react, he feels that she may hate him."

"She wouldn't, but I don't really know the full story. All I know is there are certain things that just…aren't right…"

"And I wish that I could fix those." Sasha smiled and nodded her head in response. How nice it would be if all their problems could just go away. "So, since we've been honest with each other…"

"Do you still want to ask me to be your girlfriend?"

"It doesn't bother me that you're Freddie's cousin. Why should it? Would you like to be my girlfriend?" Sasha smiled widely and nodded her head, but there still was a great problem.

"I do want to be your girlfriend, but…what of Tyrone? Also, what would Aunt Emily say if she found out that you and I were together? A Benson and a Shay, together…" Spencer thought for a minute, he knew that Emily was generally a kind person at heart and believed in freedom to date and love who you wanted.

"I know that Emily might be a little troubled at first, but I think she'd be okay with it. It's Tyrone I'd be worried about…" Then there was only one thing for them to do, that was what Sasha thought. She didn't want to not date him, but she knew that if they made it known, Tyrone would give them hell and send the gangs after even them.

"Then we should keep the relationship…hidden."

"What?" Sasha sighed lightly and gave a tiny smile, she hated to do it, but she didn't know what else to do about it. Spencer didn't want it to be a secret, he couldn't bear that. However, if Sasha wanted it to be a secret, then he wouldn't argue. "Okay…then it'll be a secret." Sasha knew it might hurt him though, she knew it hurt Freddie that he had to keep his relationship with Sam a secret, but sometimes there was just no other choice.

"I'm glad…so…what now?"

"Do you want to go get some dinner?"

"I would love that." Sasha smiled lightly and Spencer led her to his car, she had been dropped off by Lisa, so he could drive her.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that chapter. The next chapter, I believe, is an interaction between Robert and Emily, as well as something big happening. So stick around, I've got no doubt that you will enjoy that as much as I hope you enjoyed this. Yeah, the Fence episode is basically skipped, in a way. It's mentioned as you see, but I'm not using major events of that episode since they don't seem to fit. Such as, how the heck would I explain Sam having some random guy massaging her foot? Sam in this story would not do that...Oh and ALSO, please PLEASE tell me what superheroes are your favorites, at least five. That way I can be sure to put them in my superhero series on my other account.


	63. Shopping Encounters

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 63 (Shopping Encounters)

Over the course of the next few days, Spencer and Freddie had begun their fencing lessons. It was a fun time for the two guys to hang out. Sasha had suggested Spencer invite Freddie along, but initially, it was Freddie who pretty much got that ball rolling. Emily didn't mind Freddie fencing, her husband had been a master fencer. There was also something about his ancestors, but Emily didn't really know much about that other than what her husband had once told her.

She could see Carly starting to become uneasy with it, so if push came to shove, she'd use her husband's story as her own. Though it would make for a nice game of role play with Freddie, she hadn't ever role played with the kids but one time. Carly was stressed out by the fact that her cousins were coming over to visit, she didn't really like her cousins all that much. It was weird, they were really related to Linda, so Emily had no clue why they were always visiting Carly and Spencer.

Currently Emily was at the grocery store, it was definitely a big place. She needed to pick up some food, and then find some items for Sam. Wal-Mart was a place that had everything. As she rounded the corner, her shopping cart ran into someone else's shopping cart. An orange fell from the cart and Emily quickly reached down to pick it up. At the same time, a man's hand reached down and made contact with hers. The two pulled apart and looked at each other. "Sor-" Emily's mouth fell and she found herself looking into Robert Shay's eyes. Robert picked up the orange and handed it to her.

"Um, I apologize for that," Robert said while she took the orange from him. "I wasn't paying a lot of attention." Emily frowned and set the fruit back into the bag. For safety purposes, she moved the bag to the lower area of the cart. Robert rubbed the back of his head as he and Emily both stood in silence, neither of them dared to speak the words that would slice the silent air like a knife. Of course, someone had to say something, or else this moment would only grow to be even more awkward than it already was. "So, you're doing your shopping today?" Emily smirked and closed her eyes.

"I have a shopping cart with food in it, if that's the first thing you're going to say to me, then I feel so sorry for you."

"Sorry." He looked downward and frowned, all his thoughts and feelings were running rampant through his body. Of course, even after all these years, he still wanted her to be with him. "Listen Emily, I'm sorry that I was such an asshole…" Emily opened her eyes and shrugged.

"Whatever…You're the one who sided with Tyrone that day. I can't say it was wrong of you to do that, after all he _is_ your father."

"Must you mention Tyrone like he's all that important to me anymore? Sure, he's my father, but I could care less! He took away…" Robert stopped speaking and Emily raised her eyebrow. He wanted to continue that statement, but felt it was the wrong thing to bring up. He wanted to say that Tyrone took the most important thing in his life from him. "So, I…I guess our sons are taking fencing lessons with one another."

"Yeah, there's some quality time. Those two act more like brothers than anything I've ever seen." Why wouldn't they? Despite not knowing themselves, they were half brothers. Emily noticed that Robert's shopping cart was pretty much empty, so he hadn't been there long. "You just started your shopping for today? What are you doing here, anyway?" He didn't have to be overseas anymore, so he was shopping in order to by some food for his new home.

"I'm not stationed overseas anymore, so I bought a house nearby. I'm going to let Carly stay with Spencer, though." Emily raised a concerned eyebrow and hummed slightly. She was wondering if it was really wise, with the lies Tyrone was feeding Carly.

"Why?"

"She's happier with Spencer, I don't want to make her leave her brother. While they would see each other more often, Spencer wouldn't live with me." Emily nodded in agreement, it would be hard for Carly to just move out with Spencer. She looked toward her cart and sighed, she needed to get her shopping done.

"Well, if we're going to talk, we better do it while walking. Here, since you probably don't have much, we can share this cart." Robert nodded and the two began moving through the store. "So, if you're moving here, then I guess we may be seeing more of you." Robert frowned and shrugged his shoulders, that wasn't up to him. He didn't want to be a burden to Emily, that was for sure.

"Who knows, maybe you will." He took a can from the shelf and set it in the cart. Emily then grabbed a loaf of bread and set it on her designated side. "You know, my ex called me up recently…" Emily chuckled nervously and glanced to the side, she wondered what that woman might have told him. Robert smirked and crossed his arms. "I have to say, I admire your bluntness. Punching my ex in the face like that…You're still as rough as ever." Emily blushed lightly and closed her eyes.

"Ah, I think she deserved it. Besides, that woman thinks that she can just abandon her children like that! What kind of mother is she? If it were me, I'd be watching over Spencer and Carly and giving them everything a mother would!" Robert looked at her with a small smile and she instantly winced, realizing what she had just said. "Don't think that means I would mother them, they aren't my kids or anything…well Carly's not…"

"No, no, of course…" The two rounded the corner and moved into another aisle. "I was just thinking, you seem so passionate of your job as a parent. I think that's a great quality to have."

"Well of course, I love my sons, and I'm sure you love your children as well. I just wish Tyrone didn't make it so Spencer can't at least _know_ who his mother is." Robert nodded in agreement and frowned at the thought that Tyrone was trying to butt in. Tyrone wasn't the parent, and maybe that was part of the reason that he wanted his father away so badly. Emily wasn't one to show her emotions either, so she tried her best not to cry over the fact that Spencer never knew her in the proper way, that she not once got to hold him in her arms. She did cry over it, but she always said she wouldn't do it in front of Robert or anyone else. "Spencer and Carly, they do need a mother…where would you find one for them?" She smirked and Robert placed another item in the cart.

"Ah, I have someone in mind, but she doesn't seem to care a thing about me." Emily knew he was talking about her, but maybe she could play along and give him some advice. She looked at Robert and tapped the shopping cart with her finger.

"Maybe she sees what I see, a man who probably can't escape the control of his father. Though, it doesn't seem like you _want_ to leave your father's control."

"I do! More than anything, I want to get away from his hold! He's trying to feed my daughter all these lies about you and so many other things, it's wrong of him to do! She's my daughter, not his!" Emily smiled softly as Robert went on about how much he despised the way his father treated his family. It was comforting for her, since it showed that he really did want to escape the control of his father. Maybe he really was developing a backbone after all. Robert blinked and silenced himself, he turned his head to Emily and chuckled. "Sorry about that, sometimes I just…"

"It's no problem, I just don't think I've ever seen you that fired up over your father." Well, it made sense to her that he would be. After all, what parent wanted someone else trying to parent and influence his or her children? "You know, it's odd…how come Spencer can't know? What is the harm in it?" Robert frowned and looked down shamefully, it had been his father once again. His father was in charge of all that.

"As you know, my father didn't think you deserved to have a 'Shay child' as he said." Emily looked toward the filled shopping cart and frowned. Robert wanted to embrace her, but didn't think she would want him to do that. "I'm sorry that Tyrone took him from you, I'm so sorry. If I wasn't such a coward, I would have stood up to him back then and long before then! I wouldn't have let him ruin so many lives." Emily slowly shook her head and spoke in a soft voice.

"I'm sorry." Robert raised his eyebrow and Emily glanced up. "I'm sorry that your father was a controlling and manipulative bastard. I realize that it wasn't your fault that Tyrone did all that he had done. If I were in your shoes, I would have been scared of him as well." She knew well that Tyrone had been abusive back then, and she had been too stubborn to admit that it was a legit reason for Robert to have been so afraid of his father to not dare go against Tyrone's word.

"Emily…"

"I've just been too stubborn. However, don't think this means I automatically trust you!" Robert chuckled and slowly shook his head, he knew what Emily was really thinking. He decided perhaps it was time to shift the subject over to something else, it was preferred that the topic would be something not about Tyrone.

"So, are you still looking for a mate for Freddie or have you chosen one already? I know that your family's culture usually chooses one by the time they're thirteen, and Freddie turned fourteen months ago…" Emily nodded as the two turned out of the aisles and moved toward the checkout lines. "You know, if it were me, I think that one girl…Samantha would make a great wife for Freddie." Emily raised her eyebrow and smiled, he had her pegged.

"Oh, so what makes you say that?" Robert's face was serious as he decided to explain his thoughts. It just occurred to him that Sam would make a great match for Freddie since she could keep him on his toes. "Those two fight constantly."

"I don't think so, it just doesn't seem like it to me. However, I think she could keep him on his toes, as he can for her. I also can sense that she could calm him down. Those two make a nice pair. They seem to have that chemistry, and honestly, they even compliment each other with their personalities." Emily smiled and started placing the items on the checkout counter, she separated her items from Robert's, so the cashier wouldn't become confused.

"Not bad, but I've already chosen a bride for him. I believe I've selected a great woman to be his wife." Robert nodded at that, he believed she would definitely have made a great selection. He knew with her personality, great care would have gone into selecting the bride. Once the cashier bagged all the items, Emily and Robert paid for their items and grabbed the bags. "They just have to keep it secret, for fear of being ripped apart…"

"Yeah…" He clenched his fists and growled slightly, Tyrone again. It was always Tyrone. The bastard didn't seem to care about anything other than his own selfish pride. "I bet Freddie and the girl you've chosen…they'd be in love, wouldn't they?"

"They are in love, just like…" She stopped speaking and Robert glanced over. She couldn't continue that statement, but it had been true. She and Robert had been in love when her parents selected him, and Tyrone split them apart. Robert could see it in her eyes, he knew what she was thinking.

"Emily, look at me." Emily looked into Robert's eyes and his face became stern and serious. "Tyrone will _not_ do to Freddie and his bride that he did to us. I don't know what he's up to all the time, but I guarantee that somehow, someday, things are going to change. Somehow I'll find a way that he won't be a threat to your son and soon to be daughter in law." She smiled and slowly walked out of the store with him.

"Thanks…I guess you really don't know what he's up to. Sadly, I've arranged a deal with him once, I can't arrest him like I should. He's behind the attacks against me, and I couldn't bear it if Freddie had to deal with those issues." Robert raised his eyebrow and gave Emily a concerned look. He didn't know what she was talking about, but he hoped that she wasn't in any immediate danger. If she was in danger, could he do anything about it? Tyrone had a hard head and probably wouldn't listen to a word he said, so chances were he wouldn't be able to do a thing to help her become safe. However, that didn't mean he couldn't try.

"What exactly is Tyrone doing to you?" The two made it to Robert's car, Emily figured she'd help him get his groceries in first. They set his items in the back of the car and Emily gave a soft sigh.

"It's nothing that I can't handle, really. I mean, Tyrone has all the gangs out here doing your basic property damage and stuff, trying to scare me into leaving the country. It's not going to work, I'm a Seattle police officer, I've been through worse." Robert paled and stared at Emily with shock, he couldn't believe that his father would do such vile crimes against her. Sending out the gangs of Seattle to scare her, it was just wrong. She wasn't safe. "Now Robert, I don't want you worrying about this, okay? I'm fine."

"Emily, you're in danger…It's my father doing these things too…" He hated this, the frustration and anger was just building up inside him. How could his father be so cruel? It didn't make any sense. "I think…" A loud noise was heard from nearby, it caught his attention and caused him to look away. "What was that?" Emily looked in the direction of the noise and her jaw fell, her car had just exploded.

"MY CAR!" Just then, several people leaped out of hiding and surrounded the two. Robert growled and stepped in front of Emily, he had to keep her safe. So he made sure to keep her in between the car and his back. "Robert!"

"Just be silent, I'm not letting anyone hurt you." He knew he probably wouldn't be able to fight off all the thugs that surrounded them, but hell, he could try. There were probably five or six people there, and each of them appeared to be carrying some sort of weapon. "Emily, get in the car," He whispered back.

"Hope nothing important was in your car, lady," One thug said with a smirk. Emily growled and quickly pushed her things into Robert's car. Fortunately there hadn't been anything important in her car, she kept all her insurance papers and whatnot inside her purse. "Aw, where are you going lady?" She quickly entered the car and locked her door. Robert swiftly circled the hood of his car and entered the driver's side.

"I'm getting you out of here!" He locked the doors and started up the car. The thugs charged and started beating on the doors, but Robert wasn't one to care about that. He'd been through worse things overseas. He glanced over at Emily and thought he saw a hint of fear flash through her eyes. It was odd, she was normally so brave, but there she reminded him of that same girl she was so long ago when they encountered those bullies. Emily seemed so vulnerable to him in that moment.

"Okay Rob, just do your thing and let's get the hell out of here," Emily said with narrow eyes. Robert nodded and pressed down on the gas pedal, possibly running over a thug's foot in the process. Emily glanced back and saw the thugs shaking their fists in the air and shouting. She didn't care, she was just glad to get out of there. Robert turned out of the parking lot and started driving down the street.

"And you tell me not to worry about something like _that_?!" She crossed her arms and took a few breaths, she was trying to calm herself down.

"I know, but Tyrone's been given immunity…I can't get him for any of these things." Robert looked at Emily with disbelief and anger, but not anger at her, anger toward his father.

"What the hell is important enough to you that you'd allow him to get these gangs chasing after you like this?" She sighed and closed her eyes, it had been a deal that Tyrone wouldn't take Carly away from her friends and family. Tyrone had considered taking Carly away and transferring her to another country.

"I wouldn't charge him for anything if he…didn't take Carly away from her friends and her family." Robert frowned and glanced out the windshield. Emily was concerned about Tyrone taking his daughter away, that was more than she needed to be concerned about. Was it just concern for Carly's friends, was it concern that Freddie was friends with Carly as well as Sam, was it concern that Carly was Spencer's brother, was it all of these things combined or was it something more? He glanced to Emily and saw her looking out the window, possibly deep in thought. He smiled lightly and slowly shook his head.

"I don't know if I can get Tyrone to call the gangs off, but I'm sure Spencer and I can think of something. I won't ask you to stop worrying about Carly, but I do think that she'll be fine." Emily looked over at Robert and for a moment he stared back in shock, she had a tear running down her face.

"I won't let him win, Robert. I can't…I know Freddie won't be in danger, but I can't say the same for his wife's family if Tyrone ever found out. I don't know what Tyrone would do to her, I don't know what he'd do to my son. All I know is he can't be trusted."

"Emily…" He knew she was afraid, but she wouldn't admit it. She wouldn't leave, that was for sure, and he didn't want her to. Of course, who knew how serious Tyrone would be? He probably wouldn't get too dangerous, but no one really knew just how far he'd go to get what he wants. Robert took a deep sigh and parked next to the Bushwell apartments. "Would you like me to go inside and help you with the groceries?"

"No, I'm fine, but thank you." Robert exited the car and moved around to the other side to help Emily remove the bags from her car. She exited the vehicle and pulled her grocery bags out, smiling as she looked to Robert. "I'll be fine, I'm strong."

"I know, but that's also what I'm afraid of." His fear was her being so strong willed and stubborn that Tyrone might become worse and seriously hurt her because of it. She could handle herself, but at the same time, he wanted to be there for her. "I'll still walk you to your apartment if you want."

"No thank you, that'll be fine." Robert nodded and looked into Emily's eyes for a moment. They gazed at each other in silence, not sure what to say next. It was almost as though Emily wanted to kiss him, but she felt that she shouldn't. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Well, it was good talking to you today. I, uh…I have to hurry and get my things to the room." Robert nodded and Emily turned toward around and walked off, she knew well that he was watching her leave. He watched her until she entered the building.

Emily turned around and looked out the doors as Robert entered the car. She had the faintest smile at her lips as she watched him start up his car and drive away. She sighed slowly and looked over at Lewbert, he was reading a newspaper and ignoring anything around the lobby. He glanced up at her and waved slightly. She shrugged and made her way to the elevators, the doors opened and Spencer stepped out.

"Hello Mrs. Benson," Spencer said with a slight smile. "You're back from the store already? Can I help you with your bags?" Emily closed her eyes and chuckled slightly, Robert called Spencer up. She opened her eyes and handed Spencer half of the bags, she wouldn't mind her son helping her out.

"Yeah, why not…I had an interesting day, I'm tired." Spencer nodded with understanding. His father didn't tell him anything that happened, other than the fact that Emily would most likely be tired out.

"Then I'm glad to help you out." Emily smiled and nodded in response. With that, the two made their way to her apartment, not saying much at all. She just needed some rest and time to sort out all the events that had just happened.

* * *

Well this was definitely a fun chapter for me to write, when I wrote it, lol. I hope you all enjoyed this! Next chapter will be up soon, I believe it's a little chat between Carly and Freddie. Yes, they need some interaction in this story. That chapter will get a little intense. Stick around.


	64. Web of Lies

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

A/N: FINALLY IT'S BACK ON! PLEASE NOTE, HUNTING FOR ORIGINS WAS UPDATED JUST PRIOR TO FANFICTION GOING OUT

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Chapter 64 (Web of Lies?)

Freddie hadn't been angry with Carly at all when she cut off the fencing with Spencer and apparently pulled his mom in on it. Emily didn't do much of anything, it was all acting on her part. However, Carly did feel bad when she did it, so she talked to him at school. He told her not to worry about it and offered to have a smoothie with her after school, but he made sure it wasn't a date and that it was only on friendly terms.

Sam had accepted the terms on the basis that Freddie needed to spend some time with Carly _too_. Despite the crush she had on him, he was still her friend and Carly deserved to know that. However, he needed to be careful, since Tyrone could always be spying on her. It was clear as well that Tyrone could get Carly to talk; he had ways of doing so. Freddie could only hope nothing bad happened while with her.

As he walked toward the smoothie shop, he thought about what could possibly be the worst thing that could happen. Well, for one, Carly could kiss him. Yet, he'd already been down that road before, there was no way that he and Sam were going to let that bother them. They knew Carly didn't know or understand, and as much as they wanted to tell Carly they were together, Tyrone was too great of a threat to do that. Could Carly Shay really be trusted? He didn't know, but he wasn't going to risk that and have Sam taken from him.

The only one that exhibited unease toward Freddie spending time with Carly was Jonah. Jonah just cared for his friends to the point that he despised how much control Tyrone had and how Carly would most likely tell Tyrone everything if she knew, whether she wanted to or not. Tyrone had ways of getting people to talk, that much was clear. Whatever Freddie told Carly, Tyrone would most likely figure it out one way or another.

Freddie saw Carly halfway to the smoothie shop, so he quickly called out to her. Carly stopped walking and smiled as she looked to Freddie, she knew well that it wasn't a date they were going on, just an outing between friends who really hadn't spent a lot of time together. "Hey Carly…"

"Freddie, how was school today?" Carly asked with a tiny smile. Freddie shrugged and folded his arms over his chest. School had been rough, he and Sam couldn't do anything together during school because of the possibility of people being under Tyrone's thumb. So, every time he saw Sam, he wanted to hug her or kiss her, but could not. Carly's day had gone fine, she spoke with her grandfather, and even her dad.

"School was fine for me. A little stressing at moments, but all in all, I had a fun day." Carly nodded and the two continued their walk in silence, both of them were unsure of what to talk about. Freddie glanced over at Carly and let his mildly paranoid mind start the conversation. "So, did you talk to Tyrone today?"

"Tyrone?" Carly looked over with confusion, but quickly realized Freddie was talking about her grandfather. "Oh, you mean Grandpa! Yeah, I saw him today. I told him I'd be spending some time with you after school." Freddie narrowed his eyes with suspicion and looked around, his eyes were searching for Tyrone. Carly tilted her head slightly and stopped walking. "What are you looking for?"

"That ba-your grandpa…" Freddie had caught himself there, he didn't want to upset Carly by calling her grandfather a bastard. Though the thought that she spoke to Tyrone perturbed him greatly, he had to be extra careful about what he said to Carly. He also had to wonder if she would try to get him to reveal anything about who his bride was. Though, Carly didn't know that his mom had chosen someone yet. Freddie sighed and continued walking. "Come on, let's get moving."

"Right…so…" Carly pressed her index fingers together as she began walking with Freddie. He eyed her suspiciously and watched as she took a deep breath. "How goes your mom's search for a bride?" He inhaled sharply and glanced to the side, he couldn't be sure if it was Carly asking that question for her own edification or if it was Tyrone asking that question through her, but then Tyrone already _knew_ Freddie's bride was chosen.

"Carly…you know what? I can't tell you…" Carly frowned and stared at Freddie as he walked in front of her. Why couldn't he tell her? What didn't he trust about her? He saw her sad face and frowned, he did feel bad about leaving her out of the loop, but it had to be done. He took a deep sigh and slowly shook his head. "Carly, you'll tell Tyrone anything, wouldn't you?"

"He's my grandfather! He's always right, anyway…I mean, he's been through life, he knows things." Freddie scoffed and Carly raised her eyebrow.

"Your grandfather is an old and ignorant bastard. He's feeding you lies about my mom's culture."

"Freddie!" She was shocked, appalled that Freddie would say such things about her grandfather. "My grandpa has a lifetime of experience! He knows what he's talking about!" Freddie rolled his eyes and continued to stare ahead. It wasn't Carly's fault that he was annoyed at the moment, it was Tyrone. It was always Tyrone.

"The fact that you instantly defend him without knowing a thing about him tells me how truly loyal you are to him." Freddie narrowed his eyes and glanced to the side as Carly placed her hands to her hips. "Go on, what has he told you about my mom's culture?"

"Everything from the fact that the bride barely even knows you once she's been selected to the fact that she practically has to wait on you hands and feet…" Freddie scoffed once more and entered the smoothie shop with Carly, she was already too far under Tyrone's thumb to realize the truth of the matter. He'd been feeding her lies and she would never _ever_ realize that fact.

"Your grandfather is wrong Carly."

"No he's not!" The two sat down at a table and stared into each other's eyes. If Carly wouldn't listen to him, the one involved in arranged marriage, then what was the point of talking to her? "How much of your mom's culture do you even know about? I bet she doesn't tell you these things…but grandpa knows because he's dealt with arranged marriage before!"

"Okay, and _when_ has he ever dealt with it?" Freddie raised his eyebrows, crossed his arms, and leaned forward. He was honestly growing more amused with where the conversation was going. "Tell me, you've got me interested now. You're calling my mother a liar."

"You're calling my grandfather a liar!" It seemed tears were starting to come to her eyes, but they were frustrated and confused tears, angry tears.

"That's because he _is_ a liar!" The two didn't even realize that the waitress had walked up to the table and was trying to get their attention.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have liar smoothies available today!" The waitress called out, trying to gain their attention. Freddie and Carly looked over and chuckled nervously, it was an embarrassing moment for them. The waitress smiled kindly and put a pen to her notepad. Every patron in the place was staring at the group with interest. "Now, what can I get for you?"

"I'll have a Peach smoothie…"

"I'll have the kiwi," Carly said with a slight chuckle. Freddie scrunched his face in disgust and Carly rolled her eyes. She was already starting to get annoyed with him, but they could always work on that. The waitress nodded and left the table, but not before asking the two to keep it down. Carly turned toward Freddie and crossed her arms. "Well, I don't think we're getting anywhere by calling our relatives liars…"

"No…" Freddie had to admit, he did feel bad for the fact that he and Sam had to lie to Carly, but it was all for a _good_ reason. "Carly, you'll tell your grandfather anything, won't you? Have you _ever_ kept a secret from him?"

"No, never…" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Carly sighed. She had never kept anything from him because he could always get it out of her if he needed to know. "He has ways of making me tell him stuff…" Freddie leaned back and slowly exhaled, he could see that he wouldn't be able to tell Carly anything about Sam being his wife or living with him. After all, if he did, then Tyrone would definitely figure it out.

"I'm sorry that you have to deal with that, Carly. You must realize that he's very manipulative…" Carly nodded and Freddie slowly closed his eyes. Maybe he could tell her _some_ things, but nothing that Tyrone didn't already know. "Carly, your grandfather hates us." Carly raised her eyebrow and waited for Freddie to continue. "He wants my mom to move to India, despite her being raised in America."

"Well Grandpa always says that in the United States, people shouldn't practice arranged marriage."

"People practice it anyway. Tyrone just hates my mom. In fact, it goes all the way back to my ancestors who came over here and his ancestors who were already here. His ancestors hated my ancestors for what they practiced, they were just that intolerant and ignorant."

"I…My grandfather would never-"

"Your grandfather has the city gangs under his thumbs, he has people everywhere who trail my family around. Even at school…You know that teacher, Mr. Stern?" Carly nodded slowly and Freddie glanced out the window. "Mr. Stern is under Tyrone's control too. That's why if my mom chose my bride, we would have to keep our relationship secret no matter what."

"I don't understand, why would you need to keep it a secret?" Freddie narrowed his eyes and turned his head toward Carly. She was staring at the table, unsure of what to make of everything Freddie was saying. She refused to not believe her grandfather, but she wanted to know that her grandfather wasn't truly doing any harmful things.

"We would have to keep it a secret because Tyrone will, and has threatened, to take my wife away from me."

"It would only be helpful for her…I mean, she would be thrust into something so forced…she wouldn't even see her husband until the day she married him!" Freddie laughed slightly and shook his head.

"He continues to refuse to be open-minded, I see. My mom isn't like that. I would know my wife, I would date her, fall in love and marry." He knew he probably couldn't make her understand, but that wasn't a problem at all. When choosing to believe her grandfather, someone who she knew all her life, or Freddie, someone she knew for a little over a year, it was quite clear who she would believe. Freddie just didn't like how it was turning out.

"What if you didn't like each other? Could you leave each other?"

"No, we wouldn't be allowed to separate."

"Aha! So you'd be stuck with someone you hated!" Freddie closed his eyes and shook his head. The last time he checked, he loved Sam with all of his heart.

"That's where you're wrong. My mom is extra careful, does all her research, and waits until I have dated the girl before officially _choosing._ When she does choose the girl, she'll ask us _both_ whether we want to be together or not, then we'll let her know…inevitably, she does choose who my bride is, but it is my bride and I that decide to accept her agreement."

"I've never heard of that happening…" Freddie raised his eyebrow and chuckled, of course she hadn't heard of that, she had only heard what her grandfather had told her.

"Well, that's the way my mom does it, at least."

"So…" She had to wonder if her mom had chosen Valerie. After all, Freddie did say they would have to keep it secret, and she'd seen Valerie around more often. The waitress brought the smoothies to the table and walked off, Freddie took his smoothie and started to drink it. "Did your mom choose Valerie as your bride?" His eyes widened and the drink went down his throat at a high speed. He began to cough and beat his closed fist to his chest.

"No! Valerie is _not _my bride." Carly tilted her head and gave Freddie a look of concern. She hoped he would be okay. Freddie slowly sighed and shook his head, maybe it was time to tell Carly the truth about Valerie. "Carly…while we're speaking about lies…" Freddie stared at his drink and Carly furrowed her eyebrows, waiting to see what Freddie had in mind. Had the whole ordeal with Valerie been a lie? Was that what he was about to say? "In order to shake Tyrone off of my tail and keep suspicion away…I had Valerie pretend to be my girlfriend."

"What?" Carly blinked and her mouth fell open, Valerie had been _faked!_ Freddie didn't want to say that it really was Sam and Valerie's idea. After all, it would make Carly angry with Sam, and he didn't want to do that to them. Not only that, there was a chance that Tyrone would figure it out. "Y-You mean that Valerie…was it all…"

"It was a lie, it was faked in order to throw off any suspicious people, Tyrone included. Anyone that thought I had a girlfriend, since I never seemed to be interested in any girls…So everything with Valerie was set up, from when she called up on iCarly to the point that she broke up. It was all a big plan…you were just caught up in it all, I'm sorry that I deceived you like that."

"I…I understand." Carly closed her eyes and frowned, she could accept that. After all, Freddie didn't want intolerant people attacking himself or his family, so he needed to deceive everyone, including herself. That also meant that Sam was probably being deceived. "You might want to tell Sam that Valerie was faked…I'm just surprised you used a random person you didn't even know." Freddie chuckled and crossed his arms.

"Valerie wasn't a random person. She's a friend, and a close one at that."

"So does that mean she knows about your culture?"

"Carly…everyone knows my mother's culture. With how Tyrone's going about, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole _world_ knows her culture. Hell, he's even attacked her before! Remember that time she was at the hospital? It was one of Tyrone's goons that slashed her tires." Carly gasped and shook her head, she refused to believe it, she didn't want to believe that her grandfather was so crooked.

"How many other things have you faked, Freddie?"

"…More than you know, and more than I can tell you…and if that makes you not want to trust me anymore, then I'm fine with it." Carly smiled and shook her head, she understood just fine.

"Don't worry Freddie, I'm okay with it. However, I would still like to know…" She still had that crush on him, she wanted to go out with him, but she didn't know if his bride had already been chosen. If she had, then why did he act like he had a crush on her? Then again, that was most likely faked too. "Freddie?" Freddie raised his eyebrows and looked to her, awaiting her question. "Tell me the truth…" She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. "Do you really have a crush on me, or is that faked and pretend?"

"I…" He bit his lip and glanced to the side, he couldn't reveal that Sam had been behind that. He didn't want to tell Carly that how much it pained Sam and how her heart ached whenever Carly spoke of her crush on him. Yet, he did want to tell her, but he couldn't because he was sure Tyrone would learn of it and take her away from him. Freddie would have to lie to Carly again, but it was for Sam's sake.

"Freddie, tell me…please. I want to know if there's a reason you act so pushy."

"It's my own selfish pride…" He stared at his cup and felt Carly's eyes staring back at him. He was going to place the blame on himself, and if he didn't, then everything could be jeopardized. "I chose to do it because I wanted people, including you and Tyrone, to think that maybe I wasn't following my mom's culture. However, Tyrone knew from the start, and like they say…habits die hard. Yet, I still do it because I also realize that I'm not sure if my mom would choose you or not. But whether she did or not, I would still have to do it, in order to throw off any suspicious people."

"Oh, I see…so, that's why." Carly felt her tears coming to her face, Freddie didn't really like her, and it was hard for her to accept. "So, you don't _actually_ have a crush on me?"

"I'm sorry, I deceived you again, but it was only because-"

"Only because you found out I had a crush on you, am I right?" Freddie slowly nodded his head and Carly glanced toward the side. "You know my grandpa will probably beat that out of me somehow." Freddie shrugged and glanced out the window, he could care less if Tyrone knew that he didn't really have a crush on Carly.

"You know, I could care less if Tyrone knew that or not. You listen to your grandfather, and I listen to my mother. I should let you know, I'm still going to have to pretend…"

"Yeah, I figured as much. You know I still…Maybe there's still hope that one day you'll actually like me." Freddie remained silent and Carly frowned, she wished she knew what was going on in Freddie's mind. He couldn't tell her anything more. If he could, he would tell her that he couldn't ever like her as more than a friend. He would tell her that his wife had already been found and that he loved her with all of his heart. He was not only afraid of Tyrone taking Sam from him, but he was afraid of Carly breaking off her friendship with Sam. In the end, despite everything he had just told Carly, she still knew nothing about him that she probably hadn't already heard from Tyrone.

"All I can say is who knows what the future will bring." Carly nodded in agreement. She knew that it really was all on Ms. Benson's shoulders, she would be the one to choose Freddie's bride. If that was the case, then maybe Carly still had some hope. She didn't know if Freddie's bride had already been selected, and she hoped maybe the girl hadn't and that she could convince Emily to give her a chance. Though, she didn't know if Tyrone would accept that or not, and whatever her grandfather said was the law for her. Freddie watched as Carly took some money out for her smoothie and set it down on the table.

"Here, this will pay for my smoothie. I…I need some time to think, and I'm going to ask Grandpa about what you said. I'm going to see if he's really doing all that you say he is. If he's not, then…"

"Then you'll believe him, I'm perfectly fine with that." Carly nodded and left the building. Freddie took a sip of his smoothie and sighed. After all that had been said and done, had anything actually been accomplished just then? No, probably not, since nothing really would change. He closed his eyes and leaned back, he couldn't really care. As long as Carly's relationship with Sam was still intact, everything was fine. "Why is it so hard?"

"Why is what so hard?" A voice asked. Freddie opened his eyes and spotted Robert Shay standing next to him. His lips pressed together and his eyes narrowed.

"Oh great...what do _you_ want?" Robert sighed and crossed his arms.

"I'm not a bad person, you know. I saw you talking to my daughter and then she left, so I thought I'd see if everything was all right…do you want to talk?"

"I'm sure you're a busy man with a lot of stuff to do, so go do it." Robert smiled lightly and shrugged his shoulders.

"Nah, at least not at the moment…I could use some relaxation." Robert did want Freddie to know that he could be trusted, but he didn't know how that would happen. He figured maybe it'd be best to talk to Freddie and build up that trust. As he sat down, he heard Freddie give out a loud sigh of annoyance. This was going to be a long day. But either way, Freddie was like a son to him as Carly was like a daughter to Emily. Both parents decided maybe it would be best to get to know the other kid a little better. Therefore, this was the best way to go about doing such a thing.

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And next chapter will be one of the crucial moments with Freddie and Robert. Seems that Freddie told Carly some things, but still didn't even scratch the surface of all the secrets and spoke nothing that Tyrone didn't already know. Way to go Freddie. Hope you enjoyed that, stick around for the next chapter!


	65. Anger

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

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Chapter 65 (Anger)

Freddie stared into Robert's eyes from across the table. He spoke not a word, for what could one say to a person that they honestly were not sure they could trust? Robert was having nearly the same dilemma, but it wasn't a matter of trust, rather a matter of nervousness, which kept him from speaking to Freddie right away. He still couldn't tell anyone that Spencer was the son of Emily without risking Tyrone's wrath upon her, and Tyrone would go after her.

The thought that his own grandfather was responsible for Emily's torment made his fists clench with anger. He needed to make things right with her, but he didn't know how. How could he do it, how could he work things out with the woman he truly loved? How could he show her that he really could be trusted? How could he prove to her that he wasn't going to do the wrong things, that he wanted, _needed_ to make things right? Maybe if she saw that he cared about Freddie and her family, then she would trust him again. He did care about them, he cared about them all. He wanted desperately to find a way to stop what Tyrone was doing.

What would Freddie say if Robert told him that he loved Emily? Would he laugh? Would he scoff? What if he told him that Spencer was his half brother, what would Freddie's reaction be? It was a risk that would have to be taken some day, but not when Tyrone was possibly breathing down everyone's neck. In fact, whatever he said could easily be found out by his father, who knew where the bastard was or what asshole was spying for him? Robert knew he wasn't the bad guy, and he wanted to show that to Freddie, to show to them all that he was the good guy.

Freddie continued to stare back at Robert, he didn't really want to talk to another Shay after his discussion with Carly. He liked Carly well enough, but he couldn't stand the Shay family for being so controlled. They were too easily stuck beneath the thumb of a bastardized tyrant. In fact, the old bastard's name seemed to fit him well. He was a tyrant and his name was Tyrone. Freddie leaned back in his seat and narrowed his eyes. "So, Mr. Shay, what is it that you would want to talk about?"

"Well…" It was almost a dangerous look in Freddie's eyes, one that anyone could see was a look of no-nonsense. Freddie was not going to tolerate certain responses from Robert. He closed his eyes and slowly exhaled. "I know you don't trust me, but I'm here to say that I can be trusted. However, I know that it won't be right away for you. Trust is something that must be given time, and I'm wanting to show you that you can trust me…"

"…" Freddie raised a suspicious eyebrow and shifted his eyes to the side. How could he trust Robert? However, he hadn't had any major conflicts with him. Perhaps it would be best to ask questions and see if Robert was really not under the control of his father. "And whatever I tell you, you won't honestly tell Tyrone?" Robert's face hardened at the mention of Tyrone, Freddie easily caught it.

"Why would I tell him anything? That bastard father of mine ruins the lives of other people. I could personally care less what he thinks of anything." He didn't hate Tyrone; he just wanted Tyrone out of his life. He wanted Tyrone to leave Emily alone. "I don't like what he's doing to Emily, to you…Personally, if I had my way, I would be the one to take his crap and nobody else would have to." He wasn't lying, Freddie could tell. It would appear that Robert honestly wasn't under Tyrone's control. Yet Tyrone's stronghold was still powerful. "Tyrone can't make me talk at all."

"Oh? Hmm…" What could Freddie tell him? Carly hadn't proved she could be trusted, especially not since she just said she was going to ask Tyrone about what he said. This also meant Tyrone was probably going to attack him even more so. "I suppose that means you won't ask me who my bride is..." Robert smirked and crossed his arms, he had no reason to ask. After all, he already knew pretty much who it was. He knew Emily well enough to figure out who Freddie's bride would be. Emily was always strong with how she researched other people; it was how she got so high up in the police force.

"I already know who she is anyway." Freddie raised his eyebrow and his jaw fell slightly, he hadn't expected that response to come from Robert's mouth. Robert closed his eyes and waved his hand through the air. "It's not obvious in the slightest bit; at least it isn't obvious if the person chooses not to look hard enough. Tyrone will never do to you what he did….to others. He won't find out who your bride is, therefore he won't take her from you."

"What has he done to others?"

"The same thing he's trying to do to you…" Robert frowned and glanced to the side, he wasn't sure if he could tell Freddie just yet about his past with Emily. "He's hurting you, he's hurting Emily…He's lied to everyone and even Spencer doesn't know some truths that he deserves to know…" Freddie watched as Robert spoke, he could see the reaction he was having to what he said. It was clear to him that there was some deeper meaning to what Robert was saying. After all, the man appeared angry when speaking about Tyrone hurting Emily, and that anger seemed to be deep to Freddie. Not only that, but what did Spencer have to do with it?

"Spencer is being lied to? About what?" Robert frowned, he wasn't sure if he should say or not. He feared what Tyrone would do to Emily if anyone found out about Spencer's relationship to her. If Robert told Freddie, would it have the same affect as Freddie telling someone else about Sam? If Tyrone was spying, then bad things could take effect. "What has Tyrone ever done to you, other than fathering you?" Robert scoffed and glanced to the side. It was a loose term to place on Tyrone, to call him his _father_.

"Please, if that man can be credited for anything, it's putting his tool inside my mother." Freddie raised his eyebrows and leaned back. That was a pretty harsh statement to say for Tyrone, considering him as nothing more than a man that was only there to impregnate Robert's mom. "He was a tyrant when I was a kid and he's a tyrant now. He was abusive and threatening back then, and that's what ruined my life…and the life of the woman I loved."

"What are you talking about, Mr. Shay?" He at least had some respect for Robert, so he wasn't going to use his first name. He didn't respect Tyrone enough to give him that name title.

"When I was young, there was this woman I loved, so much that I was willing to participate in something I had no clue about. It was something that scared me, from what my father told me about…Yet this girl always told me how it really was. When her father pointed to me and said I would be the one for her, we were happy. Our love was so strong it seemed…but then, my father tore us apart. He used his threat of constant abuse, the threat of even death, and forced me to defy the one I loved and not speak out when he was lashing out against her. I will never forget her face…" Robert closed his eyes and it seemed he started to shake. Freddie felt for him, since he was almost in a similar boat as Robert was.

"I see…"

"No, you can't see it. We loved each other so much and I didn't have the guts to defy my father!" Freddie frowned as Robert hit the table once with his fist. "Now this woman, she hates me, I'm sure. At least it seems like that sometimes…I still love her, I would even give my own life for her."

"You'd defy Tyrone now, wouldn't you?"

"Of course, I'm not afraid of that old man anymore. There's nothing he could do to me…at least nothing that would affect me anymore…He's done it all. He's hurt the one I love even more than you know, he's forced me to marry some calculating bitch who didn't even want anything to do with me, my son or even her own daughter." Freddie caught the structure of the last sentence, it seemed as though Robert was saying that Spencer had a different mother, and if that was the case…

"Are you saying that Spencer had a different mother than Carly?"

"I can't reveal anything about that, otherwise Tyrone would do harm to Spencer and…others." Freddie furrowed his brow and folded his arms over, he had a pretty good idea about what Robert was saying, he just wasn't sure what to make of it. He wondered if it was not in fact Emily that Robert loved, and if that were the case, Spencer would be his own brother. Freddie remained silent and stared at Robert for a moment. He checked his watch and glanced up, it was about time for Jonah to pick him up and drive him over to Valerie's house. Sam, Valerie, Jonah and Freddie were going to work on a homework project together, so they chose to work on it over at Valerie's place, mainly because she made the _best_ brownies ever.

"Mr. Shay, I don't know what to say…I can see that you're definitely not under Tyrone's control, since you seem so against him. He's your own father, it has to be hard to be against the guy, but I can tell you don't like him much. As for myself, I have to get going; I'm working on a project with a few friends of mine."

"Yeah, and I'll pay for your smoothie by the way."

"Thanks." Freddie got up and walked outside, he saw Jonah's car and grinned, he knew Sam was inside the vehicle. Jonah had two cars he drove, one was his own and the other was his father's. His dad's car was the one he drove usually, but his car was the one that had dark windows on the outside. Whenever he drove it, that meant he would be transporting Sam and Freddie, and they had the freedom to do whatever they wanted, without fear of being seen by anyone outside.

"Hey Freddie, are you coming or not?" Jonah called through his open window. "I got a little something for you in the back seat. A gift if you will!" He smirked and Freddie returned the smirk, that meant Sam was in the back. He saw a hand hit Jonah on the back of the head, so he laughed and hurried to the car. He opened the door and saw Sam smiling sweetly at him, she actually had a bow and ribbons in her hair. "See? A gift!" Jonah laughed and Freddie rolled his eyes, smiling at the comment.

"Hey Freddie, how was your time with Carly?" Sam asked as he got into the car.

"Oh it was interesting…I ended up talking to Mr. Shay after she left, though." Sam blinked and tilted her head, she didn't see that coming. Freddie closed the door and Jonah drove out of the parking lot. Freddie placed his hand on Sam's waist and smiled. "I missed you, Sam."

"Aw, you could be without me for a little while, dork. So, did anything happen with Carly?"

"No, we actually had a good, civilized talk about stuff. She didn't exactly try to ask me out or anything." Sam smiled lightly and closed her eyes, she was glad for that. Maybe Carly was finally coming around. "Carly and I talked about a lot of stuff, then Mr. Shay and I talked about quite a bit of stuff…_but_, I can tell you all that later."

"Oh? Do you have something else in mind right now?"

"Yes." Freddie kissed Sam's lips and brought her against the seat part of the chair. Jonah glanced in the rearview mirror and raised his eyebrow, it seemed Freddie just couldn't wait to give Sam her kiss. Sam placed her arms around Freddie's back and moaned as the kiss deepened. Jonah could see their hips rubbing against each other and their hands moving around on each other's body. He knew that if they weren't careful, they could break their barriers, and as tempting as it was to do that, it shouldn't happen. This was where the buddy system would come into play.

"Hey! Not in the back of my car!" Jonah called out. "I just got this thing cleaned, I don't want to clean the seats _again!"_ Sam and Freddie quickly opened their eyes and sat up, realizing what they had been doing. Their faces began to glow red and Jonah slowly shook his head. "You guys worry me sometimes. You need to be more careful, we don't need any complex stuff going on right now. We're all a bit too young for that kind of behavior, wouldn't you agree?" Freddie and Sam both nodded their heads and looked toward their laps.

"Yeah, thanks for stepping in," Sam said with a quiet voice.

"Yeah, what would we do without you?" Freddie asked, trying to joke. Jonah chuckled and slowly shook his head.

"I don't know, I do not know…" He drove into Valerie's driveway and parked. Valerie was waiting for them outside. She had a bright smile on her face and was waiting for them to exit the car. As Jonah exited, she ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck.

"It's good to see you, Jonah!" Valerie said as she gave him a light kiss on the lips.

"It's good to see you too." Jonah glanced over as Sam and Freddie slowly exited the vehicle. He smirked and looked back to Valerie. "Sam and Freddie were _real_ excited to see each other." The couple stared at Jonah with wide eyes, their faces growing redder. Valerie, realizing what Jonah was saying, laughed and started walking toward the house.

"Come on inside guys, let's get to work on our homework. I've got a plate of brownies and cookies I made, they're fresh out of the oven." The others all grinned and they raced toward the house, eager to partake of Valerie's cooking, which they could smell all the way through the open window. The scent was just too tempting and overpowering for them.

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Well I hope you enjoyed that chapter. You know, STRUGGLE hasn't been updated in a while, but I'm having a lot of trouble with it right now...but don't worry, I'll get it up and running. Thanks for not rushing me on my stories. As of late, all I've felt like working on was this one...not sure why, but it seems this story takes away from my stress mostly and is the one I enjoy the most. OH and I'm writing a sitcom like story called THE BENSONS, expect that up soon. It will be on KING NATE, my other account. But judging on what happens with my grandfather, that will determine if King Nate becomes my main account, or this stays my main account...that's another reason INFERNO is staying as oneshots, so it's easy transition...Just think of all the confusion if I started updating GREATEST SECRET on my King Nate account! I mean WOW.


	66. iCarly on TV

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 66 (iCarly on TV)

After a couple weeks passed, it appeared that Carly wasn't talking much to Freddie. The reason why was confusing, as she never told him anything. His "obsessing" with her lessoned a bit, but he still did every now and then, though it was rare. Freddie had told Sam about what had happened, she took it pretty well, especially since Freddie hadn't told Carly too much information. However, they were sure that Tyrone told Carly that Freddie lied to her and that she believed him over Freddie.

Carly was mad at Freddie, of course, but she would cease to be mad at him over time. He actually didn't mind too much that she was mad at him, he had preferred her to be angry with him than to be angry with Sam. It had been made clear she was upset when she practically begged Sam to stick a hose down his pants and destroy them. This actually made Sam uncomfortable, since it meant Carly would also be getting an eyeful of Freddie in his underwear, which was a sight that she hadn't even seen that much. They did get a laugh out of it, and Carly seemed okay after that happened. Though Sam did notice the blush on her face after seeing Freddie in his underwear, it made her extremely uncomfortable.

Freddie had later asked why she went along with it and she admitted to actually wanting to see him in his underwear herself. They laughed over it and he made a few jokes that made her feel better about the situation. He also jokingly told her not to worry, that a day would come when she'd see him in his boxers as often as she wanted and no one else ever would. It got her to laugh, mainly because it was true. On this day, the three were in science class and Freddie was standing behind the girls while they listened to the teacher speak.

The teacher was rather boring, but Freddie had to concentrate. It seemed Carly was getting Sam to concentrate and Freddie seemed to be staring at Sam discreetly. He'd shift his eyes over to her every now and then, just because she was better to look at than the teacher was. "And so the hierarchy of the identification system goes Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Sp-" As she was speaking, an odd man entered the room.

"Hi," The man said, interrupting the teacher. She gasped and stared at him with a shocked and appalled look, how dare someone interrupt her teaching.

"Sir, can I help you?" The teacher asked while stepping next to the man. Freddie was starting to wonder who this person was, since he'd never seen the guy before. He had to wonder if he had anything to do with Tyrone and if he was going to cause any trouble. The man turned to the teacher and nodded in her direction as he took off his shades.

"I'm looking for Carly Shay and her friends Sam and Freddie," the man stated. Freddie raised his eyebrow and glanced to the left at some other student. He then turned his attention back to the strange man, concerned as to who the person was. The teacher was appalled by this man's behavior.

"You can't just barge into _my_ classroom and demand to take children away without proper-"

"I run a television network." This caught Freddie's attention, perhaps it was something about iCarly. Not only that, he had to wonder how some weird, but well dressed, man had found them. If someone found them that easily, then was Sam in danger while being on iCarly? Was it safe for her?

"Oh, help yourself." The teacher pointed at the trio and the two girls turned to look at Freddie. Freddie glanced at Sam and saw she had a slightly concerned look on her face. He gave her a brief nod, letting her know he wouldn't let anything bad happen if this man was to be some sort of scumbag. The man moved toward the girls and set a stool in front of their desk, he placed his elbow on the desk and fist under his chin as he stared at the two girls. This man was starting to appear creepy, and if he continued to look at Sam, Freddie was going to have to step in.

"Uh hello," Carly said nervously. The man smiled and began to speak, finally.

"I'm head of the television network TVS, we want to turn iCarly into a hit TV show." This was news, Freddie hadn't seen that coming, he figured that might be fun. Of course, there were certain things he'd have to make sure about if this was going to be, such as Sam would be safe. "Will you come with me?" The girls looked to Freddie and he gave them a smile and a nod. Although, he was sure they would have to talk about this.

"Okay, but I'll have to call my brother, he's the responsible-" Just then, Spencer barged in while carrying several items in his arms.

"Hey! They picked me up on the way here, in a _limo!_" Spencer exclaimed with excitement. Freddie chuckled and the girls raised their eyebrows. Freddie had to wonder, if Spencer was his brother, did Spencer know it? Most likely he didn't, since he never acted like it. "It's full of fancy soda and fruit I've never even heard of." Spencer took out a green fruit and looked to the teacher. "This is a guava!" When there was no response, he looked to the students and spoke the name of the fruit once more, they all then repeated it slowly, which was very odd. "Come on!" Spencer left the room and the trio quickly followed after him.

The group exited into a limo and went directly toward the studio. It seemed this would be a perfect opportunity for Sam and Freddie to have some arguments while Carly just sat and watched. "This limo is huge!" Carly said with a smile. Freddie nodded and rested his arm on the side of the door. He actually wanted to call up Jonah and tell him what was going on, but that could wait. He knew that Jonah and Valerie would be excited to hear the news.

"Yeah, this would be perfect for the world's fattest priest!" Sam added. Freddie raised his eyebrow and chuckled once. It was interesting that she liked that guy, but it was only natural to be obsessed with facts that were found to be interesting as such.

"Why are you obsessed with that guy?" Freddie asked. The two continued to mess around for the remainder of the drive. To Carly, it looked simply like they were bickering about, but to them it was flirting. To Spencer, it also appeared as though they were flirting. He smirked to himself and leaned back, he was already sure that Sam and Freddie were supposed to be together, but he wasn't going to say anything about it. He smiled as he watched the two together, they really seemed good for each other. It was a shame they had to keep their relationship together, if he was right and they were supposedly each other's fiancé.

When they made it to the studio, the man spoke of the possibility of being on the TV show. Emily even showed up for her support, she did choose to have a little fun and pester Freddie a bit for the hell of it. Freddie was told that he'd be the 'supervising producer' of the show, so all seemed well. Sam asked for ribs, as she loved ribs. Freddie liked ribs more, though.

The next day was the first iCarly on live TV, it was pretty cool for everyone. They even met a guy named Harper, but Freddie didn't think much of him. It looked like Harper was flirting a bit with Sam, but he didn't worry too much about that. The producing thing was crap, Freddie didn't get to do much of anything at all. Sam wasn't fond of that, the man made it seem Freddie wasn't important at all. In fact, Freddie could have even gone home, but he didn't. He wanted to stay and watch over Sam, making sure everything would be all right.

With Emily, she had her own quirks. With Freddie and Sam gone, she would get bored sometimes, but it wasn't anything major. Though, she was looking for an excuse to spend some time with Spencer. After all, what mother wouldn't want to spend time with her son? As a joke, she made some cucumber cups. She thought it'd be a nice time for humor. She knew Spencer most likely wouldn't like them, she didn't even like them, but Spencer didn't have to know that.

Spencer had finished talking to Sasha on the phone and moved to finish his laundry when Emily knocked on his door. He opened the door and she quickly moved inside. As they sat on the couch, Spencer looked to the food with a raised eyebrow. He was curious as to what they were. "These are cucumber cups filled with low fat yogurt and chopped celery," Emily said with a smile. Spencer started to say he hadn't ever had them before, but Emily quickly put one into his mouth. It was the foulest tasting thing he'd ever had. He wondered if Emily was going to eat one, but she didn't seem like she was about to even touch them.

_"Of course, she probably made that as a joke,"_ Spencer thought. Emily looked away as Spencer quickly chucked the cucumber cup away. She smirked and closed her eyes, it was quite clear what he had just done. She stated that it was lonely without Freddie around, that much was true. Spencer nodded and looked to his laundry. "Yeah, it's quiet without Carly here…" Emily looked over and nodded, she figured Spencer would be lonely if Carly were ever taken from him. "I was just doing my laundry and-"

"I can help you with your laundry." So that was her mother instinct kicking in.

-NEW SCENE-

At the studio, Freddie was growling with slight anger at the fact that there was a grown man in a dinosaur suit that kept thumping Sam's thigh with his. _"If he doesn't stop, then I'm going to hit him,"_ Freddie thought while narrowing his eyes.

"Hey Freddie!" The TVG director called out. Freddie looked over and crossed his arms, wondering what it was the man possibly wanted him to do this time. "There's a guy getting sweaty, go produce a bag of ice and cool him off."

"Excuse me?"

"It's your job…you can go home if you want." Freddie looked over as Sam got thumped again, he narrowed his eyes and headed toward the ice machine. He didn't care what he had to do, he wasn't leaving Sam in this creepy place where some dude, god knows how old, was thumping close to Sam's butt. As he walked away, he heard Sam pounce on the guy, whacking him with a microphone. He smirked and filled the bag with ice, he was proud of his lover, she was doing exactly what he was so tempted to do.

He heard Harper complaining about something, he looked back and spotted the dude in the dinosaur head. This got a chuckle from Freddie. He walked out with the bag of ice and stepped next to Sam and Carly. They wondered what it was he was doing, so he told them. The man that needed cooling waved and the trio glanced over, it was some fat dude who needed ice on his stomach, this made the group nearly vomit. Sam winced when Freddie moved over to the man, she didn't think being on TV was worth something like that. Freddie was just doing this because he thought Carly and Sam enjoyed being on TV, that's why he didn't protest.

As he rubbed the guy's stomach, the man seemed to want him to rub it around more. Freddie would have upchucked if he didn't have a strong stomach. Yet he could say one thing, he wasn't wanting to do this again anytime soon. The man looked to Freddie and blinked. "Hey, do you like Italian food?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and stared at the man. It was official, this was one of the worst things he had ever done in his life. He looked over at the girls and watched them walk away. Sam looked back over at Freddie and started to turn green, Freddie quickly gestured for her to continue on her way.

Back at Spencer's place, he and Emily were working on a sculpture together. Emily actually liked his artwork, she thought he was very talented. She couldn't help but to be proud of him. That bastard Tyrone thought his sculptures were crap, but she believed they were masterpieces. If she could, she'd hang them on her refrigerator. She handed Spencer a screwdriver and he poked his hand on the tip. He let out a loud shout and looked at it.

"It's bleeding!" Spencer exclaimed. He actually was very queasy with blood, so this was a bad thing. Emily quickly ran into her apartment and grabbed the closest first aid kit she could find. It just so happened to be a doctor's first aid kit, one that was given to her by Sarah. She ran back into Spencer's apartment and opened the first aid kit, trying to find some bandages. She couldn't help it, it was just her motherly concern.

-NEW SCENE-

The trio was now eating some barbecue ribs, or at least Sam was. Freddie was watching as she bit into the ribs, she had sauce covering her lips. How he wanted to kiss her and lick that sauce away. She caught his hungry smirk and smirked in response. She quickly placed the rib onto his face, much to his shock. "Now _that_ is good sauce!" She took the rib and then began biting into it.

"You realize that's wrong, right?" Freddie asked. He took some napkins and started wiping the sauce from his cheek. The group started walking and soon ran into the director guy once more. They started talking and the man finally stated that Sam was fired. "WHAT?!" Freddie was angered with that, the guy could fire Sam! He didn't care what happened to himself, but firing Sam was _out of the question_.

"The viewers found her pushy and aggressive."

"She _is_ pushy and aggressive, that's just who she is!" They argued on for a bit, then Sam was sent on her way. Freddie watched her leave and frowned, he wanted to go after her. He was going to, but he couldn't at the moment. He started to not care and go after her, but was stopped when the man announced that Sam was being replaced with Amber Tate. Freddie and Carly thought that was interesting, but Freddie was still appalled that they would even think of replacing Sam with such a person.

It wasn't long before not only Harper quit, but Freddie had enough himself. The final straw was Sam, but he was staying because Carly needed one of her friends there. It just so happened that when the head guy wanted him to plunge a toilet, he couldn't take it anymore. He apologized to Carly and quickly walked out of the building where he found Sam. "You're still here?" Freddie asked as he sat next to Sam.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" She asked. Freddie looked at Sam and frowned, she seemed upset. "How could they replace me with that actress lady? Why did we take that opportunity?" Freddie smiled softly and draped his arm around her shoulders.

"It's okay Sam, we'll think of a way out of this. We can find our way out of that contract somehow." Sam nodded and rested her head on Freddie's chest, she was afraid that iCarly would have to end. In time, however, they would not have to. The guy would change the sitcom into something entirely different and the group got iCarly back. Fortunately, they wouldn't have to worry about that problem anymore.

* * *

Yep I updated early to inform you that I have created a GREATEST SECRET family tree. Sadly, I don't know how to get it to you. However, I will let you in on a little secret, Freddie's got an extended family you'll learn all about, and something HUGE happened involving Tyrone and several members of Freddie's family. You'll find _that_ out in chapter 106. Also, Freddie's grandpa is the polar opposite of Tyrone. Those are the only things, so small, that I'll let you in on. ;-) Stick around for the next chapter, and I hope you enjoyed this one!


	67. Web of Crushes

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 67 (Web of Crushes)

"Gibby, why do you seem so down?" Freddie asked as he and Gibby waited in the iCarly studio for the girls. Gibby seemed pretty upset lately, and no one was really sure why. Freddie was sure it wasn't a problem with wedgies, since Gibby hadn't been given any in quite some time. Gibby shrugged his shoulders and glanced toward the door. The girls were supposed to be drawing something on him.

Sam was going to shoot for something simplistic, since they didn't have much time. If they had longer time, she'd go for a masterpiece. She didn't exactly _want_ to paint on Gibby, since the thought disturbed her greatly, but Carly wanted to do it, so she figured she may as well. The girls entered the studio and moved toward the center, they were ready to begin shooting iCarly. Gibby moved away from the area, so he wouldn't get in the way. Freddie moved toward the camera and started the show.

As iCarly went on, Freddie kept noticing that Gibby seemed distracted by his thoughts. It was odd, Gibby normally was very different. Gibby didn't really want to tell anyone that he was more jealous of Freddie than people thought. Freddie had a bunch of girls that liked him, they hung all over him. Gibby didn't really have any girls. He liked the girl, Shannon, but she was one of those girls that liked Freddie. Another thing that Gibby had noticed, Freddie tended to glare at Rueben quite often, it was odd. Rueben never did anything but flirt with Sam every now and then. He figured surely Freddie wouldn't care about _that_.

The time came for them to paint on Gibby, it was a fun ten seconds, and the girls both painted some unique items. Carly painted a clown, to which Sam made a statement about it being Freddie. Sam painted a meatball, but she was in a rush. Carly had commented on it being Sam's dream. After the painting was done, Gibby put his shirt on. He didn't really care if his shirt got paint on it or not. He got a bit more upset and told the group about his crush on Shannon Mitchell. Freddie and Sam both nearly gagged inwardly, but it was only because she had a major crush on Freddie. Sam actually was mentally prepared when it came to Shannon, mostly because of Carly's crush. But even Carly wasn't that bad.

-NEW SCENE-

The next day, Carly and Sam were walking through the school hallways. They were basically chatting about things to do for the next iCarly. They also saw Gibby and Rueben, so this helped. What the girls had been discussing was a dating game on iCarly, so that Gibby could win a date with Shannon. Freddie wasn't too fond of the idea, he didn't think Shannon and Gibby made a good couple.

Sam joked with him about the fact that she thought he probably figured Shannon and Rueben made a good couple since they both had crazy crushes. Not only that, Shannon crushed on Freddie and Rueben crushed on Sam. Now if only Rueben would talk normally, then maybe people could understand him. The thing was, he could talk normally, he just chose to sound stupid when talking to Sam. No one knew why, he just did it. Carly and Sam walked over to Gibby and Rueben, Sam basically ignored Rueben.

"Gibby, guess what!" Carly said with enthusiasm in her voice. Gibby looked over and raised his eyebrow, wondering what she needed. "We came up with a great way to set you up with Shannon!" Sam grinned and soon felt Rueben's eyes upon her. She sighed and continued ignoring him.

"How?!" Gibby asked. He was quite obviously thrilled to hear there was a way for him to get with Shannon. Sam breathed in and began to speak of the plan.

"Okay, on the next iCarly, we're going to play a game called I Win a Date."

"What?"

"You're going to be the special mystery date," Carly stated with a quick nod. She did have to wonder, could she do something like this to win a date with Freddie?

"And we're going to get Shannon to be one of the contestants," Sam added. "So that way…" Sam spotted Rueben staring creepily at her once more. She was so glad Freddie wasn't there, he'd have trouble resisting the urge to punch the freak in the face. "So Gibby, who is your friend and why is he staring at me like a freak?" Though she knew who he was, they'd never really been properly introduced.

"Oh this is Rueben," Gibby replied with a small smile. Rueben chuckled nervously and looked to Sam, still feeling very nervous about actually talking to Sam.

"Sorry," Reuben said with a quiet voice. He then said something weird and non understandable, Gibby raised his eyebrow and stared at him with the oddest look. Sam wasn't sure how to respond, but she did feel a overpowering desire to hit the guy, which was what Freddie would do.

"Okay, I think I have to punch this kid in the mouth," Sam stated while slowly walking toward Rueben. His eyes widened with slight terror, but then filled with relief when Carly stopped her.

"Wait," Carly said as she grabbed Sam's arm. She didn't want any fight to break out, that was true, but she actually thought Rueben was trying to compliment Sam. "I-I think he may be complimenting you." Sam raised her eyebrow and turned her head to Rueben, she still thought he was a freak.

"Was that a compliment?" Rueben responded with another odd little phrase, one that Gibby apparently understood. Sam raised her eyebrow and looked to her right. She saw Freddie talking to Jake, she figured she ought to go bug them. She left Carly, Gibby, and the idiot and quickly moved over to her beloved fiancé and his friend. It was a much more pleasurable atmosphere.

-NEW SCENE-

Sasha laughed as Spencer tickled her feet, he had started with a basic foot massage and was now taking to trying to tickle her. She pulled her foot back and giggled as she tried to catch her breath. Spencer moved to the couch and draped his arm around her shoulders. "You made a good 'Stephanie' yesterday," Spencer said while snickering slightly. He and Sasha decided that Spencer should appear to be trying to date people, since they were going to be having a secret relationship.

"Thanks, how did Carly react?"

"She wants me to sign up for that stupid 'Why not date me' dating site." Sasha raised her eyebrow and rubbed her chin, she figured it wouldn't hurt to try, especially if Spencer didn't actually _respond_ to anyone that contacted him.

"Go for it."

"What?" Spencer looked at Sasha with confusion, had his girlfriend honestly just told him to participate such a thing? Sasha closed her eyes and smiled.

"What is the worst that can happen? If you don't respond to anyone, then no one will try to date you. Then, therefore…" Sasha looked into Spencer's eyes and smirked. "I still have you all to myself." Spencer laughed and gave her a kiss, it was true after all. Sasha was all his.

"I love you, Sasha." Sasha smiled and rested her head onto his chest. He draped his arm around her arm and held her close as she curled up and snuggled against him. Spencer didn't really want to keep the relationship secret, but for fear of how people would react, and the threat of Tyrone most likely trying to tear them apart, they needed secrecy.

At the same time as their conversation, Sam was getting ready to talk to Shannon about her being on iCarly. She knew that this wasn't Carly, so if Shannon said anything major about Freddie, she could do just about whatever she wanted to. She and Freddie also had a little secret spot in the school that they could be at without any fear of getting caught by anyone, and that was currently where she was. "So Sam, what do you think? Shannon and Rueben, they don't make that bad of a couple in my opinion," Freddie said as he held his arms around Sam's waist.

"Well…I _have_ seen Rueben glance her way from time to time," Sam said while gazing into Freddie's eyes. Her arms were wrapped around his neck. The two were basically slow dancing in place, it was a nice romantic break away from the hustle and bustle of school during lunch hours. Sam had to admit, Freddie might be right about Rueben and Shannon. It would also make since if Rueben wasn't openly focusing on Shannon because Gibby liked her at the time. They may have to put them together somehow.

"You see, that's what I mean. I think they'd go great together! If this date thing with Gibby and Shannon doesn't work out, we can try getting those two together."

"Yeah, I don't see why that would be bad…" Freddie nodded and glanced at the clock, Sam followed his gaze. There was probably ten minutes left before lunch was over, and they wouldn't get to see Shannon after school, so Sam knew she had to hurry up and go invite Shannon onto iCarly. "I guess I need to get going now." Sam leaned forward and gave Freddie a light kiss on the lips, closing her eyes in the process. She leaned back and sighed contently. "I never tire of kissing you."

"Neither do I, Sam. Neither do I…" Sam smiled and broke apart from Freddie. She blew him a kiss and quickly left the area, making sure no one saw her. She spotted Shannon and her two friends at their lockers, so she quickly walked over to them. She made sure to fix her hair and clothes as well, she didn't want them to look frizzled or anything, which they weren't. Sam called out to the girls and they turned to her, all smiling.

"Do you want to be on the next iCarly?" The girls all gasped with excitement at the possibility of being on the webshow. They honestly thought it'd be fun to be on iCarly.

"What do we have to do?" Shannon asked with a smile. She was in a way, jealous of Sam. Even though Freddie always said he liked Carly, she thought Sam and Freddie had something deeper going on, but she never really paid all that much attention. She did notice, however, Sam looked a little flushed, as if she'd just finished kissing someone.

"Well, you're going to win a date with an awesome guy."

"Freddie?!" Sam narrowed her eyes and tried to hide any sign of jealousy or discontentment. She needed to make sure no one, _no one_ found out about her relationship with Freddie. Sam frowned and shook her head.

"I said an _awesome_ guy, not a ridiculous boob."

"I think Freddie's cute and smart." Yes, Sam knew that, Sam also could agree to that. After all, Shannon pretty much always stated how much she liked Freddie. Not only that, she would stare at Freddie all the time. Though sometimes, Sam caught her staring over at Rueben. Sam gave a slight laugh and stared at Shannon with mock shock.

"Okay, what did you have for breakfast this morning, crazy flakes?" Just then, Rueben stepped behind Sam, his body slightly touching hers. He held his arms and grinned.

"There's my raspberry soccer ball!" Rueben said with a grin. Shannon frowned and glanced away, of course Rueben would be talking to Sam. Sam gave a frustrated sigh and turned around to Rueben.

"And _speaking_ of crazy flakes…it's _you!_" Sam quickly walked away and spotted Freddie walking down the hall. She smiled and moved behind him. Rueben ran after Sam and followed her. Freddie spotted Rueben coming and he crossed his arms, glaring at the guy with a raised eyebrow.

"Hello Rueben, what are you up to?" Freddie asked with a smirk.

"Um, just wandering around!"

"Right…" Rueben chuckled nervously and left the area. He, like Shannon, actually did suspect there to be some deeper level of connection between Freddie and Sam. He just couldn't place his finger on it. Freddie turned to Sam and smiled. She rolled her eyes and chuckled at Freddie. She didn't know why he had to act all big and tough, but she loved every minute of it. "Gee, maybe you ought to double date Rueben with Gibby and Shannon."

"Hah, you better not ever place me with him."

"Oh believe me, I won't…" Freddie smirked and gazed into Sam's luscious eyes. "My…_raspberry soccer ball_." Sam groaned and pushed Freddie playfully for mocking Rueben. Freddie laughed and Sam turned around to walk away. "Hey Sam, wait up!"

"No, there is no way you're going to get anything from me now. Not after that little statement." Sam walked away in a small huff and gave off a tiny smile. She led Freddie to their secret spot and turned around to face him.

"Aw, how can I ever make it up to you? I certainly meant no harm."

"No, of course you didn't. Yet, you did anyway. I don't think there's anything you can do to make it up to me." Sam crossed her arms and looked away, still smiling. Freddie placed his hands on her waist and tried to gaze into her eyes.

"But Sam, my love, I will never do it again." Sam turned her head to Freddie and smirked.

"Fine, I will believe you this time, but if you ever do it again…well, I guess you're just going to have to be punished."

"What would that punishment entail, my love?" Sam tapped her chin and gazed into Freddie's wonderful and brown eyes.

"Maybe a little of this…" She slowly traced her finger down his chest and then placed her palms on him, pushing him backwards. He stumbled back and leaned against the wall. "Hmm, and a little of this…" Sam wrapped her arms around him and kissed his lips. She began to chew slightly on his lower lip, teasing him. Freddie quickly and gently placed his arms on her waist and pressed her against a wall, kissing her neck.

"I like this punishment, but...I do believe it's my job to do the seducing, dear." Sam tilted her head back and let out a subtle moan as Freddie trailed his lips up her neck.

"Oh god, Freddie…" She breathed in sharply as Freddie continued to kiss her and turn her on. He moved his hands up her body, causing her shirt to shift slightly. Soon the school bell rang, causing them to stop and pull apart. Sam panted breathlessly and stared at Freddie. "I know we know our limits, but it's so tempting…"

"I know…we'll talk about it later, we have to get to class." Sam nodded and left the area first. She fixed her shirt up and moved toward her classroom. Freddie fixed himself up as well and moved to the class, he had a light tint of lipstick that he'd missed though. Shannon spotted this and rubbed her chin in thought, could it be Freddie had been making out with some girl? If so, who was this girl? Was it Sam? No, that couldn't be, but she did feel they had some sort of deeper connection. Perhaps she would look into it more, but perhaps not. She shrugged and walked off to her classroom.

* * *

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Oh and I posted Freddie and Sam's family tree for this story. You're going to want to keep that in mind when chapter 106 rolls around...Why? Well, let's just say the reunion chapters are major events and you might just get confused by all the people. stick around for the next chapter!


	68. Badly Timed Date

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 68 (Bad Timed Date)

"Okay, iCarly is about to start," Freddie said as he and Sam sat on the couch. They were discussing the whole thing with the dating game, they were discussing worst case scenarios. Sam had a thought that maybe the girls wouldn't show up, what would happen in such a situation? In such a situation, there was a possibility that Carly and Sam might have to participate. If that happened, Freddie wasn't entirely comfortable with Sam participating.

"Well Freddie, you know it's only a worst case scenario, right? I mean, it's not like I _have_ to participate…" Freddie nodded and crossed his arms, still unsure. Sam gave a gentle smile and kissed him on the cheek. "If that were to happen, which I don't think it will, I'll think of something. Maybe I'll leave while it's still going on or something, I mean I wouldn't want to risk having to date Gibby. I mean can you imagine what would happen if I had to date him?"

Freddie looked to Sam and smirked slightly. "Well, I'd go insane with jealousy. After all, why would I want my fiancé in another man's arms?" He lightly kissed her lips and then nuzzled his nose in the crook of her neck. Freddie then lightly nipped at the skin. She squealed and playfully slapped Freddie.

"Careful there, naughty boy." Freddie smirked and raised his eyebrow in response to Sam's statement. Two could definitely play at that game.

"If I'm a naughty boy, then you're my naughty girl. I should discipline you, you naughty, naughty girl." Sam laughed and placed her finger onto his lips. He blinked and stared at Sam.

"Not right now, Benson. We have to get up to the studio where Gibby, Carly and Shannon await us." Freddie nodded and stood up, it could be suspicious if they were both missing for more than five minutes. "You go first, tell them I got caught up with some chocolate."

"Yeah, I'll do that love." Freddie kissed her forehead and made his way to the studio. Shannon actually didn't know Gibby was there.

"Hey Freddie, have you seen Sam?" Carly asked while tilting her head. She thought Freddie and Sam went to retrieve something from downstairs that she had asked for.

"Sam got caught up eating some chocolate." Carly chuckled slightly and turned toward Shannon. They started talking until Sam walked in. Carly and Sam began talking, then the girls moved out into the hall where Gibby was. Shannon was supposed to be girl number two, and Gibby was too dense to catch the hints. Freddie wondered where Shannon's two friends were at, so he thought to ask. "Hey Shannon." Shannon gave him a dreamy look, causing him to give a brief sigh and cross his arms. "Where are your friends?"

"They can't show up, unfortunately. They got tickets to go to Girly Cow on ice," Shannon stated. Freddie paled, then winced. Shannon tilted her head and rubbed her chin. "What's the matter, Freddie?"

"Oh nothing, that just means…" Shannon raised her eyebrow, she knew what was coming up. Freddie didn't want a particular person getting involved. "That just means Carly has to participate…if she has to date Gibby, I'm going to be on the pissed side." Shannon frowned and Freddie let out a small sigh. "I'll go get the girls." He moved to the door and called them in. He told them the unfortunate news and Carly flipped.

Sam bit her lip and looked to Freddie, he simply gave her a comforting smile. She figured she'd go ahead and leave as they did their thing. Shannon flirted a bit with Freddie, causing Sam to roll her eyes. After some time, they had all become ready. Freddie found himself having to host the game show. At the very start of it, Sam vanished and found some chili. She returned and stood next to Freddie, that way she didn't have to participate. Carly could easily figure out that Sam obviously didn't want to have to date Gibby.

As the game show progressed, Sam and Freddie hoped Rueben was watching. Shannon was doing so well, she seemed so sweet and good for him. Carly was also trying her best to make it easy for Gibby to choose Shannon. Unfortunately, at the very end, Gibby picked girl number one, _Carly_. Everyone was in shock, that hadn't been planned. Freddie did have to wonder, if Carly_ did_ start to date Gibby, would that mean she wouldn't hope for him anymore? After the end of it all, Shannon left while the group talked to Gibby.

"You were supposed to pick Shannon!" Sam said with a sigh.

"I didn't know Carly was girl number one," Gibby said with a sorrowful tone. "It doesn't matter anyway, Shannon likes Freddie." Freddie scoffed and looked to Sam.

"Ah don't worry about that, I'm in love with someone else," Freddie said with a soft voice.

"Not happening," Carly replied. Though it hurt, she felt it actually wouldn't happen. She had to get over that, and so she would. She would start looking into dating other guys, though she'd already been doing that.

-NEW SCENE-

"I don't want to do it!" Sam groaned as she threw her backpack on the bed. Freddie stepped behind her and massaged her shoulders, she was complaining about having been set up with _Rueben_ for a date. Freddie hated it as well, he hated it more than anything, because that meant another guy, who was not Jonah, who was not role playing, would be flirting with, dating, and quite possibly hitting on Sam. They had to keep in mind that this was all for Carly, who did not want to be alone with Gibby for three hours. This was real, this was intense, this had to be one of the worst things that could have happened.

"Don't fear, my love. I'm sure nothing will happen." Sam tilted her head to the side and lifted her hand up to rest atop Freddie's hand. She loved his massages, they were always so relaxing. "We'll just go, date these people, then leave. It's not like anything's going to come of it." He turned her around and placed is hand under her chin, tilting her head upwards so she'd open her eyes and look into his. "Remember that in the end, you're the only girl meant for me and I'm the only guy for you. I will always love you no matter what and there is no girl in this world that's going to take me away from you. You, you always, and you alone hold my heart in your hands."

"Freddie…" She felt her eyes starting to water, she always thought Freddie was so sweet to her. "Oh Freddie, I love you so much." Sam wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest. She couldn't think of anyone arms she'd rather be in than his. So what if she'd be sitting next to some other guy for a while, it was only for three hours at most. They were coming right back home after that.

"I love you too, Sam. More than life itself." Freddie gently kissed her lips and slowly brushed his arm down hers. He tangled his fingers with hers and smiled into her eyes. "So what do you say we go and have a good time tonight with our friends. I'll try not to be jealous of you and Rueben if you'd do the same with Shannon."

"Are you sure that's not asking the impossible…" Sam smirked and gazed at Freddie. "For you?"

"Oh hah, hah, very funny."

"You know I love you."

"And you know I love _you_." Freddie kissed Sam and pulled her close, he decided to get one big kiss on her before they had to get ready to leave. They were passionate with each other, they always would be since they loved each other so much. They sat on the bed and continued to kiss each other, it felt so good, like relief and calm before the storm that was the triple date coming up. It felt soothing, something that would last a good through the date to make them forget who they were with.

Freddie and Sam laid back on the bed, Sam's head hitting the pillow. Freddie lifted himself up slightly and gazed into her eyes, she was so beautiful and precious to him. "I will never do anything to hurt you, Sam. Never. I will love you always."

"As I will always love you…" Freddie lowered himself and Sam wrapped her arms around his neck, both of them pulling into yet another kiss. It was in this heated, impassioned moment that they gave in to the tempting desire that all couples face.

-NEW SCENE-

"Freddie Benson, wake up!" Sam shouted. Freddie opened his eyes and moaned as he put his hand over his eyes. The painful light in the room pierced his eyes like daggers. He took a quick moment to adjust to the light and looked over to see Sam staring at him with wide eyes, she was holding a blanket around her body. Her eyes seemed to water, as anyone could tell, she was extremely confused by what had happened. It didn't take long for the events to register in Freddie's mind. While they wanted to wait until they were older for their first time, they had just made love. "Oh my god, Freddie, what did we do?!"

Freddie quickly jumped out of the bed and Sam looked away, he was naked. Sam was worried that they had done something bad, they had just broken what they had wanted to keep. What would Emily say? What would their friends say? Not only that, they had no time to even talk it over, since they had to get to the restaurant. Sam really didn't want to go, not now. Freddie was feeling the same way. He grabbed a pillow and covered his lower body. "We have to get dressed…We have to talk about this."

"We don't have any time, Freddie! We have to go, we can't be late and let Carly down." Sam was scared, that much was evident in her eyes. Freddie was equally confused, conflicting thoughts were running through his mind. He and Sam loved each other, they were going to get married, so it couldn't be all bad, could it? Then again, they wanted to wait till they were older, so was it wrong? They had just broken their own oath? How could they be so foolish? Freddie looked to Sam and sighed, he needed to comfort her, and he would gladly do so.

"It's okay Sam, we'll talk about this as soon as we can. It's going to be okay." Freddie wanted to hug her, but he felt too naked. He looked around and saw her clothes on the floor. He bent over and picked them up. "Here, these are your clothes…" Sam took the clothes and turned around to get dressed. Freddie found his clothes and began to put them on. Sam felt a slight pain in her lower body, she knew why it was, but she didn't think she'd be so incredibly sore.

"Let's just go...we have to go or we'll be late…let's talk about this after the date…" Sam hugged Freddie and sobbed once, she felt so ashamed of herself that she had allowed herself to give in to that desire. She felt more guilt than anything. She didn't know if it was a bad thing or not. Right now, Rueben was the last person she wanted to deal with, but she had no choice. The two started to walk out of the room, Sam winced slightly and Freddie noticed she was walking a little funny. He placed his hand on her lower back and decided to help her out.

They made it out of the apartment building and saw Jonah and Valerie waiting for them at the car. The two friends were going to drive them to the restaurant. "Hey guys, how's it going?" Jonah asked with a slight smile. Freddie chuckled lightly and Sam remained silent. Jonah and Valerie were a bit confused by their friend's silence, but felt maybe they were in a bad mood over the upcoming date. The group drove in what seemed to be an awkward silence for them.

Upon reaching the restaurant, Sam and Freddie figured they should try to act as normal as they could, but it might be hard to do so. They met up with Carly, Gibby, Rueben and Shannon. Rueben draped his arm through Sam's arm, causing Freddie to glare angrily. Shannon did the same with Freddie, which caused Sam to glare at her. The entire group then moved to the table. Sam really didn't like having to deal with this right now. Currently, there were two girls here who had a crush on Freddie, this was definitely _not_ something she would enjoy.

After a while, the waiters brought their salads over. The group stared at the huge salad bowls and began to eat. Freddie, trying to lighten the mood a little, began to speak. "This has to be the biggest salad in the history of mankind," Freddie stated quickly. Carly laughed and took a bite of her salad, Sam snuck a glare at Carly and continued eating her salad. She was actually eating rather quickly, but she was stressed and food typically helped with that.

"I know, I'm already full and I haven't even made a dent," Carly said while swallowing her food. Sam blinked at her now empty salad bowl and lifted her head up.

"I'm out of salad," Sam said with a quiet voice. The others all stared in shock, they couldn't believe how quickly Sam polished off the food. Freddie knew it was because of stress, she always ate supremely fast when stressed. Rueben laughed and spoke one of his riddles once more.

"Wow, you can make a dog bark faster than a fish can climb a tree," Rueben stated. Freddie narrowed his eyes as he watched Rueben take a bite of salad. Sam glared at Rueben with annoyance, she frankly wasn't in the mood for his shenanigans.

"True that!" Gibby said as he bumped fists with Rueben.

"True _what!" _Sam exclaimed. Shannon, sensing some tension in the air, decided it was time to shift the subject onto something else.

"So, Freddie," Shannon started. Freddie leaned back away from her and Sam glared at Shannon with intensity. She _really_ felt like hitting Shannon. The girl could sense something was up with both Sam and Freddie, but she didn't know what. "How did you get to know so much about computers?"

_"Hah, that's easy."_

"Well," Freddie started off. He didn't get far because Carly had started some weird coughing routine. She tilted her head toward Freddie, reminding him that he needed to pretend Gibby taught him everything. Freddie had almost forgotten, but his head was pretty much pounding. "Gibby taught me…didn't you, Gibby?" Gibby was confused at first, but he quickly got into it.

"Y-Yes, yes I did."

"Really?" Shannon asked with amusement. Rueben glared at Gibby, but decided not to worry about it. Sam would normally have caught this, but already had too much on her mind to think about. She needed to sort out her thoughts and emotions, but it was hard to do, and her head was pounding as though a hippo were crashing onto her head. "I didn't know you were into computers, what kind do you have?"

"Uh…" Gibby looked at the others as if asking for help, but Sam and Freddie were in no mood to say anything. This whole date just couldn't come at a worse time for them. Carly couldn't think of anything to say, Rueben was pretty much silent, and Shannon was waiting for an answer. Rueben did feel a little triumph at the fact that Gibby didn't appear to know a thing about computers. "Well, it's white." Freddie groaned and rubbed his forehead, he should have figured Gibby would say something stupid like that.

As time went on, they soon found themselves eating dessert. They had no clue how anyone could eat something so big. Sam was basically just picking at her cheesecake slice, she couldn't exactly eat with as much as was running through her mind. All she wanted was silence, peace and quiet, but she wouldn't be getting that. Freddie wanted that as well, he needed to sort out his thoughts. Both of them needed to talk to Emily about this, they couldn't bear this guilt that they might have done something wrong.

"I think Freddie's a cute name," Shannon said while trying to make conversation. Freddie sighed and looked over, it was the wrong time to say anything, and definitely the wrong time for something like that. Sam rolled her eyes and decided to quickly add that Gibby's middle name was Freddie. "Really? It is?" Gibby groaned and rolled his eyes, he was starting to want to give up on Shannon in the first place. After all, he was starting to lose that interest in a girl when she so clearly liked someone else.

"Sort of! It's close…"

"Well what is it?"

"Cornelius…" The group silenced after that, so Freddie decided to try and move the group away from the awkward silence. He didn't exactly want to have to think about everything at the moment, but he was definitely going to have a lot to think about and sort out when he got home. Sam would be doing the same with her thoughts and emotions.

"So, who could eat a cheesecake this big?" Freddie asked. He had been hoping to actually have a conversation with Sam while at the restaurant, but that hadn't happened yet. Carly laughed and Sam narrowed her eyes at her.

"Shouldn't there be a law that says my dessert shouldn't weigh more than me?" Carly joked while lifting her plate up. Sam chuckled inwardly at that, Carly must have been damn skinny if that cheesecake really weighed more than she did. So Sam was having some negative thoughts at the moment, but she couldn't help it. She was completely confused about things, her emotions were going haywire. Rueben laughed and Sam rolled her eyes, she knew something stupid was coming up.

"I know, you might as well tie a knot around two kangaroos, you know what I'm saying?" Rueben asked. That was it, Sam had had enough of Rueben. She'd also had enough of Shannon and Carly right now, but she wasn't going to say anything.

"No. No _Rueben_, I don't know what you're saying." Rueben stared at her with wide eyes and Freddie's mouth opened slightly. Normally she would have been a bit calmer, but naturally it wasn't going to happen tonight. "Pretty much nobody ever knows what you're saying, know what I'm saying?"

"Sam," Freddie whispered under his breath. He felt this wasn't going to end well at all. Of course, both he and Sam had pounding headaches and felt guilty that they may have done something wrong and their emotions were off of course, so no, it wouldn't end well at all.

"Come on Sam, let's be cool," Carly said quietly. She didn't really understand why Sam was in such a bad mood, but she hoped that Sam would tell her. Most likely though, Sam would not.

"Yeah Sam," Rueben said with a small smile. "You don't need bubble wrap to tell when it's chowder time."

_"Oh god Rueben, you idiot,"_ Freddie thought while rubbing his temples. Truly Rueben couldn't be _that_ stupid.

"Yes!" Sam said as she quickly stood up. "That is _so_ _true!_ And you know what else is true?" Rueben slowly looked toward Sam and gulped, he didn't like to look into her eyes at the moment, they looked way too annoyed for his tastes. Sam smirked and continued to insult him. "I'm sitting here eating cheesecake with an Eskimo who has got ointment all over his bumble berry." She had made that up, but it seemed that it meant something to Rueben, as the boy now began to cry.

_"What a baby."_

"Oh I can't believe you just said that to me!" Rueben ran off and everyone stared with wide eyes. Sam had absolutely no clue what she said just then.

"What did you say to him?" Carly scolded. It was a bad time to scold Sam, but it didn't matter at the time.

"I don't know, but I'm glad I said it. Pass the whip cream." Sam sat down and Carly handed her the whipped cream. Freddie couldn't help but smile at the scene, it actually was funny.

"Isn't this cheesecake great?" Freddie asked, trying to change the subject. Carly then said Gibby invented cheesecake and Gibby quickly protested saying he didn't. Carly was trying way to hard, that's what Freddie and Sam thought. Shannon just seemed really confused by what was happening.

"Just love Gibby. Love him and never let him go!" Sam thought about those words and figured they worked with Freddie as well. She loved him, simple as that. She loved him and she was never, never going to let him go. After that, Gibby began talking about how he wasn't like Freddie. Then, he began to dance with his shirt off. At that time, it was _really_ something Sam didn't want to see. Though, it did get Shannon to take the nearest exit from the restaurant.

Freddie wasn't too thrilled with what he was seeing either, he especially didn't want the music so loud since his head was pounding enough as it was. Gibby then started to shout something out, but Sam and Freddie weren't really paying much attention. He stopped and spotted Shannon's empty chair. He then asked where Shannon went and Carly said she fled the restaurant.

"Don't be sad, Gibby," Sam said as she stood up with Carly and Sam.

"Shannon's not so hot," Freddie remarked. It was true in his mind, he thought Sam was hot. He looked over at Sam and smiled. _"She's the most beautiful girl ever, inside and out."_ He closed his eyes and remembered how sweet the moment was, how angelic she was when she blushed and he brushed her hair out of her face. _"How can something that feels so good be wrong? But was it wrong? We wanted to wait…"_ Just then a girl got onto the table and the music came back on, the girl and Gibby continued dancing. The trio slowly exited the store, Gibby would be paying the tab, that was for sure. Sam and Freddie would be getting home and going to their rooms to sort things out. They needed to talk to Emily as soon as possible.

* * *

Well then, I bet you know what the next chapter is, they must tell Emily. I've had a rough past few days, but I'm doing well enough to write, haha. Let me know your thoughts on this! Reviews make me happy enough to do Sam's chili bowl dance, not really, but they do make me happy ^_^.


	69. Comfort and Support

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 69 (Comfort and Support)

Jonah and Valerie drove Sam and Freddie home then walked with them to the apartment. They had made note of the way Sam was walking before and put that with their friends' poor mood, so this got them wondering why their friends were acting in such a way, they were coming up with several possibilities.

When the group entered the apartment, they found Emily folding up bed sheets. These weren't just any bed sheets, though. These were the same sheets from the bed that Sam and Freddie had made love on. They gulped and Emily turned her head toward them. Jonah closed the door behind him and looked to his friends. They were all a bit concerned. Sam and Freddie turned their heads toward the ground, shamefully. They knew they had to talk to Emily, so this fact scared them.

"What is the matter, you two?" Emily asked as she set the remaining bed sheet on the coffee table. She had washed them and replaced Sam's sheets with some new, fresh ones. Upon cleaning the sheets, she found some things that seemed suspicious and had been wondering if Sam and Freddie had intercourse. She was a little sad, since they had wanted so much to wait till they were a little older for their first time, but she really didn't have any major problems with what occurred. She definitely wasn't angry with them. After all, she couldn't be angry at them. They didn't do anything wrong at all, they only committed an act that occurs, and should only occur between two people who love each other very much.

Jonah and Valerie didn't have to leave, and no one was going to ask them to. Sam, Freddie, Jonah, and Valerie could always talk about _anything_. They had always spoken of that tempting desire to make love and how they could defend against that temptation. It wasn't wrong though, and that's what they would tell their friends if they needed to. Though, Emily knew more about it than anyone else, she could see that Sam and Freddie were feeling bad about what they had done; they looked guilty. She also knew they must be feeling confused. She was when she had her first time.

"Have a seat." Emily closed her eyes and smiled as the four teens sat on the couch. Valerie sat on Sam's side while Jonah sat on Freddie's side. They figured they should comfort their respective friends. Emily turned to Sam and Freddie; she didn't want to appear angry with them. She wasn't mad at all, so it would be bad if she came across as mad. "So, how was the triple date?"

"It was…interesting to say the least," Freddie said with a quiet voice. He had to admit, it was fun seeing Sam get all riled up and making Rueben cry and flee the restaurant. "Sam made Rueben cry." Emily chuckled and Valerie gave her friend a smirk. She found it funny that Sam would make Rueben cry, even if she was most likely in a bad mood at the time. "Gibby danced on the table and things grew weirder from there." Carly had actually called Spencer and offered to take Sam and Freddie home, but the two hadn't felt up to doing that and said they were going to get their moms to pick them up.

"Gibby's a freak," Sam stated with a small smile. Freddie nodded in agreement and slowly took her hand in his. She closed her eyes and slowly breathed out upon contact. Emily sat down in a chair and gave them a small smile. She wasn't going to force them to tell her what they did together, but she could try to coax them into telling her. Her eyes drifted to the blankets and then back to Sam and Freddie.

"You two know you can come to me about anything, right?" Emily asked with a careful tone in her voice. Sam and Freddie nodded in agreement. They could acknowledge that Emily was experienced and had probably been in their very position before. Emily smiled and leaned back in the chair. "Good, I'm glad. I just wanted you to know that. You know, in case anything came up in the future that I would ever need to know about. Oh!" Emily pointed to the sheets and lowered her arms. "Sam, I put some fresh sheets on your bed, I figured it was time to wash the laundry and felt I should perhaps clean your sheets. I haven't gotten to Freddie's quite yet."

"Yeah, you can also talk to us about anything as well," Jonah said as he patted Freddie on the shoulder. Valerie nodded her head and smiled at Sam. It was a comforting smile, one that made Sam feel like they probably wouldn't be in any major trouble for having sex. Whether she wanted to call it sex or the art of making love, she wasn't sure. She knew that to say making love, that's what you did with someone you loved completely, and she did love Freddie with all her heart.

"Mom, something's bothering me that I really need to talk about." Sam said while closing her hands on her legs.

"What are you concerned about, sweetie?" Sam looked to Freddie and he gave her a nod, telling her that they should tell them. He too was conflicted. Sam closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"First, what's the difference between making love and having sex?" Emily blinked while Jonah and Valerie stared at Sam with arched eyebrows. It was not an invalid question at all, so she figured she'd answer.

"Well I guess there's a little difference in the way people look at it." Emily rubbed her chin and gave a single, brief nod. She felt there was a difference between the two, that sex wasn't as true and meaningful as making love. "Sex could refer to an act of intercourse between two people who don't necessarily love each other. It's willing intercourse. Things like prostitution: that's _sex_. Making love is deeper and more meaningful. It's an act of intercourse between two willing people that love each other very much. Does that make sense?" Sam nodded her head and felt a tear trying to escape her eye. "So, why the interest in sexual activity?"

"Because…Freddie and I made love for the first time…" Emily raised her eyebrow as the two friends looked toward their friends with a caring look. "I'm very confused. Freddie and I wanted to wait until we were older before we had our first time, we had been doing so well with not falling to temptation and not making love! I feel so disappointed in myself, I gave in to desire…" Sam frowned and looked toward the floor. "I hope you guys aren't disappointed in me, or mad…"

"Aw, Sam," Valerie said as she gave Sam a hug. Sam closed her eyes and Valerie kept a hug on her friend. "You're our best friends, for one thing. I'm not disappointed. Jonah wouldn't be, either." Jonah smiled and nodded his head as he patted Freddie on the back.

"Believe me, the temptation is hard to resist," Jonah said with a slight smirk. Valerie shot him a look and raised her eyebrow, which caused him to deepen his smirk at her. It was true, the temptation was hard to resist. Even for them, though they never had made love.

"And have you two fallen to the temptation?" Freddie asked while narrowing his eyes. Jonah and Valerie both shook their heads and Emily let out a small sigh.

"Do keep in mind, _all_ couples have trouble with this," Emily stated. "Why, I'm sure even Jonah and Valerie have had some difficulty with the temptation and desire."

"Yeah, that's true," Jonah replied. Valerie nodded her head in response and Jonah leaned back slightly. Sam and Freddie looked at them with slight shock; they hadn't expected their friends to ever have trouble with temptation. "The desire is there, it always is. Like you, we've nearly given in to that desire several times."

"Yeah, but we keep in mind that we're not ready to handle the possible consequences," Valerie stated with a calm voice. "That's not saying that you two are or that you two aren't, though." Sam and Freddie were going to marry; they were going to stay together. Emily smiled and looked at Sam and Freddie with kind eyes. She understood their conflict, especially since it had happened with her when she made love to Robert the first time.

"Do remember that the art of making love is symbolic, You have two people, preferably two people who are very much in love. When they make love, it's like their hearts, their souls, their bodies combine together to form one body…To make love means to give yourself to that other person. You become one with that person. I want you two to realize there is nothing wrong with this…okay?"

"There isn't anything wrong with it?" Sam asked while raising her eyebrow. "I mean…we're young…what if I'm pregnant?"

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it, Sam. However, in the future, birth control pills would be helpful for you." Sam and Freddie both blushed and Emily set the putty on the desk. "There is nothing wrong with two people who love each other very much to make love. It is sometimes best to wait until you are older, though. Typically it's preferred that you wait until marriage; however, there are some people, like myself, who do believe that if you truly love one another and know you will never stray from each other, you are married in God's eyes."

"It would be bad to make love and stray from the person…" Emily rubbed her chin and tried to think of a way that might help them out.

"You know how it is in movies you see where people have their bodies torn apart? You know how it feels?"

"Yeah, it looks rather painful…"

"It is…and when you make love, you give your heart to the other person, basically. You basically become one person, and when you separate…it hurts like hell. As you should know, making love is, as I said, a very meaningful and sacred act. It should _never_ be done unless you're sure you truly love that person." Emily closed her eyes and slowly exhaled, she could remember what happened between her and Robert. She loved him then, and she still loved him. Yes, it was very painful when they separated. "So when you ask me if it's a bad thing…I say it isn't."

"We wanted to wait," Freddie said in a quiet voice as he turned his head downward. "We weren't ready to do this…and we gave in. The moment, the timing, everything…it was just too hard…"

"Freddie, Sam, I have a question for you." Sam and Freddie looked to Emily as she moved back to the chair and sat down. "You made love, how did it feel?" Jonah and Valerie both looked to their friends, interested to hear what they had to say and see if they could put any input whatsoever. "Think about it." She knew it was a personal question, but it was an important one nonetheless.

"It felt…" Freddie thought about the experience. He remembered vividly everything about it; as did Sam. Freddie remembered gazing into Sam's eyes and slowly brushing her hair from her blushing face. He remembered caressing her, holding her, cherishing her as one would a beautiful work of art. So fragile, so innocent, he felt he had to be as gentle as possible with her. Sam remembered well Freddie's gentle touch on her skin and the way he made her feel so warm. If she had to say anything at all, she would have to say whenever he gazed into her eyes during the intercourse, she felt like she was looking into love. "Amazing…wonderful…"

"She was as beautiful as she always was…no, more beautiful. I love her. She's beautiful on the inside and she's beautiful on the outside…" Everyone leaned back and listened as Freddie spoke his words, it was best to just listen during this time. "Her eyes held nothing but the love and softness that I know she holds in her heart for me. During this, I felt for sure that she was the one and _only _person for me. I felt like there was no alternative, and I would never even _want_ another alternative. Sam's the greatest thing that ever happened to me, and I love her more than anything. If anything, the act of making love just made me not only realize how much I love her, but made me fall even deeper into love with her."

"I didn't even think about anything other than what we were doing at that moment," Sam said while keeping her eyes closed. She wanted to keep the memory in her head so she could treasure it forever. Such as the way he held her in her arms and the way he gently caressed her body. She felt protected, safe. To her, it felt that she was in a pair of strong arms that would never let her fall into danger. The feeling of whenever she looked into his eyes, she felt loved. It was as though he was looking at her with nothing but pure love. "I felt like there was nothing but a strong bond, a strong connection, strong love between us…" Emily smiled and nodded her head. Valerie looked like she was having an 'aw' moment while Jonah remained silent and smiled at his friends. Jonah and Valerie, in truth, couldn't be happier for their friends, knowing that the experience was good for them.

"A lot of people make love for the first time and they feel absolutely nothing," Emily said as she placed her arms on the armrest of her chair. Sam and Freddie looked to her with raised eyebrows; they were interested in how people could feel nothing. "Typically that's actually what's called first sex. A lot of people have sex or make love for the first time, but it sometimes tends to be an _experiment_, or just with someone they couldn't care less about. A lot of times it's with someone who, in the end, breaks apart from them and tears a huge hole in their heart." Sam and Freddie both clearly knew that wasn't the case for them.

"Now then, tell me…even though you know you can't, if you _could_, would you ever stray from each other? Would you ever hurt each other?"

"Never!" Freddie called out. How could he do that to Sam? He loved her with all of his heart and soul, there was no way on earth that he could ever, _ever_ hurt her or leave her. "I would never do that to Sam! I love her! Heart, soul, and body! She's the sweetest, most precious, gentlest woman ever, and for me to do that…for me to be the person that might make her cry…I can't even _fathom_ doing it! I would sooner die than to crush her heart!" Sam looked at Freddie with wide eyes, her lips formed a soft smile and she gently kissed his cheek in response. Believe it or not, his response seemed to warm her heart. Freddie blushed slightly at the kiss and smiled as Sam turned to Emily.

"I would never do anything to hurt Freddie, I love him so much," Sam replied. Emily, Jonah, and Valerie could definitely see the love that these two had for one another. If anything, their relationship was probably on a deeper, much more profound level as of this very night. Sam couldn't imagine herself hurting Freddie, she would probably hate herself for ever doing such a deed to him. "Freddie's my fiancé, my lover, my husband, and I cherish him more than anything. Even if I could leave him, I wouldn't do it."

"I'm glad that you two feel this way about each other," Emily said with a proud smile. She honestly couldn't be prouder of the two, they had definitely grown so much from when they were younger. "It tells me a lot, and means a lot to the other person. Keep in mind, these things you can remind each other of in many ways. That's another thing, love making is often a very important aspect of a relationship. Often, it is something that reminds your lover just how important they are to you. With all that you have told me, would you still feel _guilty_ over what you had done? Was it a mistake?" Emily raised her eyebrows as the young couple looked toward each other. She hoped they would choose the right answers for this. It was never a mistake, it should never be, and saying it was a mistake was like saying the other person was. Freddie and Sam slowly looked to Emily and exhaled. They knew they shouldn't feel guilty, not over something that was so sacred to them.

"No," Freddie replied. Sam looked at him and a tiny smile appeared at her lips. "No, it's not a mistake. It's not a bad thing. I love Sam, I will always love her. From what I think you said, mom…making love is like telling the other person how much you truly love them, and I love Sam more than anything. It's not a mistake, Mom." Emily gave a tilted nod of her head and smiled, that was definitely a good answer in her book. After all, if he'd said it was a mistake, then just what would Sam think about it?

"I don't think it was wrong," Sam replied. She was smiling at Freddie, tears were coming from her eyes. Jonah and Valerie were there to give support, Emily was giving her experienced advice. She loved it, the whole moment was something she would always cherish. "How could it be a mistake? How could something so great, shared with the only one good enough for me, _ever_ be considered a mistake? It's like saying this whole relationship was a mistake to begin with…"

"And was it?" Emily asked as she crossed her arms. This was another of those important questions, of course, they were all important questions. Emily was simply trying to get Sam and Freddie to realize that they had nothing to worry about, that they had done nothing wrong at all. "Was _I_ wrong in my selection? Is your relationship a mistake?" She knew what their answers would be, but she wanted to make sure that they knew what each other's answers were. It didn't take them long to figure out the answers though.

"No, mom," Freddie responded. He stood up and pulled Sam up with him, pulling her into a hug. Emily, Jonah and Valerie all smiled at the sight. Valerie was actually sighing at the sight, there was just something she found beautiful about it all. Jonah raised his eyebrow and stared at his girlfriend, he had to admit, he thought Valerie was just too cute tonight. "Sam could never be a mistake, she could never be wrong for me."

"I think Freddie is the one for me. I'm not going to worry about this anymore. What we did wasn't wrong. It was unexpected, yes, but it wasn't wrong. It wasn't a mistake." Emily closed her eyes and smiled happily. She stood up and hugged the two teens.

"I'm proud of you two," Emily said with a soft voice. Sam and Freddie smiled at her and Emily took a step back. She had a tear in her eye, perhaps because she was so extremely thrilled for them. "You two are maturing well. Just remember, you're still young, so I don't want you two to be performing any of these bedroom acts for a while. We don't want Tyrone finding Sam pregnant with your child, Freddie."

"I'd fight him for her," Freddie said through clenched teeth. Emily raised her eyebrows and Jonah chuckled, they knew Freddie well enough to know that he would definitely fight the old man if he tried to take Sam away.

"Yes, well…I'm still a bit young to be a grandmother anyway, and you're a bit young to have a child. I want you two to wait until you're older, and then start investing in birth control items." Freddie and Sam nodded their heads and smiled at their elder. Jonah stood up and placed his hand on Freddie's shoulder.

"Freddie, are you feeling better now?" Jonah asked with a small smile. Freddie gave a nod and Jonah patted him on the shoulder. "Good. Perhaps you'd like to head to the gym and hit the punching bag around? Sure it's late, but it'll relieve any possible tension that you still have."

"Yeah, that sounds fine to me, Jonah…" Sam smiled and Valerie stepped beside her.

"Hey Sam, if you want, you and I can bake a cake and have it out when the boys get back," Valerie suggested. Sure, she'd take any opportunity to cook, as much as she loved cooking. She also enjoyed getting Sam to cook with her. Sam gave a nod and hugged her friend, thankful for Valerie supporting her and being there for the discussion.

"I'd love to do that," Sam stated. She turned to Freddie and hugged him. "Stay safe, Freddie, and we'll talk more when you get back."

"Sure thing, love," Freddie replied as he gently kissed her forehead. Sam grinned and watched as Freddie and Jonah left the apartment. Both felt much better after having the discussion, and they knew where everyone stood on the issue. Sam and Freddie were going to try their best to obey Emily's wishes and wait until they were older, but at least they knew that they didn't need to feel guilty or ashamed in the least about what they had done. Nobody was disappointed in them, and they didn't have to be disappointed in themselves either. Now that they felt more comfortable about it, they both would always cherish their first time with each other.

* * *

Ugh, just woke up a few moments ago...really not feeling well today. Anyway, I hope you liked this. Emily seems pretty smart, eh. Jonah and Valerie are also good to be there for their friends.


	70. Crazy Woman

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

* * *

Chapter 70 (Crazy Woman)

The next morning, Sam moved out of her room and slowly opened Freddie's door. She smiled as the sun shone through the window and hit Freddie's body. Since the prior night, she could actually say she felt their relationship was on a deeper level of understanding. She slowly crawled onto Freddie's bed so that she might wake him up for the morning. What she wasn't expecting was for him to wrap his arms around her and pull her close.

"Gotcha," Freddie said while smirking. His eyes were closed, but he probably heard her enter and opened his eyes when she didn't see him. Sam sighed and smiled at him as she kissed him on the nose. Freddie opened one eye and held his smile. "Aw, is that all I get for a morning kiss?" Sam giggled slightly and kissed Freddie gently on the lips. Freddie closed his eyes back and let out a content sigh. "Beautiful. Can I give you your morning kiss?"

"Sure, why not." Freddie gently kissed Sam's lips and pulled back. He gazed into Sam's gentle, soft eyes and sighed once more with contentment. "As sweet of a moment as this is, do you want to get out of the bed?" Sam snuggled her body closer to Freddie's and closed her eyes, she'd rather just cuddle for a little bit. Freddie brushed his hand through her hair and smiled softly, he was fine with snuggling for a little while. After the prior night, it was a good way to relax. "I love you, Sam."

"Love you too, Freddie." The two stayed in the cuddling position for a few minutes until Emily walked in. She crossed her arms and smiled at the two, she probably wouldn't have to disturb them and let them come out for brunch later. It was around noontime. "So Freddie, you think we should go for getting Shannon and Rueben together soon?" Freddie didn't think it was a bad idea, and it would get the two off of their backs. As for right now, the only person with a crush they wanted to bother with was Carly. Emily chuckled and stepped forward, Shannon actually called a little while ago.

"Good morning you two," Emily said with a soft smile. Sam and Freddie nearly leapt out of the bed in shock, they hadn't seen her there.

"Hey mom, how are you today?" Freddie asked while returning a smile. Sam looked over and smiled pleasantly at Emily. It was a nice moment, definitely one they would have loved to capture on camera. And if she had a camera, Emily would have taken a picture of Sam and Freddie in that very moment. "We were just cuddling a bit, nothing more than that was going to happen."

"I'm not worried." She pretty much trusted them to be careful, there wasn't any reason to worry about them going too far again. "I got a call from Shannon earlier today, she asked about you Freddie." Freddie and Sam groaned and rolled their eyes, they were still annoyed by the insane crushes. "You might find this interesting. She apologized for causing any trouble and said that she had a talk with Rueben after that date last night. She says she and Rueben have started to go out and wouldn't bother you anymore. She hopes you forgive her."

"Wow…" Freddie blinked and looked at Sam, both were equally surprised by the good news. The young couple got out of the bed and moved over to Emily. "Well that_ is_ good news to hear." Sam nodded in agreement and Freddie turned to his closet. "Anyway, I have to get dressed, I'll see you in a little bit Sam." Sam smiled and Freddie gently kissed her forehead. She then left the room so he could get dressed. The weekend was going to be used to rest, that's what they needed to do. They wanted to rest and sort out their thoughts.

As time went by on the weekend, Freddie had a misfortunate event occur. He had set a small tray on his bathtub so he could read his history textbook while taking a bath, since he didn't really want to bother with a shower and was too busy to read the book elsewhere. Well, he had pulled the curtain around and Sam entered the bathroom, not really knowing he was in there. She was fixing to go to the restroom when Freddie opened the curtain and called her name out, which caused her to shout out in surprise and slip on some water on the floor.

"Freddie!" Sam shouted as she slipped and fell into the bath. Freddie winced as the tray broke and the book fell into the water, Sam had fallen right on him. She blushed with embarrassment as she gazed into Freddie's eyes. He smirked lightly and tilted his head.

"You know Sam, I know you've fallen for me, but I don't think that means you have to fall on top of me."

"Freddie!" Sam playfully slapped him and laughed with him.

"You know I love you. However, I'm not sure if you want to be here while I'm naked. Of course, I could be wrong." Sam screeched and jumped out of the bath, he smirked and pulled the book from the water. "I think this will be all right…do you?"

"Yeah, just put it in a blow dryer. Nah, we probably should buy a new one unfortunately." Freddie clicked his tongue together and Sam took the book in her hands. Her eyes moved down his body and her throat seemed to tighten. Freddie raised his eyebrow as Sam blushed harder and stepped back. "I'll take this to Emily now!" Sam ran out of the bathroom and Freddie chuckled slightly.

On Monday, Freddie and Carly were walking down the stairs, discussing how Freddie lost his history book. He simply had to figure how to explain it without explaining it. "Er…my bathtub 'study tray' broke."

"You have a bathtub study tray?" Carly asked while raising her eyebrow. Freddie nodded and Carly snorted. "Oh my god…" The two spotted Sam with a bowling ball in her hands, Freddie raised his eyebrow.

"Why do you have a bowling ball?"

"Don't ask why. That way we won't be a part of the_ tragedy_ that's about to happen…" Sam smiled and looked over as Gibby stepped around a set of bowling pins.

_"I should have known, she decides to play bowling in the hallway."_

"Okay people, unless you're a bowling pin, _move!"_ Sam instructed. The students moved out of the way and Sam rolled the ball towards the pins, knocking all but two of them down. The ones remaining had a large split in between them. Gibby kicked the ball back over to Sam and she quickly picked it up. Freddie laughed slightly and crossed his arms, he didn't think Sam could get them both.

"There's no way you can get them both down." Sam turned to him and pointed the ball at him.

"Don't doubt my ball skills." Freddie smirked and raised his eyebrows in response to her statement. Sam blinked and her eyes widened when she realized that she'd just opened a door.

"Oh don't worry, I won't doubt your ball skills Sam." Sam started to blush, but tried her best not to blush at his statement. "After all, I have seen your work with balls. Gives me great pleasure." That did it, Sam had to look away immediately as her face grew bright red. Oh, she would get him back for that, she would. Carly just stared at them with an entirely clueless expression, she didn't get it and she probably never would. Fortunately, Carly didn't see how badly Sam was blushing or that Freddie had a triumphant smirk on his face with an eyebrow arched upwards.

Just then, Ms. Ackerman came out of her classroom, bawling up a storm. The group wondered what was going on with her, thankfully that was answered when a student came by and said her boyfriend dumped her. "Come on, we better get to class," Carly said in a quiet voice.

"Right after I hit these last two pins," Sam said as she readied the bowling ball. Freddie chuckled and raised his eyebrow.

"You can't get them both," Freddie said as he crossed his arms. Sam blinked and shrugged her shoulders.

"We'll see." Sam rolled the ball and aimed for Gibby, the ball hit his foot and caused him to fall over and knock down both pins. Freddie laughed inwardly and slowly shook his head, Sam had just proven him wrong.

-NEW SCENE-

Spencer walked through the school while eating an ice cream cone, he had been told that Carly had sassed a teacher. He entered the room and frowned. "Excuse me, Miss Ackerman?"

"What!" The lady exclaimed.

"I'm Spencer Shay, Carly's older brother." Miss Ackerman looked up and spotted his food.

"What do you have there?"

"Frozen Yogurt…"

"There's no eating in my classroom." The lady took the food away and threw it in the trashcan, much to Spencer's surprise. He hadn't expected that to happen, most teachers were pretty lenient when it came to an adult eating food in the classroom. "Sit down." Spencer decided not to argue and quickly sat in one of the desks. Who was he to argue with someone that seemed to be an angry, vengeful woman?

"So, Principal Franklin said you wanted to speak to me about Carly's behavior." He had been told that Carly sassed the woman when she yelled at Freddie. He talked to Carly about it and Carly explained what had happened.

"She sassed me in front of the entire class."

"Right…we talked about it and she regrets her sass. She felt needed to defend Freddie, she felt that it wasn't fair for…" Spencer stopped when Miss Ackerman began crying, this was an odd reaction to what he was saying. He wondered if he should somehow have her stop crying.

He decided to do what he used to do when Carly cried whenever she was younger, he made crying sounds and cheered the teacher up. Miss Ackerman eventually asked if Spencer had a girlfriend. Normally he would have said yes, but Sasha wanted _no one_ to know, so he did her a courtesy and told Miss Ackerman that he didn't. He seemed to miss the fact that she was starting to appear to like him, which was often bad in the cases of people in her circumstance. Someone desperate like this could always assume the wrong things. Spencer had made the mistake of being friendly and inviting her over to his house, but he didn't know it was a mistake at the time.

-NEW SCENE-

Spencer spoke to Sasha a few days later, it seemed there was trouble in paradise. Both Spencer and Sasha were a bit upset by Miss Ackerman's clingy ways. Spencer, trying to be friendly, was thought to be her boyfriend. Not only Miss Ackerman, but Freddie, Carly and Sam all thought that they were going out. Spencer wanted to be nice, but he also didn't want to break her spirit and cause her to go into a horrible state again.

"I say go ahead," Sasha remarked while crossing her arms. She thought Spencer shouldn't have to be nice when it came to this woman. Why should some woman think that Spencer's her boyfriend when he was only ever being friendly to her? "Break her down, tell her that you're not dating her." Spencer crossed his arms and frowned, he wanted to make Sasha happy, since she was more important than anyone else. However, he had to consider the repercussions of being too harsh towards the crazed woman.

"If I'm too hard on her, then won't that affect Carly, Sam, and Freddie's class?" Sasha tapped her chin and frowned, Spencer was definitely right about that. There was that major chance that it could cause a lot of trouble. "Trust me, I don't like the woman either…I mean, I'm just trying to be her friend." Sasha nodded and looked toward the door.

"Yeah, there isn't much one can do in that case. I mean what's the priority? We can't have her continue thinking that you two are dating." Spencer nodded and shaved a bit. They were in his bedroom at the time, Sasha had been in his bedroom several times without Carly ever finding out.

"I'll think of something…" Spencer sniffed the air and scrunched his face up, he was sure he smelled something starting to burn. Of course, there was a chicken in the oven! "I'll be right back, I need to take the chicken out of the oven!" Sasha chuckled lightly and Spencer ran outside. After some time, Spencer ran back in the room and started searching through the closet. Sasha raised a concerned eyebrow and slowly stood up, she had to wonder what was wrong. "My god, Miss Ackerman is here!"

"You're joking…" Sasha sighed and crossed her arms as she sat back on the bed. Spencer frowned as he put his shirt on. He placed his arms onto Sasha's shoulders and smiled lightly, comforting her with his smile.

"Now now, I don't think there's going to be much more to worry about. I'll handle her, I'll think of something. Remember, you're the girl I love." Sasha smiled and Spencer gently kissed her forehead. He ran back to the living room and spotted the teacher in a red dress. "Wow, you look nice!"

"Thank you. Oh, I got you a present!" Miss Ackerman handed Spencer a box and smiled.

"What's it for?"

"Our one week anniversary." Spencer gave a kind smile, but inside he was feeling rather disgusted. After all, he didn't like her _that_ much. He opened the box and spotted a pearpod.

"Wow, a pearpod?"

"Yep, and it's loaded with five hundred of the best songs ever." He raised his eyebrows and glanced at the teacher, she must have spent a lot of money to get the pearpod with all those songs.

"Wow, this must have cost you a fortune." Miss Ackerman shrugged and smiled lightly.

"Well the pearpod wasn't cheap, but I just downloaded the songs from one of those music carrying websites." Spencer blinked and cocked an eyebrow, last time he checked, wasn't that illegal?

_"Heh, I could have her arrested…"_

"I think you have something boiling on your stove." Spencer looked over and his eyes widened, his soup needed to be taken off. He quickly moved the pot over and walked back to Miss Ackerman.

"Heh, you saved my soup's life. Which means, you deserve some punch…" Spencer took the punch and began pouring it into a glass. He handed the glass to the lady and poured himself a glass. They took a drink and then Miss Ackerman looked at him with suspicion.

"So, where were you today between three fifteen and three forty?" Spencer laughed and raised his eyebrow, what business did she have with that? He was with Sasha, but it wasn't any of her business. He thought she might have been joking at first, but she continued to give him a serious look.

"What do you mean?" She took out a notepad and opened it up, Spencer raised his eyebrow and spotted several times jotted on the paper.

"I called you six times and you didn't pick up." Wow, this girl was clingy. Sasha was now watching from the bedroom doorway, she didn't seem too thrilled with the way the conversation was turning.

"You…wrote down every time you called me?"

"Well we're dating, I'd like to know where you are." Sasha growled slightly and huffed as she crossed her arms and moved back into the bedroom. Spencer raised his eyebrows suspiciously and stared back at the woman.

"Every minute of the day?"

"Yes."

"Huh…" Spencer took a slight step back and continued staring oddly at the woman. He was definitely going to tell her he wasn't interested and that they weren't dating. "I'm going to carve the chicken now…"

"All right…" Miss Ackerman walked over to Spencer and Sasha peeked out of the bedroom doorway. She didn't really want to watch, but oddly she couldn't turn away. "So where do you think you were? Take a guess." Sasha didn't like where this woman had him, it seemed like he was backed into a corner.

"Well, I think that maybe I was-"

"LIAR!" That made Spencer fall back and shout as he slammed his head into the refrigerator. Sasha gasped and covered her mouth, she wanted to slap the woman silly for that. Spencer slowly stood up and pressed his back against the refrigerator. Miss Ackerman moved over to him and looked into his eyes. "Do you love me?" She was practically begging that he did.

"Uh…" Spencer glanced over and met Sasha's eyes, he could see the anger welling up inside her. "Let me get back to you on that." After some time of arguing, he managed to get Miss Ackerman to leave, he assumed they 'broke up' there. Sasha was happy with that and immediately ran over to see if Spencer was okay after his fall. He was fine.

It all seemed well, but the next day Carly had returned home and informed him that Miss Ackerman did in fact _not_ think they broke up. Spencer couldn't believe it and was in shock when she showed up at the door. That was it, he wasn't being nice anymore. He loved Sasha, and Sasha only, he wasn't going to be dating some weird freakish girl. He told her right there that he didn't want to date her, but she did not take it well. She ended up ripping off the head of some weird stuffed animal.

He then found himself on iCarly the next day, he had no idea what the trio was up to. The scary thing was when Miss Ackerman actually showed up for iCarly. He couldn't believe it, Carly was plotting something. It appeared to be a viewer poll for whether or not Spencer should make up or break up with the teacher. There was no doubt that Sasha was clicking the 'break up' button quite a bit. At the end of that, the group waited as Freddie tallied the votes, and the majority of the votes said that they should break up, which was a great relief to Spencer. It meant he wouldn't have to deal with the crazy woman any longer.

When the woman left the apartment, she seemed really upset. To add insult to injury, she didn't make it very far down the hall when she met up with Sasha. She didn't know who Sasha was, just that she was glaring into her eyes with intense anger. Sasha growled and began telling the teacher how she thought the woman was crazy, clingy, and completely oblivious to any signs that Spencer actually _didn't_ like her. She spoke of how if anything, Spencer was merely being friendly to the woman. The teacher actually seemed to shrink underneath Sasha's glare, she spoke not a word as Spencer's true girlfriend shouted at her. When Sasha was done, she merely held her glare and watched as the teacher left the area in a pathetic rush. No way did she feel sorry for the crazy lady.

* * *

Ah, a breather away from Sam and Freddie for a bit and onto Sasha and Spencer in this chapter. I do like to do that sometimes, I think it's good to get away from the main couple for a chapter or two, wouldn't you? Well I hope you liked this chapter. I'm sure you'll enjoy the next.


	71. Shane

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 71 (Shane)

A few calm months had passed for everyone, Carly's birthday rolled on by and everyone had a good party then. Freddie's birthday rolled on by, and they had yet another _pleasant_ visit from Tyrone. It was now the middle of March, Sam's fifteenth birthday would be in April. She couldn't wait, she felt that this would be a great year.

She had also been pleasantly surprised when she discovered that she wouldn't be pregnant after having made love with Freddie. It really wasn't a _pleasant_ surprise, but one that was good considering no one was ready for a baby. Carly still wanted to date Freddie, and he wouldn't ever tell her if his mom actually chose a bride for him or not. It was for her own good, but he wouldn't be saying that to her. He wanted no harm or threat of harm to come to Sam. There should be no trouble looming over their heads.

Currently, Sam and Freddie were watching a movie together. It was a beautiful movie, at least to Sam. Freddie agreed to sit and watch a sappy chick flick with her if she agreed to watch an action movie with him. Sam wasn't normally one for sappy chick flicks, but this particular one, she was drawn to. Freddie had a bowl of popcorn in his lap and Sam's head was resting on his shoulder, it seemed to be a cute little scene for anyone that looked at them during this moment. Freddie took a piece of popcorn from the bowl and brought it to Sam's lips, he smiled and Sam took the popcorn into her mouth.

"Freddie, I've been thinking," Sam said when she swallowed her food. Freddie looked over and saw Sam staring blankly at the television. She'd been wondering about Carly, lately. She'd been thinking about how they could get Carly to date someone. A recent friend of Freddie's was someone named Shane Johnson, Sam wondered if Carly would be interested in him. "Do you think we could get Carly interested in that friend of yours coming onto iCarly? Shane?" Freddie laughed and shook his head, he didn't think that would be happening anytime soon.

"This is Carly you're talking about. The girl who _still_ likes me."

"Well maybe…maybe we could give her some competition!" Freddie arched his eyebrow and Sam rubbed the back of her neck nervously. She knew Carly had a thing about competing with people when it came to things like other guys. She remembered even that Carly once said if Freddie ever had a bride selected, she'd do her best to compete and try to win Freddie's heart. So if Sam pretended to be into Shane, then maybe Carly would take this sign of competition and try to get Shane first.

"What _kind_ of competition?" Freddie wasn't exactly fond of Sam pretending to like some other guy. Though, it would go well for throwing people off track. It was really hard for him when she pretended to date Jonah, and that was all role play. This with Shane wouldn't _be_ role play, who knew how hard it would be for him. "You don't mean where you pretend to like Shane if Carly likes Shane, do you?" Sam nodded her head and Freddie gave a brief sigh. "Sam, you know how I get when another guy is involved like that…"

"True, but it's not like he's going to like me or anything. Besides, if he does, I can always end it there." Freddie's mind still wasn't eased, but he would go ahead and just see how things worked out. He gave a deep breath and looked seriously into Sam's eyes.

"Okay, but if things get too far, you're going to have to stop pretending to like Shane." Sam nodded her head in agreement, she would definitely stop if she or Freddie felt like things were going a little too far and too fast. She knew Freddie would probably get insanely jealous, so she wouldn't do too much with Shane.

The only other issue Freddie had with Shane was that he wasn't exactly Shane's _friend_. Shane was more or less Freddie's rival, typically competing with him in class, the AV club and other things. So it would definitely be tough for Freddie to have to deal with Sam pretending to like Shane, but he'd just have to suck it up. Besides, Sam was all his, so he really had nothing to worry about at all. What was the worst Shane could do, anyway? Kiss Sam. Freddie laughed slightly at that and Sam raised her eyebrow, wondering what he was thinking about.

"Is there something on your mind?" Freddie draped his arm around Sam and smiled as he shook his head.

"No, nothing's on my mind at all, Sam. Let's finish watching the movie, then we can go shoot iCarly with Carly and all." Sam nodded and rested her head on Freddie's shoulder once more.

-NEW SCENE-

The next day, Freddie found Sam and Carly next to their lockers. The show had been interesting the day before, both girls seemed really interested in Shane. If Freddie didn't already know Sam, he would have thought she were actually interested in the guy. She definitely would have made a good actress.

"Hey, have either of you guys seen Shane?" Freddie asked while walking over to the girls. Carly's eyes brightened and she quickly became interested.

"No, why, is he coming by?" Carly asked with a quick voice. Freddie leaned back slightly and chuckled nervously.

"Whoa, calm down, I was just wondering if you saw him. I need to give him back his flash drive." Both girls instantly grabbed at it, asking to be allowed to take Shane the flash drive. If Shane saw this, he would have _loved_ it. Since Freddie wasn't getting so much attention. He quickly backed up and held his hand up. "It's okay! I'll handle it." He walked off and slowly sighed. "Crazies…"

Sam watched as he left and looked toward the cup in her hand, she knew Freddie was actually miffed over the whole thing. She could tell there was already that hint of jealousy. Sam was starting to have second thoughts about the whole thing, she didn't want Freddie to start feeling really bad or anything. Sam turned to Carly and smiled lightly. "So…you kind of like Shane, right?"

"Yeah," Carly replied as if it was completely obvious. Carly quickly pulled her to the side and grinned. "Do you think it'd be crazy if I asked him out?"

"Um…" Sam did actually wonder how Carly would take Sam liking the same guy she liked. After all, there was Freddie. Judging by Carly's reaction, she could probably determine how Carly would act whenever Sam told her that she was with Freddie. She _hoped_ it would be a good reaction, so she decided to go ahead and test it by pretending to like Shane. "No, it's just…"

"What? You think I'd seem too pushy, desperate?" Sam frowned and pulled the corner of her lips back slightly. Carly still didn't see how Sam was acting as though she liked Shane.

"No…"

"Well tell me what you're thinking!" Sam bit her lip, but not for Carly or for Shane, but for Freddie. She still felt necessary to go through with this.

"It's just that I was thinking about asking him out." Carly's face fell and Sam made note of the quick eye shift, it didn't seem like Carly was thinking about the possibility of letting Sam have a guy that she liked, so maybe it _wouldn't_ be good to ever tell her about Freddie.

"Oh. Well…" Carly moved toward her locker, obviously she wanted to be the one to win over Sam. Though in a way, she felt maybe if she dated Shane, it'd help her move from Freddie. This was despite the fact that she still had a major crush on him. "I think the best way to solve this is to honor the girl code." So far Carly's actions were not impressing Sam, she could see right through how Carly was acting. She had to do a lot of acting toward Carly, herself. So she knew how to feign being nice whenever Carly spoke of Freddie.

"So whoever saw him first gets to date him, right?" That would totally work if it was Freddie, but then she had a feeling Carly would still try to compete.

"Right." Both girls closed their lockers, then said at the same time that they were going to ask Shane out. This would be interesting, since Sam had a feeling that she and Carly both saw Shane at the same time. Sam also figured that Freddie was probably not going to be happy with this.

After they got home, Carly and Sam had Freddie run the part where they saw Shane, he clearly didn't enjoy it. Sam frowned and looked sadly at him as he slumped against the laptop. He was hurting inside, and Sam felt really guilty for doing this. She was going to make it up to him, though. She could promise him that, whether it was verbally or only mentally. As Freddie played the video, both girls thought they had seen Shane first. Freddie rolled his eyes and the girls asked him to play a frame by frame.

"Alright, here goes," Freddie said as he played the frame by frame of the video. It seemed that both girls saw him at exactly the same time. "There, a dead tie. So I guess neither of you can go out with Shane, oh too bad! Bye!" Sam watched sadly as Freddie left the room, he seriously was starting to feel quite sick. Sam sighed and turned toward Carly, she seriously had no idea where else to go with this.

"So what are we going to do?"

"Well…" Carly moved toward Sam and smiled slightly. "Who says we can't both go out with him?" She was thinking of a plan, but Sam found it to be an odd idea.

"Wouldn't the two of us going out with the same guy be kind of dangerous?"

"No." Carly laughed slightly and continued on. "It's not like we're talking about marrying the guy." Sam raised her eyebrow and frowned, they very well could be if they were talking about Freddie. Sam had to wonder, was she actually comparing this whole situation to what might happen if she told Carly about Freddie? It sure seemed like it. Sam smiled awkwardly and crossed her arms.

"Okay…and you know why this is going to work?" It was a true question, and if it were Freddie, it was one that Sam would want to see Carly's response to.

"Only because we're best friends!" Carly started walking toward the door and Sam raised her eyebrows. Was that really the case? If this were Freddie they were talking about, would their being best friends keep something from going wrong?

"Uh-huh…and we're _never_ going to let some guy wreck that, right?" It was a very honest question, because Sam really had to know if their friendship could withstand something so serious. If she told Carly about her relationship with Freddie, would their friendship keep something really bad from happening?

"Not in this lifetime."

"No way?"

"We're going to be super mature about this." There was just something in Carly's words that didn't seem all that sincere to her. It was like Carly wanted to win Shane more than handling things maturely. So, if this happened, what would it be like with Freddie? Sam nodded and Carly smiled. "I'm going to call Shane right now and ask him out!" Naturally this wouldn't have affected her, but because Freddie was on her mind, she had Shane and Freddie confused, so she took the defensive.

"Not without your cell phone, you're not!" Sam took Carly's cell phone and ran out the door. She took the SIM card from the phone and chuckled as she reentered the room. "Heh, I was just kidding."

"I know." Carly took the cell phone and glanced quickly at it. Her eyes shifted up and she let out a small sigh. "Give me back my SIM card." Sam chuckled nervously and handed the card back to Carly. It seemed maybe it was going to be harder than she thought to trust Carly. This saddened her deeply, she hoped Freddie would be feeling well enough to give her some comfort really soon.

"Hey um, Carly…I have to get going…"

"Are you going to try to ask Shane out?!" Sam bit her lip and lifted her eyes skyward, she really wasn't going to be doing any of that. Rather, she was going to try to find Freddie and hope that he could comfort her and that she could remind him that none of this thing going on with Shane was serious to her. Shane wouldn't overshadow Freddie in her life.

"No, I'm not going to." Carly eyed Sam suspiciously and crossed her arms, unsure of what to think. Sam basically ignored the stare and left the apartment altogether, she only cared about talking to Freddie right then.

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Looks like things are getting interesting between Carly and Sam. Believe me when I say this, though. Nothing will be so intense as when we get past chapter 100 and into the Family Reunion chapters! There are a LOT of secrets and surprises to go around in those!


	72. Sam's Almost Taken

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

A/N: I'm updating early for one reason and one reason only! Well also I might not be updating tomorrow cause I'll be pretty busy, heh. Anyway, I need to reply to two anonymous reviewers: Neelix31 and Pam (Which also begs the question of _why_ do people who appear to have an account ask questions in anonymous reviews that you can't reply to?) Pam first, since it's a simple one: I made no mention of Freddie's voice deepening for the very reason that Sam _lives_ with Freddie in this story. His voice will deepen and she's going to notice during that time). As for Neelix, here you go man. Though I really wish you would have been logged in, if you had an account. I wouldn't have to update early ;P lol kidding. But still, if you _do _have an account, please feel free to sign in and ask questions so I don't have to answer them in the next chapter over...:

I update usually once a day, since I've got quite a bit of chapters to this story already written. Sure I'll slow down, but I can't resist the feeling of getting an exciting chapter out to excite the readers. I wouldn't dare post 20 in one day *shudder* As for you using my story for something you're using...what do you mean? Material wise like copying bits of my chapter and using them? Then no, I'd rather you didn't. If you mean using it to try to help yourself improve, but not copy pasting, then sure! Now OOC is an ignorant way to say something, I hate it. An author writes a character how they feel the character would act in a given situation. Now it is possible to write something out of character. Say you had Carly kill Sam for no valid reason whatsoever and she didn't even feel _remorseful_, that would be strongly out of the element for something Carly would do. In this story, Sam and Freddie are engaged to be married. There is no reason, in this story, that Sam would have to do any kind of physical harm to Freddie, and why would she? Also as someone else mentioned so long ago...Freddie can't be romantic? Excuse me, but what? EVERYONE can be romantic given the opportunity, and that very well includes Freddie. Also, I've mentioned in prior chapters, Sam _does_ do things such as giving Gibby wedgies. She does tease Freddie every now and then, but she _certainly _(at least not in this story) wouldn't do something like put ice cubes in his bed. There is nothing OOC about this situation, it is how I, the author, feel that Sam and Freddie would act if they were dating. Plus, as people age, people mature. So realistically speaking, at some point of time, Sam _is_ going to stop picking on Freddie (in the show). It annoys me that people don't quite get that.

You think I'm going to kill Emily off? Heh, the only one in danger of dying would be Tyrone and Carly (oops I let that one slip!). You'll see what I mean about that one in a _far_ later chapter. I did not think about the thing with Tricia, hmm, nice catch there. ^_^. I'm glad you enjoy this story so far, as I'm glad that all the readers who enjoy it are enjoying it. Reviews, the keep my spirits up in these times. Well, that's all for this reply, read the chapter and enjoy! (In the future, anyone who has questions, _please_ feel free to ask them while having an account or an email to respond to. It is more considerate to both the writer and the other readers...)

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Chapter 72 (Almost Taken)

Freddie kicked a rock as he and Jonah walked through the park. He was going on about how annoying it was that they were dealing with this Shane guy. Jonah felt for him, he knew it had to be painful when your girlfriend pretends to like someone else. What was even more annoying was the fact that it wasn't even a role play.

"I'm sure things will work out," Jonah said as he patted Freddie on the shoulder. He was trying to think of something to say that might either lift Freddie's mood up or get his mind off of Shane. He would actually give anything for Sam to show up, since if she were here, she could definitely get Freddie feeling better. After all, if his best friend couldn't get Freddie feeling well, then his favorite girl in the world probably could. "You know Freddie, I'm thinking of growing my hair out a bit." Freddie raised his eyebrow and stared at Jonah, trying to imagine him with longer hair.

"Uh, why would you even _think_ about doing that?" Freddie asked while trying not to cringe. Actually, the image of Jonah with longer hair wasn't exactly bad, but it was something definitely far different. "Have you discussed that with Valerie yet?" Jonah rolled his eyes and smirked, Valerie would be just fine with it if he grew his hair out. She thought he was hot anyway. "Though I can say, it'd look better than if you were a skinhead." Jonah raised his eyebrow and gagged slightly as he imagined himself with no hair.

"_Excuse_ me? Skinhead? Freddie, have you _lost_ your _mind_?!" Freddie laughed and Jonah shuddered at the thought. He would have to get Freddie back for that, somehow. Maybe he'd find a way to pull a prank on him. Jonah's phone begin to ring, he checked it and saw that Sam was calling. That was odd, so he decided to answer. "Hello? What's going on?" Jonah listed as Sam spoke and looked over to Freddie. "Hey, uh Freddie…is your phone off?" Freddie blinked and checked his phone, he had missed a call.

"I must have had my phone on silent."

"Ah, well Sam's been calling you."

"I see." Jonah handed Freddie the phone and smirked, he found it amusing that Freddie would have his phone on silent. "Sam? What's wrong?" Sam seemed to be a bit upset about something, but she didn't really say it. What she wanted was to see Freddie. "Jonah and I are at Seoul Park, you want us to wait for you to come here or us to come to you?" She wanted to go see Freddie. She had thought he'd be home, but he clearly wasn't. "Yeah, I needed to talk to Jonah about some stuff."

"I'll be right there," Sam said as she hung up the phone. She wasn't going to bother with bugging Carly about Shane, especially since she didn't care for him. Though the pretending would be good, even though she sometimes got sidetracked and started treating Shane as if he was Freddie. After some time, Sam managed to find Freddie and Jonah walking in the park, she quickly ran toward them. "Freddie!" Freddie stumbled slightly as she hugged him, Jonah merely chuckled and watched his two friends. Sam looked into Freddie's eyes and smiled lightly. "Freddie, I'm sorry this thing with Shane is bothering you…"

"It's okay, really. I mean, yes I'm jealous, but I know who you'll come running to in the end." Freddie smirked and kissed Sam's forehead, she smiled and sighed lightly. She felt comfortable knowing that Freddie wasn't too overly worried about Shane. She let go of Freddie and the trio continued to walk through the park. "Hey Freddie, Carly wants us both to date Shane…" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Jonah glanced over with concern in his eyes. Neither guy was sure that would end well. Freddie trusted Sam, though. He crossed his arms and let out a small sigh.

"As long as it doesn't get too far and I get to spend the majority of the time with you on dates and stuff." Sam smiled and nodded her head, she didn't mind that at all. She would definitely ask Shane out, but she wouldn't make a big deal out of it. She loved Freddie and _only_ Freddie. "In fact, maybe you and I can get a smoothie tomorrow." Sam smiled and nodded her head, that sounded like a good idea. "Maybe we could go catch a movie and then top it off with a smoothie."

"I would love that, Freddie." Jonah smiled at his friends and glanced over to his right, he thought he saw Tyrone walking in the distance. This was bad, Freddie and Sam needed to get away from each other and fast. If Tyrone spotted them, who knew what the old bastard would do. Jonah quickly pushed Sam and Freddie apart and stepped in between them, his two friends just stared at him with confusion. "Jonah, what are you doing?" Jonah placed a finger to his lips and pointed over to where Tyrone was.

"Old bastard at three o'clock," Jonah said in a quiet voice. Sam and Freddie looked over and their eyes grew wide. They were about to leave when Tyrone spotted them and walked over, a huge smirk on his face. "Damn it…" Tyrone crossed his arms and stared at the trio. Freddie kept a calm look on his face, as if he wasn't doing anything at all, while Sam and Jonah were trying not to panic.

"So Benson, what are you doing here?" Tyrone asked while raising his eyebrow. "Much less, with Samantha Puckett…"

"And my best friend, Jonah Brown," Freddie replied while crossing his arms.

"I don't care about him, I would like to know…is this girl your bride?" Sam remained silent and Freddie slowly shook his head, it was best to say no to Tyrone, no matter what.

"Nope, sorry, but that's not the truth. Why would my mom choose her, anyway? We rarely ever get along." Tyrone narrowed his eyes and growled, he wasn't sure if Freddie was lying or telling the truth, but he would find out.

"I was only here to ask Freddie and Jonah how a guy would like to be asked out," Sam quickly stated in defense. Tyrone raised his eyebrow and looked suspiciously at Sam. "I want to ask out Shane Johnson, but I'm really shy at this type of thing."

"I say just call him up and ask him out," Jonah stated while patting Sam on the back. Sam nodded and pulled out her cell phone. Despite the fact that she told Carly she wasn't going to ask Shane out right away, she had to do it or else something bad might happen. She dialed Shane's number and Tyrone continued to watch with suspicion. Sam turned around and started to walk a bit, concealing her face from the old man.

"Hello, Shane? This is Sam Puckett…yeah, Freddie's friend. I want to know if you'll go out with me. A date…" Shane told her that Carly had already asked him, but it would be okay if it wasn't entirely serious dating. He might consider making one of the two girls his girlfriend in the end. "So that's a yes? Thank you so much!" Tyrone rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes in defeat, he still couldn't be sure that the group wasn't lying to them. Sam hung up the phone and moved over to the guys, smiling brightly. "He said yes!"

"That's great, I'm happy for you!"

"Yes, but I am still going to take you from Freddie," Tyrone stated. Freddie remained stoic, but inside he was starting to panic. Sam looked over and Jonah raised his eyebrow. "No girl needs to be close to Benson. I understand you're just friends, but I have questions for you that you can't answer while with him."

"What are you talking about?" Freddie asked while raising his eyebrow. Sam had done nothing wrong at all. "Sam's done nothing."

"I don't care. If she is lying to me about being your bride, it's possible that you're forcing her to lie. That means she can't be honest to her savior while you're around." Tyrone grabbed Sam's arm, causing her to shout out. She didn't want to go with him, so she started to struggle. Tyrone was too strong, so he just started walking away while pulling Sam with him. Freddie growled and started to hurry toward them, but Jonah placed his hand on Freddie's shoulder.

"Let them be, Sam will be fine I'm sure," Jonah said in a quiet voice. Freddie looked over and Jonah gave a small sigh. He was sure that Sam would lie as much as possible and Tyrone would believe her. Most likely, he would lay off of Sam. "Sam's a tough girl, she wouldn't give in to his demands." Freddie nodded in response and watched as Sam moved with Tyrone, still struggling in his grasp. The simple act angered him, but if he went after Tyrone, then all would be revealed and Tyrone would definitely take her from him for good. "We'll follow them..."

As Tyrone dragged her out of the park, Sam took up the idea of screaming. "Let me go! If you don't, I'll start calling for help!" Sam shouted out. Tyrone wasn't afraid of that, he could handle her well.

"I just want to know if you are the one that Emily has chosen to marry Freddie."

"No! I don't like him like that, anyway!" Sam couldn't believe the things she was saying, but she had to, or else Tyrone was going to tear her from Freddie forever. "I like Shane! Shane Johnson! Let me go, right now!" Tyrone turned to Sam and narrowed his eyes, she did seem sincere enough in what she was saying. Nearby, someone cleared their throat to try and catch their attention.

"Hey Gramps, what are you doing?" Spencer's voice rang in Sam's ears, her eyes widened and she quickly glanced over at him. Spencer was standing with his arms crossed and eyes narrow. "Are you kidnapping?"

"No Spencer, I was simply trying to ask this girl if she was the chosen bride of Freddie Benson." Spencer already figured that much out, he had heard Tyrone ask Sam the question. Spencer sighed and coolly walked over to Sam and Tyrone, he took Sam and pulled her from the man's grasp.

"You know, something like this is what you could get charged for assault or even kidnapping, Grandpa."

"And how would you know? You're no lawyer, you dropped out to start working with your _art!"_

"Yeah? Well screw you!" Spencer was nearly a lawyer anyway, and when he became one, he'd have to see about a possible restraining order. He wanted to keep Tyrone away from Carly, away from Freddie, away from Sam and everyone else. "Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson are enemies, Gramps…They're friends, but they're also rivals. Mrs. Benson wouldn't choose Sam for Freddie to save her life, I mean come on…she'd have to be pretty stupid to do that! Do you not see how much Sam tortures Freddie?"

"Hmm, good point…" Sam looked to Spencer with her eyes beginning to water, she wasn't going to cry though, not in front of Tyrone. Tyrone was the enemy. If he saw her tears, then who knew what would happen. Spencer looked to Sam and frowned, he understood her fear and terror. He looked over at Tyrone and narrowed his eyes.

"You've terrorized this girl enough, Gramps. I think you should leave now, don't think I won't call the police on you."

"You would call the police on your own grandfather?" Tyrone's eyes widened, he was shocked and appalled by this. Spencer couldn't do that, it just wasn't right. "Spencer Shay, I'll have you know-"

"Frankly I don't give a damn right now, get the hell out of my sight!" Tyrone stepped back and Sam's eyebrows rose up slightly, she was pretty shocked at Spencer's attitude with the old man. Tyrone growled and walked away, not wanting to start anything.

"Don't think we're not going to have a talk about this later!"

"Yeah, whatever…" Spencer turned to Sam and smiled softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay to cry if you want, Sam." Sam nodded and let the frightened tears leave her eyes as she grasped Spencer's shirt. She was safe, and Tyrone wouldn't be taking her away from Freddie. Spencer helped her, and she didn't know why, but she was thankful.

"Thank you, Spencer," Sam said as she closed her eyes. Spencer nodded and patted her back. He looked up and saw Freddie and Jonah running toward them. He was still unsure, but at the same time he was pretty close to thinking that Sam and Freddie _were_ chosen to be married. If that was the case, with Tyrone around, it was understandable why they would keep it secret.

Freddie and Jonah stared at the two with yearning, as if they wanted to talk to Sam but were holding back. Spencer glanced to the side and hummed to himself, perhaps it would be best if he left now. Spencer pushed Sam back slightly and smiled at her, he pointed past her and she followed to where he was pointing. She was relieved to see Freddie, so relieved that she didn't even notice when Spencer turned and started to walk away. She quickly ran over to Freddie and hugged him, not wanting to let go.

"Sam, are you okay?" Freddie asked as he held her close, refusing to let her go. Sam nodded and buried her head into his neck. Jonah rubbed Sam's back, trying to provide comfort in any way he could, he really wanted to punch Tyrone in that moment. "Don't worry, Tyrone's not going to take you away. I'll see to it that he doesn't."

"Spencer stopped him from taking me," Sam said in a quiet and confused voice. "It was odd, like Spencer didn't even like Tyrone…" Jonah chuckled and a smirk formed on his face.

"Heh, even if he were my grandfather, I'd hate him," Jonah responded. Sam smiled at him and Freddie wiped her tears away. He wanted to thank Spencer, but figured it'd be a bad idea unless they wanted to reveal their secret. "Hey, how about I call Valerie and we do a fun role playing game?"

"Or we could just do one right here," Freddie said with a small smile. Sam grinned and nodded her head, role playing would be fun, especially since they hadn't had a chance to do one in a little while. Sam quickly jumped up on a small rock and looked down to Freddie and Jonah.

"I am the queen, and you two are my royal subjects!" Sam said with a quick voice. Jonah and Freddie chuckled and got onto one knee, bowing their heads down.

"What do you desire, my lady?" Role playing would definitely help Sam to push what had just occurred out of her mind, it was always a distraction method if it could be. She loved to do a good role playing game, and somehow, Freddie always made it exciting. Perhaps because a lot of games ended with him kissing her and making her feel great. Chances were, this time would be no different.

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Well I do hope you enjoyed that. Drop a review, I do appreciate getting them every now and then ^_^. So it seems Spencer may know about those two being together. Good thing he was at the park and got Sam back.


	73. Womanly Competition

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

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Chapter 73 (Womanly Competition)

The next day, Sam was resting on the couch with Emily and watching a crime drama. She was over what had happened with Tyrone the previous day. Emily had been rather annoyed when she heard what happened, but she was very thankful that Spencer had shown up when he did. As the commercials came on, a loud crash was heard from Carly's apartment. Emily quickly looked over and Sam jumped up, both were highly concerned about that.

"What was that?" Sam asked with wide eyes. It sounded like the elevator, and that's probably what it was. The elevator had been broken for a little while. "I'm going to go check." Emily nodded and Sam hurried out of the apartment. She ran in and spotted Spencer, Carly, and the mechanic. They seemed to be okay, so maybe no one was injured or anything. "Hey, did you guys hear that loud crash?"

"Everybody's a critic," The mechanic said while sighing and shaking his head. Spencer and the mechanic left, so that just left Carly and Sam to spend some time together.

"So where have you been?" Carly asked as Sam found a snack and put some food in her mouth. "We've got a ton of iCarly stuff to rehearse." Sam had finished her date with Freddie and then made it home to start watching a crime drama with Emily. Truthfully, she had just made it back home from her time with Freddie. Sam couldn't tell that to Carly, though. She wasn't about to risk Tyrone taking her away again.

"Oh, I was just getting my homework done early." Carly laughed with disbelief, she didn't think Sam would ever get homework done _this_ early. The only homework they had was something that needed to be turned in next week.

"_You_ were getting your homework done early? For what class?" Sam looked up and tried to think about what to say to this, but her mind was all in a jumble. Basically she was distracted by the things Freddie said and did on the date, things that Carly probably didn't need to know.

"You know…the one with the teacher who…says things." Carly rolled her eyes and smiled, she figured Sam was lying and was most likely with Shane at the time.

"You can tell me if you were with Shane." Sam blinked and glanced to the side, she hadn't been with Shane just yet. That was actually something Freddie was _very_ pleased with. He had shown her his gratitude by kissing her and moving a rose along her body, trailing it with kisses. During that moment, Sam just kept getting more and more heated. Sam quickly left the daze she was in and saw Carly staring at her, possibly thinking Sam was in a daze over Shane. "Remember, we're going to be mature about this."

"Okay, I was with Shane…" Sam decided to humor Carly, but also she felt like using Shane as if he were Freddie. After all, it was the perfect time to release some tension if she had to. Though she didn't want to fight with Carly, it was fighting that would help strengthen a friendship. Carly smiled and walked around Sam.

"Great!" She stopped walking and looked to Sam, wanting to know where Sam and Shane had been. "Where?" Sam had to think of something, Freddie had bought her a smoothie a little earlier, so she could use that.

"He bought me a smoothie."

"Oh! Cool." Carly paused for a moment and figured she ought to continue the conversation. She wanted the better of it. She didn't want Sam to think Shane was doing for her what he wasn't doing for Carly. Plus, he had bought her a smoothie the previous night. "He bought me a smoothie last night."

"Oh nice!" Sam looked down and thought about what size of the smoothie she had with Freddie. She wondered if maybe she could get a little competitive with this. She hummed lightly and glanced up at Carly. "What size?" Freddie had given her a large.

"Medium…"

"Aw."

"That's all I wanted!" Sam started to walk past Carly, thinking of something Freddie had done for her that maybe Shane hadn't done for Carly. Well, Freddie _had_ told her she looked incredibly cute.

"Did he tell you that you have a cute nose?"

"No." Carly looked worried, Shane didn't say a thing about her nose or any other body part. Sam spun around slightly and smirked, she had something.

"Interesting."

"Why? Did he tell you that you have a cute nose?" Sam had to start looking through a magazine for effect, but also so she didn't lose herself in remembering her event with Freddie. He had positioned the rose on her lips and traced her face, kissing her as his lips followed the flower. When he reached her nose, he said he always loved how cute it was. Then he moved it back to her lips and down her body. After a certain length, they stopped before they went too far with what they were doing.

"Ah, maybe. I don't remember, _yes_." Carly pressed her lips together and glanced away for a moment. Oh, it was on now. If Shane didn't do that with her, what was it saying? She then thought of something, even though she hadn't, she wondered if Sam felt Shane's muscles.

"Did you feel his arm muscles?" Sam raised her eyebrow and lifted her eyes toward Carly, she figured she _might_ give this one to her.

"No."

"Oh…" Carly walked past Sam and smirked. "Well they're large." Sam started to take the defensive on that.

"You didn't feel his arm muscles!"

"Yes I did too!" Carly then began to defend herself by making up a story, but she spoke a little too quickly. "He told me he could beat his dad at arm wrestling and I said no way and he said no way it's really true. So I said 'wow, you must be really strong,' and he said that he worked out a little bit and asked me if I wanted to feel his biceps and I said sure, so I felt them and they felt awesome." Carly looked daringly into Sam's eyes, causing Sam to close her eyes and chuckle slightly. Carly really knew how to whip up a story.

"I think that's great." Carly nodded and Sam clasped her hands together, staring at Carly sadly. "But wouldn't it just be easier if you wrote 'I'm desperate' on your forehead?" Carly looked back at Sam with wide eyes, she was shocked by what Sam had just said. Of course, Sam could tell that Carly looked different. Carly was wearing a helping bra, something that pushed the breasts up and made them more noticeable. Sam didn't need to wear one of those, Freddie was happy with her anyway. Not only that, her chest wasn't exactly as flat as Carly's was.

"You take that back!"

"You take it back!" Okay, Sam didn't know what she was saying there, perhaps it was something about Carly liking Freddie and she wanted her to stop.

"Take what back?"

"I don't know, just take it back!" She wanted to scream for Carly to not like Freddie, that's what she wanted to do. Only, she knew it would create more trouble if she did that, so she couldn't say what she wanted to say, and therefore did not know what to say at all.

"Stop dating Shane!" With Sam's current mindset on Freddie, it was as though Carly was telling her to stop dating Freddie, and that was not going to happen.

"No, you stop!" She stopped herself from continuing the statement, since she might have shouted for Carly to stop crushing on Freddie.

"No!"

"I saw the boy first!" It was true in regards to Freddie, she had seen Freddie a long time before Carly ever did.

"We saw him simultaneously!"

"You're just jealous because he said I have a cute nose." Carly growled slightly and tried to think of a comeback, she had to admit the one she thought of was kind of weak.

"Well when he said that, did he mention the booger in it?"

"There's nothing in my nose."

"Well I don't care, because I have a date with Shane tonight!"

"Obviously."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well why don't you ask your new helping bra." Carly gasped and looked at Sam with wide eyes, this accusation, while true, angered her.

"That's _it_, I'm out of here!" Carly left the apartment and Sam raised her eyebrow, wasn't this Carly's home? Carly opened the door and glared at Sam. "This is my house!" Sam didn't want to continue the fight, so she just left the apartment. She leaned against the wall and sighed sadly, looking over only when Freddie opened his door.

"Sam?" Freddie asked while raising his eyebrow. He was actually about to leave for the gym, but if Sam was upset about something, then he could wait. Sam wiped her eyes and walked over to Freddie. "Is something the matter?"

"Carly and I had a bad fight…"

"Oh, Sam…" Freddie hugged her and gently kissed her forehead, he hated to see Sam upset, and he hated to see Carly and Sam fight. He led her back into the apartment and onto the couch, Emily wasn't there at the moment since the show had finished. Freddie tucked Sam's hair back and smiled as he looked into her eyes. "Hey, don't worry too much about it, I'm sure Carly will forget all about it tomorrow."

"We argued over Shane…well, I was actually using him as if he were you." Freddie raised his eyebrow and frowned, if she had done that, then she probably would have gotten defensive over anything that Carly said. That wouldn't be a good thing at all. "I feel really bad…" Freddie hugged her close and kissed her forehead once more, all he really could do for her right now was hold her. They would work on what to do later, but right now, Sam just needed comfort.

-NEW SCENE-

The next morning, Sam brought some cookies to school with her. She and Valerie had baked them, it was basically a peace offering to Carly. Sam moved toward Carly's locker and found her standing next to it, she smiled lightly and slowly exhaled. Freddie told her she should be the one to apologize, so that's what she was going to do. "Hey." Carly frowned and looked down slightly, she felt bad about the fight as well.

"Hi."

"I feel really bad about our fight yesterday."

"I do too." Sam smiled and held the plate of cookies to Sam.

"I brought make up cookies."

"Oh!" Carly started to take one, then looked at Sam suspiciously for a moment. "You try one first." Sam sighed and rolled her eyes slightly.

"I can't believe you'd think I would poison the cookies." Sam wasn't a murderer, she wouldn't even lace a cookie with poison and give it to Tyrone of all people.

"Well with me out of the way, you'd have an all access pass to club Shane." That would have made Sam laugh, and it did, but only inwardly. All she needed was Freddie, and she already had him to herself. It was clear Carly was joking, though. Carly took a cookie and bit into it, she was really impressed with it. Freddie walked up and spotted the cookies, he grinned and raised his eyebrow.

"Hey hey, I see cookies!" Freddie said with a hungry tone. Sam smiled and offered him the plate. He took a cookie and bit into it, it was really good. "Mm, who made them?"

"Sam." Freddie then made a gagging sound to tease Sam.

"It's okay, she didn't put anything bad in them."

"Yeah, but when was the last time Sam washed her hands?" Freddie smirked and Sam smacked her lips together. Actually, she had done a little fondling with Freddie before taking them out of the oven and setting them on the plate. A little playful touching never hurt anyone. Carly frowned and set the cookie back on the plate, Freddie did the same with his. He was going to eat it later, as well as the other cookies, but Sam unfortunately threw them away.

"So what are we going to do about this Shane thing?" Carly asked with a slight frown. Sam shrugged and slowly shook her head.

"I don't know," Sam said with a quiet voice. Freddie raised his eyebrow and looked between the two girls, he could tell it wasn't working so well.

"I thought you decided you'd both date him?" Freddie asked.

"We did, but it's not working out." Freddie rubbed his chin and looked over to see Shane walking up. "Hey Shane." Carly was already gazing at him, Sam decided to mimic her. Freddie didn't exactly like that, but he wasn't going to say anything about it.

"Hey, we have an AV club meeting," Shane reminded Freddie. He had almost forgotten about that.

"Right!" Shane turned and smiled at Carly and Sam.

"Hey Carly, hey Sam."

"Hi…" Their voices were slightly dreamy.

"Oh your hair looks a little funny in the front," Sam said as she moved to Shane and started fixing his hair. She wanted to rile Carly up.

"No it doesn't," Carly said while going in and trying to fix what Sam was doing. Sam turned to Carly and frowned.

"Uh, you made it worse."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did!" Freddie watched as the two girls competed and started trying to fix Shane's hair. He was starting to grow a bit annoyed by now. He quickly pushed their arms away and stepped in front of Shane.

"That's enough!" Freddie called out. He grunted and Sam shifted her eyes to the side, she figured he might be a little troubled by that. Shane and Freddie quickly left and Sam turned to face Carly.

"Okay, obviously only one of us can date Shane unless we want to end up murdering each other," Carly said while heaving a sigh. Sam had to admit, that was true. It also rang true with Freddie, there was no way Sam would let Carly date Freddie without someone getting injured in the process.

"So, what do we do, flip a coin?"

"Nah, I don't think we should decide this randomly." Carly had a good point, so Sam decided to suggest they let Shane pick somehow. She was sure Shane would pick Carly anyway, and if he didn't, she'd make sure he did.

"So, do we let Shane pick?" Carly was then struck with an idea, Shane _should_ pick.

"Yeah, we should! I got it! Whichever one of us that Shane kisses first gets to date him." Sam thought about that for a moment, she had to wonder how Freddie would take it. She probably wouldn't do anything, but she still had to make it look like she was _trying_ to be competitive with Carly.

"Rules?" She had to make sure she wouldn't take it too far, there was no way she was seriously going to kiss Shane. Definitely not when she had the man of her dreams with her.

"We can't kiss him, he has to kiss us."

"Terms of the kiss?"

"It has to be lips to lips." Sam would have winced at that, but she started thinking of Freddie's lips on hers. How she loved every minute of him kissing her lips and kissing her body. His lips on hers, it was truly the greatest feeling ever.

"I enjoy lips to lips…"

"It has to be three seconds."

"Or longer…" Sam was already in a daze, she just couldn't get Freddie out of her mind.

"Oh yes, longer would be nice." Both the girls now seemed to be in a daze, it was only broken by the ringing of the school bell. They snapped out of their daze and looked at each other, chuckling nervously and parting for their classes.

* * *

Hope you liked this chapter. Nice way for Sam to get distracted from matters of Shane, just start thinking of Freddie, hah!


	74. Problems with a Kiss

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 74 (Problems With a Kiss)

Freddie was not happy with the kissing idea, but he figured it would be okay as long as Shane did _not_ kiss his bride-to-be. The kissing booth that he and Sam erected was interesting, and possibly by a stroke of luck that the kiss didn't happen. If Shane had given her a dollar, Freddie would have done something to make him leave.

Fortunately, the school bell rang and made Shane have to leave. Although, that little scrawny kid that Sam was going to get to loan Shane a buck wanted a little lip to lip action with her, but Sam shot him with a water gun. Freddie had made a mental note to have a little chat with that kid later, perhaps give him a wedgie, despite wedgies having been on Sam's list of punishments and penalties for people. Either way, that kid had made Freddie's list. He was not happy with anyone that tried to hit on Sam. Not only that, but he thought Shane must have been quite stupid to fall for the fake charity Sam came up with.

Carly had nearly got him to kiss her when doing some play, but Spencer had interrupted that. He actually intended to, he didn't want some guy he didn't know to kiss Carly. She actually scolded him for that, but he quickly told her that she shouldn't be scolding him since he was the authority figure. She seemed to like to do that to Spencer, try to be the authority when she was not. Sasha helped Spencer to pretty much toughen up when it came to being the authority of the household.

Tyrone had visited again, but he didn't get to do much at all other than complain to Emily about her way of living. Freddie and Sam figured they had five more years of that crap before they would never have to deal with it again. Tyrone didn't really suspect Sam so much anymore, especially when she seemed to be paying attention to Shane and not Freddie. Robert actually scolded Tyrone quite a bit for scaring Sam the way he did, especially when, as Robert said, Sam was not Freddie's bride. Robert pretty much knew, though. It wasn't hard to figure out, for him at least.

As for Shane, Sam and Freddie had one last trick in store for him. Well, not one last trick, but it was something that might get Carly some competition. Basically Shane had to nearly kiss Sam, then they would tell Carly, and Carly would try even harder. Freddie, being as jealous as he was, was going to make sure that Shane didn't kiss Sam at all. He couldn't stand the thought of another guy kissing her, it just bothered him greatly. "Freddie, are you absolutely sure that you're going to be okay with this? I mean what if he makes contact with my lips?"

"I'll be fine with it, don't worry," Freddie replied as he patted Sam on the shoulder. "I've made sure there's no way his lips are going to grace yours." Sam raised his eyebrow and Freddie moved to the top of the stairwell. He sat on the railing and looked down as Sam prepared herself. She took a deep breath and Freddie watched for Shane. He spotted Shane walking down the hall and looked over at Sam. "He's coming." Sam quickly positioned herself on the floor as if she fainted and Freddie slid down the railing. "Sam!"

"Hey, what's wrong with Sam?!" Shane called out as he ran over to meet with Freddie. Freddie took Sam's wrist and looked at her face, he sighed and then glanced over at Shane.

"She's unconscious. I don't think she's breathing, but I don't know what to do, you'll have to take the lead." And thus would begin probably the longest few seconds of his life. He positioned himself at Sam's head and watched as Shane checked her breathing. Freddie took a deep breath and continued on. "Come on, you know how to give mouth to mouth resuscitation!"

"Yeah, I was certified last year."

"Well do it man!" Freddie saw Sam's face twitch slightly, she was just as uncomfortable with this as he was. Shane started to lean in and Freddie tapped his fingers nervously on the ground. Anyone that saw him would say they thought he was nervous for Sam's sake and hoped she'd be all right, but how he was really feeling was way different. Currently, he wanted to tear Shane away from Sam and kiss her himself. _"Come on, where's that damned nurse?"_ That was right, he'd set it up so the nurse would come before Shane actually kissed Sam.

Freddie was so close to throwing Shane back, the closer he got to Sam, the more furious Freddie was becoming. Just then, he heard the nurse's voice, it was music to his ears, and Sam's as well. "Give me some room!" The nurse shouted. "Out of my way, move!" The nurse grabbed Shane and threw him against a locker, much to Freddie's pleasure.

"Ow!" Shane cried out as he rubbed the back of his head. The nurse pulled out two shock items and Sam quickly grabbed her wrists.

"Wait! I feel better!" Sam called out. She didn't want to get shocked when there was nothing wrong with her.

"Hold still!" Sam struggled under the nurse and Freddie contemplated whether he should pull her off Sam. Sam managed to flip the nurse over and pin her down.

"I'm fine, alright!"

"I'm going to report you to the principal's office for impersonating a sick person! What is your name?"

"Rebecca Berkowitz!" Freddie chuckled and covered his mouth, that girl was someone from Sam's elementary days. She was actually someone that bugged Sam all the time. Those days were gone and the girl had moved a long time ago. Sam got up and looked over at Freddie, she chuckled and pointed to Shane, but her eyes remained on Freddie. "I'll text you later." Then, she quickly left the scene, Freddie slowly left as well, leaving a baffled Shane against the lockers.

-NEW SCENE-

Two days later, Sam and Freddie were at home. Sam was resting on her bed, she felt quite upset over the events that had taken place. In the end, Shane wound up falling down an elevator shaft. The girls vowed to not let a guy get in the way of something like that again, but Sam just wasn't sure. She also knew Freddie must have been feeling really bad about everything. She felt guilty for probably making him feel really jealous. She frowned and twiddled her fingers together, she couldn't be sure what to think after all that. She looked to her door and saw Freddie enter, he closed the door and smiled at Sam. "Hey Sam."

"Hi Freddie," Sam said in a quiet voice. Freddie sat next to Sam and took her hand in his. Sam frowned and stared at Freddie with a sad look. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry about?"

"I'm sorry that I had to pretend to like Shane and that it got too far." Freddie shook his head and lay next to Sam, he gently kissed her forehead and gazed into her eyes.

"Don't be sorry, you haven't done a thing wrong at all. Yeah, I got jealous, but that's just because I didn't want some other guy, a punk, getting so close to the girl I love. That would be you." Freddie smirked and tickled Sam's side, causing her to laugh.

"Ah! Freddie, no more tickling!" Sam laughed harder as Freddie continued to tickle her. "Aha, I can't stop…laughing! Eek, Freddie you're going to make me wet myself!"

"I would love seeing that happen." Freddie laughed and stopped tickling Sam, she started to pant as Freddie's face moved mere inches from hers. Freddie was sure of it, Sam was gorgeous. He couldn't get enough of her brilliant eyes and sweet smile, or the laugh that sounded like music to his ears. "Did I not tell you this before? You've got a very cute nose." Sam blushed and Freddie gently kissed her nose.

"Doesn't change anything, you're still a bastard." Freddie smirked and Sam returned his smirk, she loved teasing him like that.

"Yeah, well then I'm the bastard that you're in love with. Your bastard." Sam laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess so." Freddie raised his eyebrow and moved his hands to Sam's sides, his fingertips slowly gracing her skin. She knew exactly what was coming. "Don't you dare!"

"Say you love me." Sam laughed and looked into Freddie's dark chocolate eyes.

"Never!" Freddie shrugged and began tickling her once more, causing her to laugh out. "No! Stop! I told you, you'll make me wet myself if you don't stop!" She couldn't stop laughing, and Freddie continued to tickle her. "I can't take it anymore! AHA!" Sam kicked her feet in the air and Freddie continued to tickle her. "I love you Freddie!"

"A boo ya." Freddie smirked and stopped tickling her, but that didn't stop a wet spot from appearing in the middle of her legs.

"Freddie! I told you!" Freddie laughed lightly and Sam narrowed her eyes as she playfully smacked his arm. He then lowered himself and kissed her lips, something he'd been wanting to do all week. Sam closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his back, she could change her pants in a little bit. "I'm still going to get you back."

"Good luck with that."

"A challenge is it?" She deepened the kiss and moved her hands toward his side. He raised his eyebrow and felt her start moving her fingers along his sides at a rapid pace, but it wasn't working. She forgot that he wasn't ticklish there. She then remembered he was ticklish at his feet, and he wasn't wearing any shoes. "Oh Freddie…." She smirked and started brushing her feet onto Freddie's foot, he quickly lost his guard, letting Sam flip him onto his back.

"Sam!" Sam laughed and grabbed his foot, she began to tickle it rapidly, causing him to begin laughing. As he struggled to free his foot from her grip, she managed to hold onto it. After several seconds of this, Freddie felt a wet spot between his pants. "Aw man! You got me."

"Hah!" Sam smirked triumphantly and stood up from the bed, she was sure she could get him back, and she did. "_Never_ doubt my skills."

"You mean your skills when in the bed? Oh don't worry, I don't doubt them." Sam blushed and Freddie moved out of the room toward his, he would have to change now.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I actually had a different method for Sam getting Freddie back during that moment, but I changed it over quite a bit.


	75. Planning a Suprise Party

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 75 (Planning a Surprise Party)

A few weeks later, the start of April had come around. Sam's fifteenth birthday would be in nearly ten days. Freddie was considering a surprise party for her, but he'd have to set it up for her. He also needed to consider the guest list, Tyrone was definitely off of it. He didn't have a problem inviting the other Shays, and something told him Robert would be there anyway.

Valerie was going to bake the cake, Freddie wanted it perfect. It was going to be half chocolate and half vanilla, with some sprinkles, and an edible photo on the top of the cake. The image would be of Sam smiling brightly, with her golden locks flowing around her body. He wasn't sure who was going to be on the guest list, or where the party was going to be. Of course, that was only because the party hadn't been planned yet. Freddie was currently dealing with who would be on the guest list.

"Carly could come along, I would think," Valerie said while rubbing her chin. Jonah frowned and shrugged his shoulders, he didn't think it'd be too much trouble if she came. The only problem would be that Freddie would have to find a reason why he and Jonah were friends. Ever since Freddie told Carly about Valerie, she had become friendlier with her. "Jonah's my boyfriend, so I don't think Carly would be too confused about why he's there." Jonah raised his eyebrow and sighed, he didn't seem to mind much, but he wouldn't be talking much to Carly.

"I'm not doing much talking to her, though," Jonah replied while writing Carly's name down. Valerie smiled and rolled her eyes, Jonah's pride was just another quirk of his that she loved. "So, do you want me to put Spencer and Mr. Shay on the list?" Freddie rubbed his chin and nodded, he had nothing against those two. He had a feeling Robert wasn't much different than he was. Perhaps it was even the case that Robert loved Emily. If that were the case, the Freddie wondered if he had a sibling, in which case, where was this sibling? Could it be Spencer?

"Mark down Sasha and Lisa as well," Freddie stated.

"Right." Valerie leaned back in her chair and smiled.

"I work at a nearby café, it's not so huge that it will have a million people there, it's small enough for a surprise party," she suggested. Freddie thought about it for a moment, it seemed like a good idea. She worked at a place called _Sherry's Kitchen_. "I can get my boss to let us throw a surprise party for Sam there. Sam's birthday falls on a day that she closes it down, though."

"See if you can't get your boss to let you open it on that day." Valerie nodded and immediately went to a phone. Jonah and Freddie continued working on the guest list. "Is there any way we can prevent Tyrone from knowing about this?" Jonah didn't think that was possible, since they were going to invite Carly. Inviting Carly, she would tell Tyrone about the party and where it was. Freddie frowned and crossed his arms, he'd have to think of a way to keep Tyrone away. "How can we keep him out?" It was a tough question, they probably wouldn't be able to do it. Then again, Robert may keep the guy out in his own way.

"She gave the okay," Valerie said as she walked over to the guys. Freddie and Jonah grinned, it seemed things would be working out as planned. The only major thing was that Freddie couldn't do anything relationship-wise with her during the party. There would be quite a few guests on the list, including people like Shane. "So, will there be balloons and confetti?" Freddie chuckled and nodded his head in reply, of course there would be balloons, there always was.

"There's going to be a lot of planning involved, I'm sure. Someone should be the one to take her to the café, and I don't think it should be me." Jonah and Valerie nodded, it could be risky if Freddie took Sam to the café. They could probably have Valerie or Carly leading her to the café. "I think maybe Valerie should take care of it. I see no problem with Valerie taking Sam to the restaurant." Perhaps it would even be safer if there was another friend to go with her. All they knew was Freddie couldn't go with her. It was for the best that he remains as friend only on her birthday party. "Every year I say this, and every year I want it to be this way: This year has to be her best birthday party ever." Jonah chuckled and patted Freddie on the back, they could be sure to arrive at that goal.

"Next thing you know, Freddie. You'll have Sam going on a cruise for her anniversary!" Freddie rubbed his chin in thought and stared at Jonah, that wasn't such a bad idea actually. A luxury cruise for their second year anniversary, it was worth a shot if they could do it.

-NEW SCENE-

"So, you guys are planning a surprise party for Sam, are you?" Robert asked with raised eyebrows and a small smile. Emily smiled and nodded her head in response. Robert rubbed his chin and walked over to the coffee pot in the kitchen. "You do know that your son invited me, Spencer and Carly to the birthday party, right?" Emily nodded her head once more, she couldn't be happier about that, actually. It was odd, but lately she had seen a side of him that she hadn't seen in years, it was the side of him that she loved.

Robert reached for an orange in the fruit basket next to the coffee maker. He chuckled and tossed the orange into the air, catching it with his other hand. Smoothly he placed the orange on a plate and started to cut it in half. Emily figured he was just showing off, but she didn't actually mind. "Well it'll be…nice having you and Spencer there, Carly as well." Robert grinned and began to peel the orange, he was glad to be at the party as well. He was glad that he was most likely getting a second chance, even though he and Emily really weren't dating at the moment.

"Would you like a slice?" Emily nodded and took a slice of the orange. She bit into it and glanced over at Robert. He hadn't really changed much in the last several years, though he did seem to have grown stronger. She wouldn't mind dating him, she actually wanted him to ask her out sometime, it would be great if he did. Robert wanted to ask her out, but he was concerned that maybe Emily didn't want him to just yet. There was even the possibility that she didn't want him to do that.

"You know Robert…" Emily closed her eyes and sighed lightly. Robert took a bite of his orange and glanced over at her. "I can tell you're definitely a changed man, and for the better. So maybe…" Robert raised his eyebrow and Emily shrugged it off, she wasn't sure if it was the right time. She thought it was, but then she just couldn't be one hundred percent sure. She wanted Robert to tell her he still cared, she wanted him to say he still loved her, that he wanted her to care for their son and his daughter.

"Marissa, I've been thinking…" Emily winced and narrowed her eyes, she hated her first name. Robert knew never to call her Marissa, but to call her by her middle name. They'd said that from their childhood. Though, Robert typically did that if it were something very serious. She looked to him with hopeful eyes, that he would say just what she wanted, what she needed to hear. Robert wasn't sure if it was the right time though, there could still be far too much tension. He looked to her and his eyes moved toward her lips, the very lips that he'd missed for so long.

"Yes?" Robert started to speak, but hesitated a moment. This was Emily, the same girl he loved for so long in his life. He wanted her back so badly, but could the timing really work? With Tyrone out there, he could cause more damage. He'd already hurt Emily a few times before, or at least tried. He didn't want to see Emily get harmed, it just didn't seem proper. Perhaps now was not the best time at all. He slowly closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Nevermind that for now…"

"Oh…" Emily frowned and looked downward, maybe she'd been expecting too much. Maybe he didn't care for her anymore. Who really knew? "Okay." Robert smiled sadly at her and Emily quickly shrugged her shoulders, she wasn't going to let it get the best of her. "Let's continue planning Sam's party."

"Yeah, I'm sure Freddie wants to make it perfect for his wife." Robert smirked and Emily stared blankly at a wall, her eyes wide with shock. Robert knew, and she hadn't even told him. She quickly turned to Robert and he smiled at her. "You don't honestly think I'm going to tell anyone, do you? I would never do that to you, Freddie, or Sam." She could see that he had a genuine look on his face, she had never known him to lie to her. It was just something about him that she could trust. He made an effort to care, no matter what happened. "Just another week and everything will be all ready, I'm sure Sam will enjoy it. Even better, it's going to be a Tyrone free party." Robert smirked and Emily laughed, how could anyone _not_ enjoy a party without that arrogant asshole around?

"And you would talk about your own father like that."

"Yeah, why are you surprised?" After all Tyrone had done to him, to Emily, to Sam and Freddie, there was nothing that Robert could like about the guy. This wasn't the time to talk about him, though. They needed to discuss Sam's party and do whatever they could to get the planning done. After all, everyone had to do their parts. "You know, I think Freddie's starting to like me more. I'm hoping he does." Emily nodded her head in reply, it would help if he did. Maybe, just maybe, things would work out.

* * *

I hope you liked this. I know I've been updating this story a lot, and it feels like it's costing me some readers because my other stories haven't been updated...but I'm working on them, honest! It's just the way things have been going lately, it's been hard for me to write. However, I refuse to give up! Just bear with me because everything will be just fine! ^_^. Review if you want, they make me smile ^_^


	76. Birthday Party

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 76 (Sam's Birthday)

"Happy Birthday, Angel…" Sam mumbled and slowly opened her eyes to see Freddie watching her from the side of the bed. Emily was standing next to him and smiling softly at her. Sam smiled lightly and rubbed her eyes, it wasn't a bad way to start out a morning. "Hey Sam, enjoy your breakfast." She raised her eyebrows and looked down to see a breakfast tray sitting over her. On the tray was a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, bacon and a biscuit. Next to the plate was a glass of orange juice.

"Aw, you brought me breakfast. You guys are so good to me!" Sam lifted her hand and gestured for Freddie to come closer. He leaned forward and Sam snuck a quick peck on his cheek. Emily leaned forward and gave Sam a hug. She stood corrected, breakfast in bed, now _this_ was a good way to start out the morning on her birthday. "Thank you so much."

"Anything for you, my sweet heavenly gift…" Sam blushed and Freddie kissed her forehead. Sam then began to eat her breakfast, she was going to savor every moment of it. She glanced over at Freddie and saw him frowning; she put her toast down and looked over at him with concern. "Hey Sam, I'm not going to be able to do much today, I'm going to be busy. I have to head over to the school and talk to Principal Franklin about some things." Sam frowned and stared at him with slight confusion, she wondered what he had to talk to the principal about.

"Okay, but…" Freddie looked at the time and jumped up, appearing as though he would be late. He quickly ran out of the room and Sam glanced over at the clock, it was only a little after eleven in the morning. "Hey mom, you don't suppose we could watch another crime drama or something, do you?" Emily rubbed her chin and slowly sighed. Sam could only frown, as this typically meant no.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but I have some last minute things to catch up on at the office."

"Oh, okay…I guess I'll hang out with Carly, then."

"Sure, that sounds like a good idea." Emily smiled and rubbed Sam's shoulder as she exited the room. Sam sighed and began eating her breakfast, it sucked that she couldn't spend time with either Freddie or Emily today. After she finished eating, she got out of bed and got dressed, then she moved over to Carly's apartment and knocked on the door. Carly opened the door and smiled at Sam, but she merely stood in the slightly open doorway, not exactly letting Sam look inside. Spencer was busy building a sculpture for her and didn't want her to see.

"Hi Sam, I'm sorry I can't do anything with you today, we're kind of waiting for grandpa to come over," Carly said in a quick voice. Sam gasped softly and stepped back, Tyrone was coming. Not on her birthday, she didn't want to have to deal with that vile and despicable man on her _birthday_. "He's just visiting to talk with Dad, since they haven't talked much in a little while." Sam smiled at that, she had always been able to see some good in Robert, so she liked and trusted him. From what Freddie told her, Robert didn't like Tyrone one bit. She could also see some good in Carly, it was just where he sad that Tyrone had her right where he wanted.

"So I guess you guys are getting busy preparing to see your granddad, right?" Carly nodded and slowly closed the door. Sam frowned and pressed her back against the wall, Carly was out of the question. Who else was there that she could spend time with? Sasha and Lisa were probably busy. Knowing Jonah, he was probably going to find Freddie and hang out somewhere. Valerie was always a possibility. Sam pulled out her phone and dialed Valerie's number.

"Sam? Hey, I was just about to call you, girl!" Valerie squealed when she answered. Sam smiled lightly and Valerie continued to speak. "So, happy birthday…how is everything going?"

"Not so great Valerie, no one can do much of anything today, and I think Tyrone's coming over." Valerie groaned and rolled her eyes, the king of all bastards was probably going to create some trouble. Hopefully everyone could keep him at bay. "So Valerie, you're not doing anything, are you? I mean…I don't mean to impose or sound forceful, I was just wondering…"

"Oh, no Sam, I'm available if you want to spend some time together! We could go do our nails or something while the guys are out!" Sam laughed and nodded her head, that sounded like the perfect idea to her. "If you want, you can meet me down at the mall. Or, I can come and pick you up. We're going to have so much fun on our 'girl's day out' today!"

"Yeah, we will. You can come get me if you want."

"I will be right over."

-NEW SCENE

Sam and Valerie had spent a few hours doing a bunch of stuff together, and now they were starting to get hungry. They needed to find a good place to eat. Sam was in the restroom at the moment, so Valerie took the time to call up Jonah. "Hey Jonah, is everything ready? We're getting a bit hungry, should I bring her over now?" Jonah hummed and went to ask Freddie if it was all right for Valerie to bring Sam over, he nodded his answer and prepared the guests. "Oh, and has Tyrone been a problem at all? I know Sam said he was visiting Carly and Spencer."

"No, Tyrone hasn't been an issue yet, but thanks for the heads up. He's not around here, Mr. Shay said he sent Tyrone out to run a few errands." Valerie smiled lightly and looked toward the mall restroom, she was thankful that Tyrone wasn't causing any trouble. "Oh, and Freddie says you can bring Sam over now, all the party guests are ready and everything is situated. Sam's fifteenth birthday is going to be one she will remember!" Valerie chuckled and nodded her head, that's what they were aiming for. She wanted Sam to have a good birthday. Spending the day with her best friend, then having a surprise birthday party in her honor, surely it would be memorable.

"All right, I'll bring her over now. Love you honey."

"I love you too." Valerie hung up and spotted Sam walking over to her, she stood up and smiled as Sam dusted off her pants.

"I hate public restrooms," Sam remarked with a small scowl. She always thought public restrooms were smelly, messy, and various other things were wrong with it. Valerie laughed lightly and patted Sam on the back, she felt for Sam, she too hated public restrooms.

"Well, I know a good place to eat." Sam grinned and looked over to Valerie, eager to hear where they could kill the starvation and rumbling in her stomach. "I say we go to _Sherry's Kitchen_." Sam frowned at that, she enjoyed going to the place, but she was sure they were closed today. "My boss said that she was opening up her doors today."

"Oh, well that's good. I guess it wouldn't be bad to go there, I've always enjoyed eating over there, you know." Valerie nodded and left the mall with Sam. They talked about various things as they walked toward the restaurant, they even talked about how funny it would be to see Tyrone dressed up in a pink tutu and doing ballet.

At the party was a variety of people that Sam knew, it was shocking, but every guest managed to find a place to hide in the small and homely restaurant. Freddie had thought up a very nice guest list, pity that most of the guests were people that shouldn't know about the relationship just yet. Of the guests there, there was Shane, Rueben, Shannon, Gibby, Jake, a few girls from school that Sam knew, Carly, Robert, Spencer, Sasha, and Jonah. It was odd for Shane to be there, since he had sworn off both Carly and Sam, but he still thought it would be nice to go.

Sam and Valerie arrived at the door of the restaurant, Sam glanced over at something else, leaving Valerie with enough time to issue the signaling knock that they were there. When Sam glanced back, Valerie was holding the door open for her. They entered the restaurant and found nothing but darkness everywhere. Sam thought it was odd, since Valerie's boss told her she'd be opening the doors. "Hey, I thought your boss said the place was open today."

"It is, but it's not open until I come, and it's only open for one private thing." Sam tilted her head and looked to Valerie with confusion. Valerie pointed forward, so Sam turned her head forward as her friend flipped on the lights. Once the lights went on, everyone jumped out and yelled surprise. Sam gasped and her gaping mouth formed a large smile, she couldn't believe it. She looked to Valerie and saw a smiling smirk on her face. "Freddie set it all up."

"Oh my god…" She looked to Freddie and spotted him smiling at her, she just wanted to kiss him on the spot. Balloons and confetti were everywhere, and right above Freddie was a large banner that read "Happy fifteenth birthday, Sam!"

"Well if you're just going to stand there, I guess I'm going to have to lead you over." Valerie laughed and began pushing Sam toward a table with a cake on it. Sam's eyes began to water as everyone began singing her the happy birthday song. She saw her image on the cake and grinned even more, it seemed like the perfect cake, with fifteen candles in it. This was surely turning into the best birthday experience of her life.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that chapter. By the way, the story "Secrets of Faith" by Neelix31 deals with the similar topic as my story, however he is NOT copying from my idea and I gave him the okay to write it. Do read his story though, I believe it will turn out to be a very good story. Some of his points are similar to mine, but keep in mind that he did not copy from my idea. Thank you.


	77. Pak Rat

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 77 (Pak Rat)

Spencer and Sasha were hanging around the basement area of the apartment, it was fun to be down there from time to time. They were discussing the whole secret relationship thing, Sasha was still a bit concerned about what might happen if the truth came out, but Spencer didn't want to keep it secret anymore. "I want to tell the world that I love you, Sasha," Spencer said while draping an arm around Sasha's shoulder. They were sitting on what was a very old couch.

"I know, and I want to tell the world about my love for you," Sasha replied while kissing Spencer's cheek. She wanted nothing more than to be with Spencer and have everyone know they were together. If anything, Spencer and Sasha knew how Sam and Freddie must feel about their secret relationship. Spencer still didn't know Sam was Freddie's bride, but he was pretty close to finding out, given all the signs of everything.

"Then why can't we? Why can't we just swallow our blinding fears?" Spencer stood up and struck a dramatic pose. "We could just say, Hey world!" Sasha laughed, which was what Spencer was trying to get her to do. "Look at us, we're in love!" Spencer took another step forward and balled his fists up. "If you try to stop our love, we won't let you!" Sasha was laughing at Spencer's dramatic act, it was one of the many reasons she could say that she loved him. "If you try to tear us apart, I w-" Spencer slipped on something wet and shouted as he fell back and hit his head on some machine. Sasha gasped and quickly rushed over to see if he was okay.

"Spencer! Are you hurt?" Spencer moaned and Sasha gingerly lifted him up and rested his head in her lap. He looked into her eyes and smiled, she had the most beautiful eyes in the world.

"I'm not hurt anymore, an angel has me in her hands…" Sasha smiled at him and leaned down to kiss his forehead. She was glad to see he wasn't hurt much at all. "Damn though, what did I bump into?" Sasha looked over as she and Spencer stood up, they saw what seemed to be a really old Pak Rat machine.

"Oh…my god…" Spencer raised his eyebrow and Sasha circled the machine, eyeing it. It was like a blast from her past, several years ago, she had been a champ at the game. She had used a fake last name so no one would find her, though. "Spencer, do you know what this is?!" Spencer rubbed the back of his head and shrugged.

"Yeah, the thing that just gave the back of my head a huge bump." Sasha chuckled and slowly shook her head.

"No, it's Pak Rat…"

"Oh, that game? I've played a bit of it online…do you think it still works? We could hook it up and try it."

"Nah, I'm done with Pak Rat…" Spencer nodded in understanding, she had told him that part of her life. He actually enjoyed the game, so maybe he'd take it to his apartment and play a bit of it. Sasha looked over and smiled, she could see it in his eyes, he did want to give it a try. "Why don't you take it on up to your apartment and clean it up, it's a fun game. I guess."

"Sure I'll do that right now, do you…" Spencer stopped and Sasha frowned sadly at him, he was going to ask if she wanted to go up with him, but their stupid secret relationship prevented them from being together in front of Carly or anyone else. "Nevermind, I'll just go ahead and take it up…" Sasha walked over and cupped her hand over his cheek, she smiled and gently kissed his lips.

"Hey, it'll be all right. I have to go check up on mom and get some studying done, so I'll see you later."

"I love you Sasha."

"I love you too, Spencer." Spencer watched as Sasha left for the stairs, he sighed and moved the machine into the elevator. He pressed the floor for his apartment and waited as he made it to the apartment. He figured he'd just go ahead and act peppy, it'd get Sasha and the damned secret off of his mind. Unlike Freddie, his relationship really didn't _have_ to be secret. He could easily defend himself and Sasha against people like Tyrone. The elevator door opened and he heard Carly talking on the phone, he smiled and quickly jumped out.

"Carly! Carly! Wait until you see what I got!" Carly chuckled and stood up from the couch as Spencer ran back in the elevator and began pushing out the Pak Rat machine. He turned around and grinned at his little sister.

"What is that?"

"A Pak Rat machine!"

"Pak Rat?"

"Yeah, it's a really old video game from like the last century." Carly chuckled once more and Spencer held his grin. "I played versions of it online, but this is the original _real deal_, one of those popular video games of all time!"

"Cool, is it going to work?"

"I don't know…" Spencer walked around and looked at the back of the machine. "I have to check out all the wiring and circuit board and stuff.

"But shouldn't you be working on your sculpture?" That was right, Spencer had to make a sculpture that some doctor requested for his wife. He figured he had time, he actually wanted to get started on the game. It was something that Sasha had enjoyed at one point of time in her life, and that was the closest thing to Sasha that he was going to get while being around Carly and the others. Even if it was just symbolic.

"I've got time, the doctor isn't coming to pick that up until Sunday. Didn't you look him up online?"

"Yeah, his brother owns seven art galleries, so make him happy!"

"No worries, I'm going to build him the best sculpture in the history of mixed breed dog sculptures." Spencer opened the back of the machine and nearly shuddered when he spotted a dead raccoon. "This thing must have been out there for _years_, because I don't think this was supposed to be in there." He pulled out the raccoon and Carly winced with disgust. "Hold it."

"No!" Spencer chuckled and moved to throw the dead animal somewhere else, he definitely would have to clean the thing up. When he did, it would hopefully be as good as new.

-NEW SCENE

Carly and Sam made it to Sam's "house" so to speak, Lisa was ready for her, but the only problem was that Sasha was still there. She figured she may as well move to another room, since she didn't really want Carly to see her there. She could always hide away in the basement or her own bedroom that no one ever went into.

"Carly, how are you?" Lisa asked as Carly and Sam entered the house. Carly smiled at her and Sam leaned against a wall.

"Hey _mom_, sorry it took so long to get here to clean my room…but Spencer was supposed to drive us, yet he couldn't." Lisa raised her eyebrow and Sasha stopped walking toward her room, she stood in the hallway and pressed her back against the wall, listening in. Lisa actually knew very well that Spencer and Sasha were together, she was probably the only person in the world that knew their secret, except for Spencer's friend Socko and one of Sasha's closest friends.

"What was wrong with Spencer?"

"Oh, he's just addicted to that new game of his." Sasha furrowed her brow and let out a small sigh, of course he'd get addicted to it. She smiled lightly and shook her head, she would have to figure out how to get him away from that game. "He plays it day and night, it seems. It's _really_ annoying." Sam flopped onto the couch and Carly stepped behind her, needing to remind her that she needed to clean her room.

"Sam, come on, we came here to clean your room up!" Carly said with a quick voice. Sasha winced and quickly ran to the room that they used as Sam's room, it was pretty clean. Sam must have told Carly that Lisa wanted her to clean the room. Sasha decided to make it a bit messy, so that Carly wouldn't see a blatant lie. While messing the room up a bit, she got to thinking. Why was she so concerned about this relationship being a secret? She probably tired of it as much as Spencer did. She frowned and wiped her brow as she exited the room and entered hers. What was she going to do? She was just so scared to reveal it, but could it be so easy? It wasn't like Tyrone would do to them what he would do to Sam and Freddie, was it?

"Okay, let's get started on the room," Sam said with a slight moan as she and Carly entered her room. Her eyebrows rose when she saw that there was actually a mess in it, she chuckled and figured Sasha may have been involved in that. Which meant Sasha was still in the house, _that_ was a bad thing.

"Wow Sam, you really do know how to make a mess of things." Sam chuckled and crossed her arms over.

"Yeah that I do..." Sam was tricking Freddie with bad luck since he didn't forward some stupid chain letter, but it seemed he figured it out. Emily wasn't too thrilled when Sam wanted to turn a pair of pants pink, but some convincing and her more humorous side of things got her to not really mind at all. Freddie decided that she should keep the pranks going, just for the hell of it, and that they would end it with a major one. They even discussed the possibility of using a fake, but working laptop to make it look like even more bad luck was happening. It was all just lighthearted fun for them.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that chapter!


	78. A Secret Unraveled

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 78 (A Secret Unraveled)

The next day brought about a smoldering laptop, which actually scared the crap out of Carly. So maybe it wasn't the _best _idea, but hey, Freddie actually got a thrill from it. He was more of an action buff, and that was a little bit of action in his life that he would enjoy. Of course, that wasn't to exclude the "action" that Sam always teased him with.

No, he and Sam never had sex, but they did take their relationship to the next 'gear' that Emily had once informed them about. Basically it was just playful patting and teasing while still clothed. His mind being on Sam, he was completely ignoring what Carly was saying to her brother when Spencer brought in the pieces of the sculpture. He was sure it had something to do with the fact that Spencer hadn't even started on the sculpture and it was so close to Sunday.

Freddie spotted the high score on the game and his eyebrows went up, it was a pretty high number. He looked over at Spencer and stared at him for a moment, how much time had Spencer been on the thing? "Hey, is this your high score? Eight hundred and sixty seven thousand?"

"Yep," Spencer replied. Carly's jaw fell and she looked at Spencer with annoyance while placing her hands on her hips. She seemed to be a bit upset that Spencer was even able to get that high, it had to have taken him a long time in order to do such a thing. While they talked, Freddie moved to the computer and looked up the highest score in Pak Rat, he was interested in knowing what the highest score ever was. When he searched, he found someone named Sasha Striker had scored the highest number, he found it pretty interesting that the girl had the same first name as his cousin.

"Hey guys, look at this." Carly and Spencer moved over and stared at the computer, Spencer's eyebrows rose when he spotted Sasha's name. "The highest score on record for a game of Pak Rat was achieved by a girl by the name of Sasha Striker."

"Yeah, I've heard of Sasha Striker…"

"It says when she was only sixteen, she became the number one Pak Rat player in the world." Yeah, that was true, and only a little over ten or eleven years ago. Now, she was the number one girl in Spencer's life. He had to love that. "Then she disappeared and no one's seen her since." Freddie clicked the next button and spotted the image of her at sixteen, she looked strikingly like Sasha, but Freddie hit that off as mere coincidence. Her score was pretty impressive too. "Whoa, she scored one million and thirty four thousand points in _one_ game!"

"Not bad for a lady rat." Carly looked at Spencer and raised her eyebrow. He did actually think that was pretty impressive, his girlfriend really _was_ the best Pak Rat player in the world.

"I bet you could beat her score."

"Don't encourage him!" Carly shouted. That actually wasn't a bad idea, Spencer could have bragging rights and tease her with it.

"I have to beat that score!" Freddie raised his eyebrow and watched an interaction between Spencer and Carly, she really wanted him to get his sculpture done. Chances were, Spencer would play until he fell asleep and then the doctor would come the next day.

-NEW SCENE-

Sasha was watching iCarly as she always tried to do, she often dropped everything, even her studies to watch it. Sam had told her once before that Spencer was still addicted to Pak Rat, and she herself had tried to find ways to get him off of it. It was unfortunate that she couldn't enter his apartment without possibly revealing their secret relationship. That meant she had to try for outside sources, and that wasn't easy at all.

Her eyes widened when Carly and Sam began talking about Pak Rat, Spencer, and Sasha Striker. She leaned back and screamed out. "Mom! Mom come quick!" Lisa ran into Sasha's room, greatly concerned with what her daughter needed. "Sam's talking about me on iCarly…well, about Sasha Striker."

"You mean when you changed your name so people wouldn't come find you all the time?" Lisa asked while raising her eyebrow.

"Uh huh…"

"Oh boy…"

"One of you has to know where Sasha Striker is," Carly said while pointing to the screen.

"And if you help us locate her," Sam stated with a smile.

"Or get her to locate us at …"

"Then you'll win one of these fabulous prizes." Sasha stared at the screen in surprise, Lisa was confused as well. Normally Lisa watched iCarly, but today she wasn't able to, so she actually had no clue what was going on.

"Why do they want to find you?" Lisa asked while placing her hand on Sasha's shoulder and staring at the screen.

"Spencer's addicted to Pak Rat and they want us to compete, I think. He thinks he can beat my score."

"How did all this get started, anyway?"

"Let's see, we were talking about our relationship, he was being funny and slipped…he hit his head on the Pak Rat machine and I told him to go ahead and play it." Lisa chuckled and shook her head, she and Sasha both knew how Spencer was with things like that. Though, it was most likely not just the fact that it was a game, but the fact that it symbolized Sasha in a way. He love Sasha, therefore he loved the game. He didn't want his love for her to be a secret, so his love of Pak Rat was not a secret.

"So what will you do, Sasha? I'm sure the press will find you because of iCarly…"

"Not if Spencer beats my score…" Lisa raised her eyebrow and watched as Sasha slowly stood up. "Mom, call Freddie and Sam over here." She was going to do it, she was going to come out of hiding this one time. Lisa could do nothing but support her. She smiled and moved to the telephone as Sasha left into another room. As she prepared herself, Lisa asked for Freddie and Sam to arrive. So in about ten minutes, Sam and Freddie had arrived, Sasha was sitting on the couch with a trophy in her hand.

"You wanted to see us, Sasha?" Sam asked while walking toward the couch. Her eyes moved toward the trophy and her eyebrows rose, Freddie's did as well. The trophy looked just like that in the picture of sixteen year old Sasha Striker. Both Freddie and Sam's jaws nearly fell to the floor, could it be that Sasha was actually Sasha _Striker_?

"Eleven years ago, I used the last name of Striker so that people wouldn't know it was me. Then I went back to living a normal life, holding that high score to my name. If Spencer thinks he can beat my score, I would like to see him try."

"You're kidding me," Freddie said with slight disbelief. "_You_ are the famous…"

"Is there something wrong Cuz?"

"No, no not at all, I am just a bit shocked…that's it…" Sasha smiled and slowly stood up, she had confidence that the press probably would leave her alone. Really the only people who would bother were video game geeks on the gaming channel, so it was rarely a problem for her. After all, people didn't bother Carly that much.

"So, I will challenge Spencer and see if he can beat my score." She smirked confidently while Lisa leaned against the doorway and smiled. Sam and Freddie nodded their heads and grinned, this was too good.

-NEW SCENE-

The next day was the day, Sasha was ready, and had decided to wear her purple tank top that Spencer loved. Sasha had decided to tell Sam about her relationship with Spencer. Sam was pretty shocked when she found out. Freddie didn't know quite yet, because Sasha wasn't sure if she wanted to reveal it to that many people just yet. Even though it was just one person more.

Sam and Freddie ran into Carly's apartment, both of them were in a hurry. "She's here!" Sam called out. "She's coming up the elevator!" Carly cheered and quickly unplugged Spencer's game cord as he was playing. He yelped and quickly plugged the cord and pointed at the three.

"Uncool!" Spencer exclaimed.

"Just stop playing for a _minute_," Carly stated with a desperate voice. Spencer groaned and rolled his eyes, it was like asking him to stop loving Sasha, that would never happen.

"No. I did what you asked me to do! I shaved, I took a shower, I mailed that movie back to-" Just then the elevator started to open, Spencer raised his eyebrow and glanced over in time to see Sasha. She looked absolutely stunning. This was bad, Spencer might just drop the bomb and reveal the secret, that purple dress always got him worked up. "Who's the girl in the sexy purple tank top?"

"Her name is Sasha," Sam replied. Who was he kidding? He knew her, he knew her _well_.

"Sasha _Striker_," Freddie added while smirking. Spencer made a slight noise and looked to Sasha, he wanted to embrace her right then, but couldn't. Sasha stepped next to the trio and smiled at Spencer, Carly moved toward her and raised her eyebrows.

"The number one Pak Rat player in the _world_," Carly stated as a matter of fact.

"H-How did you guys find her?" Spencer asked. He stuttered on his voice, he couldn't believe Sasha actually came to see him. He couldn't believe that the group actually found her.

"Through the power of iCarly," Freddie replied.

"Now just play Pak Rat and beat her so you can retire for good!" Sasha smirked and stepped toward Spencer, he stepped back, trying not to be tempted to break their secret relationship. It seemed like she was trying to seduce him into doing it, though. It also looked like she was in a competitive mode.

"Yeah, I hear you're really good," Sasha said while looking into Spencer's eyes. He chuckled lightly and continued moving back while Sasha continued moving forward. "So why don't you beat me."

"You don't think I can, do you?"

"I _know_ you can't. But I like a challenge." She nodded and Spencer swallowed hard, he and Sasha both knew he was loving this.

"You know, I feel scared and attracted to you right now." Sasha smirked and continued looking into his eyes. They knew who would win this battle. Spencer could never resist her when she was trying to seduce him.

"Are you two going to make out or play some Pak Rat?" Sam asked while growing increasingly impatient. Spencer and Sasha glanced over, they knew they'd better get it over with. The doorbell rang and everyone glanced over in confusion, just then a bunch of cameramen barged into the room.

"Hey! Who are you guys!"

"I'm Barry Shatt, from the videogame channel!" He spoke and held up a microphone as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why are you guys here?" Sam asked while raising her eyebrow. She didn't like the people already, they seemed far too weird.

"We heard Sasha Striker was going to be here!"

"To defend her Pak Rat title," One videogame geek said quickly. He looked odd, his hair was all messed up and he seemed to smell.

"This is big!" The cameraman positioned his camera onto Barry and Sasha simply smiled and looked pretty into the camera. "This is Barry Shatt and I am here live in Seattle where Sasha Striker has come out of retirement to defend her Pak Rat title against…" Barry held the microphone to Spencer and let him speak his name. Just then, the other odd geek grabbed the microphone and spoke into it.

"If there's any girl out there that would like to go out with me, any girl at all!" He was desperate, these kind of people annoyed the group. Barry whacked him on the head with the microphone and turned away. Sasha and Spencer turned to each other and gazed into the other's eyes, the chemistry between them could not be denied.

"Well I guess we're going to do this," Spencer stated.

"I guess we are."

"It could take a long time."

"I got time." Sasha took a fingerless glove and pulled it onto her hand. Spencer couldn't deny how attractive she looked to him. Just then the desperate geek pulled Spencer out of the way, thus interrupting the connection. Spencer glared at him with disgust, how dare he do such a thing!

"Do you have a boyfriend?" The man asked. Spencer narrowed his eyes and Sasha quickly slapped him across the face, earning a slight smirk from Spencer. They moved to the game and began to play, it took a long time, approximately six hours in total. Sasha finished with one million, three hundred and twenty two thousand points. She trailed by over two hundred thousand points and Spencer only had one more rat left in order to beat that score.

"Good luck, you'll need it." Spencer smirked and quickly began.

_"Oh I'll win all right!"_ Spencer was determined, nothing was going to stop him from winning the game. It took a lot of time, and a lot of willpower to not stare at his girlfriend. While he was playing, he thought about the ramifications of the situation. He loved Sasha, and he couldn't use a _game_ to symbolize or idolize her. The real thing was much more important. So he was going to beat her score and give up the game, but there was another thing he had been thinking of. If all this started because he wanted to keep the relationship a secret, then it never would have started if the relationship wasn't secret to begin with. Mrs. Benson wouldn't care, and surely Tyrone wasn't going to do anything. Spencer didn't think Tyrone was worth a crap. Then it happened, Spencer finally won the game, he had beaten Sasha's score.

"It happened!" Barry shouted out. "It happened right here in Seattle! Spencer Shay has defeated the great Sasha Striker and is now the number one-" He was cut off by Sam shouting into the camera. She began pushing them out, she had had enough of them. Freddie and Carly helped to lead the group out of the apartment as Spencer and Sasha looked into each other's eyes. They had fun to say the least, now came the question of whether or not they were to make the leap, make the jump and reveal what they had kept secret for so long.

_"If I wait, I'll never be ready,_" Sasha thought while walking to the elevator with Spencer. _"I know it hurts him to keep this a secret, even though he doesn't tell me how much it does…we're just like Freddie and Sam, and I can see that it hurts Freddie deeply, but they _have_ to keep it hidden."_ Sasha smiled and held out her hand to congratulate Spencer for winning the game, she was ready to reveal the secret, but she wasn't sure if Spencer was or not. "Well, you're the real deal, nice game."

"Thanks." Spencer shook Sasha's hand and smiled as he gazed into her luminous eyes. "Right back at you."

"Want to go for a ride?"

"I would love to…" Spencer looked over at Sam, Freddie and Carly, they were expecting him to get to work on the sculpture. He knew that Sasha wanted him to work on it as well. He sighed and looked to his beloved girlfriend, he didn't want to keep this relationship a secret, not anymore. "This is all I can give you right now." Spencer took her by surprise and grabbed her arms, pulling her toward him. His lips crashed into hers and she deepened the kiss with him. Carly and Freddie felt their jaws drop, Sam had already known the two were together, but she hadn't expected this to happen. Upon release, Sasha stepped into the elevator, dazed by the surprise kiss. They had a lot of explaining to do.

"Call me."

"We'll see." Spencer quickly moved over to the trio as Sasha left in the elevator. He clapped his hands together and grinned. "The rich doctor's going to be here in nine hours to pick up the sculpture I haven't even started yet! Who wants to stay up all night and help me finish it?!" The trio seemed rather tired, they didn't really look all that interested in helping. "I'll give you each twenty dollars!"

"Great, whatever," They stated as they moved over. They started working on the sculpture with Spencer and worked through the night, they had finished with only three hours to spare. When the doctor came, he stated that while he liked it, it was his wife's opinion that really mattered. He called his wife in and she took one look at the sculpture, screamed and picked it up, then screamed as she ran out of the door. The doctor smiled and turned to Spencer, the woman liked the sculpture, so he would get the payment. Spencer knew one thing was for sure, he was never going to let a game stall him again. He and Sasha would also have to tell Emily, but that would come with time.

* * *

I hope you liked that chapter. It seems Sasha and Spencer have let their secret out to Freddie, Sam and Carly. Next chapter's going to be big. We see Sam actually getting mad at Carly for the first time.


	79. Hurt and Anger

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

A/N: You don't know how much I debated this chapter, for those of you who don't know, my oneshot HIDDEN SECRET inspired me to go ahead and write this story. That oneshot actually deals with this scene, but it's written differently.

* * *

Chapter 79 (Hurt and Anger)

Later into the night, Sam and Carly were in the studio while Freddie was in his apartment. He was fixing to send her a little text from the 'hot senior' Gary. They did want to see how Carly might react if she found out that Freddie sent the text. After all, Sam was going to tell her about the fact that all the 'bad luck' Freddie had were just pranks pulled by her. She knew it would be from him, though. After all, if _Gary_ actually sent her a text, she would just delete it. Plus, Freddie's number would appear on the phone.

He leaned against the wall and smirked as he heard Sam's scream echo through the halls, she'd received her text. She was about to meet her lover at the mall. Freddie was ready, he was going to enjoy this very well. As he reached for his door handle, he heard a knocking on the door. He looked through the peephole and saw Carly standing there.

_"What is she doing here?_" Freddie thought as he continued to stare through the peephole. He hadn't expected her to interfere, he just wanted to get to the mall as fast as she could. Maybe she realized something, she couldn't have known that he sent Sam the text message. He wouldn't mind telling her, though. After all, inquiring minds probably wanted to know. _"Well then Carly, I wonder how you'll react when I tell you that I sent Sam that text. Perhaps you'll slap me? Tell me what a jerk I am?"_ He smirked and opened the door. "Hello Carly."

"Hey." Freddie leaned against the wall and put his hands in his pocket, he hoped to wrap this up quickly, for he would be late for his date with Sam. He was never late for his dates, and Sam held him to that. One time, though, he had nearly forgotten about a date. Sam had Jonah and Valerie come get him. He was still _asleep_. He remembered they grabbed his ankles and pulled him straight out of the bed, got him dressed and shoved him out the door. He never slept through a date again. "I have to tell you something."

"You're going to tell me that there was no bad luck, that Sam did all those things?" Carly's eyes widened in surprise, she hadn't thought Freddie knew Sam did the things. She asked him how he knew, so he decided to answer. "Well, I didn't know when it was my shorts or my laptop, _but_, I saw her loosening the bolts on my bike." It was pretty much true, he actually enjoyed it all.

"I thought your bike fell apart when you were riding it."

"Nope, I just pretended on that one." Carly rolled her eyes and smiled, it was more pretending.

"So you're not going to try to get her back?"

"You mean do something devious, like send her a fake text message that _looks_ like it came from Gary Wolf telling her to meet him at the brown ridge mall?" This was it, he expected Carly to slap him and yell at him for doing such a thing to Sam. He knew Valerie would, if she didn't already know that it was most likely all a ploy. Instead, Carly just laughed and smiled at Freddie. _"WHAT?! What's she doing!"_ She gazed at him and looked like she wanted to kiss him, it kind of freaked him out and made him want to hurry inside.

"I didn't know you could be so bad." (A/N: People complained in Hidden secret about this, but I'm writing this as I watch the episode, Carly DOES laugh and compliment Freddie for doing something that would most likely hurt Sam).

_"You're _joking_, right?!"_ Freddie felt his anger flare up, how could Carly do that? Something like this would normally hurt someone, to get a text from an apparent crush and only realize that it was faked and the person didn't actually care. That would be like stepping across the line, making it entirely personal. Freddie knew Carly was a good person, but this was just wrong. How could she not defend her best friend!

"Heh, goodnight." Freddie stared at the door, he stepped forward because he _wanted_ to go in and yell at her for not defending Sam. His better side told him to just forget it, but he knew that Carly had _better_ eventually try to tell him how wrong he was for doing such a thing. He sighed and moved back inside. She'd better at least tell Sam what he had done. He grabbed his jacket and quickly left, he needed to catch up with Sam as fast as he could or else he'd be late. He hurried down the stairs and rushed down the street, he hated the fact that he didn't quite have his permit yet, but he would get it soon. He did smirk when he remembered Sam couldn't get her driver's license until she was seventeen. Sarah explicitly asked Emily to wait until Sam was seventeen, only because she felt that was a better age for people to learn to drive. Freddie got to drive Sam around for a whole year. Now he would have called Jonah, but Jonah and Valerie were on a date at the moment and couldn't drive him.

When he got to the mall, he saw Sam sitting at a table in the food court, she was tapping her fingers on the table and her back was facing him. He smirked and slowly walked toward her, she looked so beautiful sitting there. He stepped behind her as she stood up from the chair, he then surprised her by placing his hands on her waist and kissing her neck. "Are you leaving, love?" Sam moaned lightly as Freddie lightly nipped her neck, she wanted to turn around and kiss him.

"Freddie…for a minute there I thought you'd be late, I was about to go order food."

"I'd never be late for you." There was nobody else in the food court, it was amazing. He pulled her and pressed her back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist and continued kissing the special spot on her neck. The spot he was kissing made her go weak in the knees, it was perfect for getting her to feel a peak of emotions. "Remember, I only slept through one date…" Sam chuckled and nodded her head.

"Yeah, I had to sick our best friends on you."

"Heh…I will always love you, Sam. If we weren't in a public place right now, I'd lay you down and satisfy you any way I know how." Sam blushed and lifted her hand, placing it on the side of Freddie's face and moaning as he continued to kiss her. Her breath hitched slightly and her eyes fluttered.

"Ooh…but we'd get in trouble, your mom said 'no sex' until we were older."

"Who said we had to have sex?" Sam laughed and quickly turned around. She wrapped her arms around Freddie's neck and gazed deeply into his dark eyes.

"You're insane, I hope you know that."

"Insane with love." Freddie smirked and kissed Sam's lips. She tilted her body back slightly and moaned with the kiss, he was really getting her hot and bothered. It was probably too much for a public mall. Freddie trailed his lips down her chin and then to her Adams apple. A guttural sound left her lips as she tilted her head back.

"F-Freddie, not in the mall…"

"You're right." Freddie released her and Sam gave a deep sigh, she had to love the effect he had on her. She started to breathe heavily as she sat down and watched Freddie move to one of the food booths, he knew what she liked to eat from there, usually. Freddie came back with the food and sat down at the table. "Sam, we have to talk about Carly."

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Yes." Sam raised her eyebrows as she took a bite of her food, she was interested in what was going on.

"You see, she stopped me just before I left to come down here. She told me about what you did, so I told her I sent you that text…" Well that was planned after all. Carly was being a good friend by telling Freddie that Sam had done those pranks. The odd thing was, when Sam got the text from Gary, Carly had pretty much lost it. Sam closed her eyes a second and recalled what exactly Carly's words were.

"_Why would the hottest guy in school send you a text message?! I mean, not that you aren't cool and appealing and all, but why you?!" _Odd words indeed to hear from a best friend, especially with such a fast paced voice. Sam pressed her lips tightly together and frowned, that part did irritate her a bit.

"You'd expect her to defend you and tell me that was wrong and how it could have hurt you, right?"

"Uh…huh…" Freddie sighed and Sam held her fork in her mouth, waiting to see where he was going with this.

"She didn't. Instead, she laughed and told me she didn't know I could be so bad…then went back into her apartment. She also looked like she wanted to kiss me…" Sam blinked and took a deep breath, this was a shock to her. Sam would have defended Carly if that had happened to her. She had to talk to Carly about this. It made her angry, it upset her, it caused her to question Carly's loyalty as a friend.

"And did she?"

"No, she decided to turn and go back into her apartment. If she tried, I would have pushed her away…keeping this secret from her isn't worth her kissing me when you're my fiancé."

"I see…"

-NEW SCENE-

Sam entered Carly's apartment the next morning and frowned, she had no clue what she was going to do or say. She sat angrily on the couch and crossed her arms. Carly walked down the stairs and saw Sam, she smiled lightly and moved toward her, wondering if she was okay. She actually wondered if Sam wasn't hurt, but then she shouldn't mind too much. "Don't take another step, Carly," Sam said in a quiet voice. Carly froze and Sam slowly stood up, lowering her arms to her side. "I got a call from Freddie…"

"Y-You did? What did he say?" Sam turned around and stared at Carly, glaring at her. This was the first time in a long time she had seen Sam appear so angry at her. "S-Sam, what's wrong? What did Freddie say to you?"

"I don't know, you tell me."

"Huh?" Sam walked around the couch and moved closer to Carly, she wasn't sure if she could remain calm in this situation.

"I made it to the mall by the way."

"Oh…did you have fun with Gary?" Wait, that had been the wrong thing to say. Sam's eyes widened and her hands clenched up. "Wait! I didn't mean that!"

"Too late Carly, you already said it. When were you planning to tell me that it was all fake?" Carly looked down and Sam took a deep breath. "Freddie told me he sent the text, he also told me about how you _laughed_ and complimented him?" Carly gasped and took a slight step back. She hadn't actually been thinking when she said that. She had just felt kind of surprised when she thought Gary had texted Sam of all people. "Oh? And what's this? Don't think for a minute that I didn't think about what you said when you thought Gary texted me." Carly could see Sam's eyes beginning to water, she felt the pang of guilt inside her.

"Sam, I…I didn't mean…"

"What? You think I'm not good enough for a guy to like me, is that it? Are you so selfish that you think a guy should contact you? You think you're better than me? You may be, but at least I wouldn't do that to you! What kind of friend are you? How _dare_ you go and _compliment_ Freddie for sending me that fake text!"

"Sam!" This was it, Sam was tired of it. She couldn't reveal the secret, but she was getting tired of Carly's crush on Freddie and her selfish attitude every now and then. "I wasn't thinking, I was just surprised that Freddie would do that, he's not usually that devious…and you don't even like him." Sam growled and quickly slapped Carly across the face. Carly gasped and nearly fell back.

"I may not like Freddie, but that doesn't give you the right to go ahead and compliment him on something that could have hurt me. Do you _know_ how hurt I was when Freddie told me that you _laughed_? At least Freddie was honest with me. You didn't even bother to show up and tell me what he had done!" Carly rubbed her cheek and frowned as she watched Sam's angered tears escape her eyes.

"Sam, I'm sorry. I just…I just started playing Pak Rat and-"

"What? You think that stupid video game is more important than comforting your friend? You think that stupid video game is more important than at least calling me and telling me that Freddie sent a fake text to me?!" Sam's anger wasn't that Carly had not told her about the fake text, especially since it was only a text for her to meet him at the mall. Her anger was because her best friend had decided that something like that could be ignored and that she couldn't defend her and had to compliment Freddie on something like that. It was unbelievable! Sam would have at least expected Valerie to have done that to Freddie if he had done something serious like that.

"I'm sorry! I just thought…" Carly didn't know what she had been thinking at the time. Her eyes started to water as she rubbed her cheek, she felt like she deserved that slap.

"You're unbelievable Carly Shay. You're unbelievably selfish is what you are! Do you think I don't deserve to have a guy like me? Is that it? Do you think a guy should look to you first before they look to me? Well guess what I _can_ tell you…" Sam glared into Carly's eyes and her nostrils flared out with anger. Carly was actually scared at the moment, it was like looking into the eyes of a bull. Slowly, a smirk formed at Sam's lips. "I do _not_ come in second to you, and do you know why? Let me tell you why. I-" Just then, Carly's apartment door opened and Freddie entered, he actually wanted to talk to Carly about the exchange in the hall and why he felt Carly should have at least slapped him for sending a fake and hurtful text. Sam looked to him with wide eyes and he merely stared back with raised eyebrows.

"Um, am I interrupting something?" Freddie asked while walking over to the two girls. Sam frowned and glanced to the side as Carly stood up.

"No, you're not interrupting anything," Carly said while wiping her eyes. "Excuse me, I need to go upstairs for a minute…" Carly turned and ran up the stairs to her room, she felt it was necessary to relieve her guilty tension there and have a good cry and not cry in front of Freddie.

"Okay, I'm going to use the bathroom!" Freddie looked to Sam and gestured for her to follow him. She nodded and they entered the restroom, he closed the door and locked it as Sam sat slightly on the sink. "Do you want to tell me what that was all about?" His voice was hushed, so no one could hear him if they were listening in. Sam crossed her arms and looked away slightly, she felt bad for getting upset with Carly, but she also felt Carly deserved some of her anger.

"I got mad at Carly for laughing, and for what she said to me before I left to meet you." Freddie raised his eyebrow and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms in the process.

"Okay, and _what_ did she say to you?"

"Why was it _me_ that got the text from the hottest guy in school. Of all people, he texted _me_. She caught herself, I guess, and said it wasn't that I wasn't appealing and cool…" Sam gave a deep sigh and Freddie's lips formed a deeper frown, he wondered how Carly could say that to Sam. Knowing Sam, she probably thought Carly was just wondering why Sam would be getting any guy's attention. "It hurt…"

"I know it must have…" Freddie moved forward and gently kissed Sam's forehead to soothe her. He smiled at her and brushed some hair from her face. "Remember, she _is_ your best friend, so she does care for you. Sure, sometimes she makes some stupid mistakes…we all do, but from what I've seen in the past year, she does care for you deep down. Also keep in mind, you have me by your side and I will never forsake you in any way. Who really gives a damn if Carly thinks that some guy would rather call you than her? If you've got me, what importance is it to you?" Sam thought for a brief moment and slowly smiled as she drifted her gaze toward Freddie's eyes.

"Yeah, you're right. I still feel bad though…and I slapped her."

"Why'd you do that?"

"I guess it was all the anger inside of me. I mean…" Sam sighed once more and slowly stood up straight. "I've just watched her crush on you develop over the past year, and I guess the thought of her looking at you like she did in the hallway just sort of got to me…" Freddie placed his hands on her arms and smiled once more, he always tried to remind her that she _never_ had to worry about something like that.

"Whether or not she looks at me like that, you don't have to worry. She's not going to take me from you, no one in this world can do that. You're my one and only, you're the person that means the most to me in life. I couldn't and wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you." Sam smiled and nodded her head in understanding, she knew he was right, she just felt insecure sometimes. It was good of him to remind her of his love for her whenever he could, it meant a lot to her.

"Right, I think I should go apologize to Carly…"

"Only if you feel that's right." Sam smiled and wiped her eye, she felt Carly deserved an apology. After all, Carly didn't know that Sam and Freddie were together, so she didn't deserve Sam's wrath.

"By the way Freddie, wet your head and scream." Freddie raised his eyebrow and stared at Sam, wondering what she wanted. He simply shrugged and did as said. Sam flushed the toilet and exited out of the bathroom, she saw Carly sitting on the couch. Carly looked over at her and smiled slightly, she still had tears in her eyes. "Hey."

"Where were you?"

"Giving Benson a swirly, payback for sending me that text." Sam shrugged and Carly quickly stood up from the couch and moved toward Sam.

"Sam, I'm sorry…you're right, I shouldn't have laughed at that, I should have just told Freddie right then and there what a jerk and asshole he was being."

"Yeah well…" It wouldn't have meant much to Freddie at the time, but that was fine. It was good to hear Carly apologizing for that, especially since it was something she needed to hear. "I'm sorry I got mad at you, you didn't deserve that…"

"Yes I did! I should have just gone to the mall right then and there, or at least called you to tell you what Freddie did!"

"Well it doesn't matter anymore, Benson knows better than to do that to me again." Sam smiled at Carly and watched as her friend took a deep breath.

"So, are we okay? Friends?"

"Yeah, you know you're my best bud." Sam gave Carly a hug as Freddie stepped out of the bathroom. He crossed his arms and smiled at the scene, it was times like this that he couldn't be happier for Sam. He hated seeing her upset, and it was always a problem if Carly and Sam were having their disagreements. He figured he wouldn't have to talk to Carly about the hall scene anymore, Sam seemed to have handled it just fine.

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Well I hope this chapter was all right. I thought Sam should get mad at Carly at least once. I always thought this episode didn't show much for the friendship between Carly and Sam. I always felt Carly was lacking in her concern for her best friend in this episode. Well, review if you will!


	80. Sam's First Job

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This story details what it would be like if Sam and Freddie were secretly together during the series. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

A/N: IMPORTANT-readers bear with me, this I will have to do with some episodes. For the "owe you" episode, I'm writing it not _exactly_ with the episode. Sam still gets the job and all, but Sam owing money, I couldn't find a way for that to work with this story simply because Sam lives with Freddie, his money is her money pretty much and she hasn't borrowed from Carly in this story. Also Spencer's attraction to that one woman can't work here either…The other circumstances still surround the episode.

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Chapter 80 (Sam's first Job)

Freddie walked through the halls of the school and found Carly pressing her lips around like a cow, he found this rather odd of her to do. He raised his eyebrow and tilted his head slightly, not sure what to say about what exactly Carly was doing. "Uh, are you having some sort of lip seizure?" Freddie asked with a slight chuckle. Carly smiled and rolled her eyes slightly.

"No, I'm mixing two flavors and trying to create the taste of Pina Colada," Carly replied as she smacked her lips one final time. "Want a taste?"

"Uh…what?" Carly wiped her lips and then smashed her fingers against Freddie's lips. He groaned and instantly began wiping his lips off. One, he now had a girly smell on his lips, and two, he was so glad that Carly didn't kiss him just now. However, it would be bad for him to have girly smelling lips. The two walked toward the stairs and saw Sam enter the building while holding a burrito. She looked to Freddie and raised her eyebrow, clearly smelling the Pina Colada on his lips. She looked at Carly and sniffed, now she wasn't sure what to say. When she looked back to Freddie, he shook his head as if to say that nothing happened at all.

"Um, do either of you have some money?" Sam asked with a smile. Freddie's eyebrows rose and Sam gave a small sigh. "I stopped to grab a breakfast burrito and I didn't bring my wallet with me. I told the guy that at the restaurant that I would be right back with the money. Freddie sighed and pulled out ten dollars. It was the best he could give.

"Here, I think this should cover it." Sam grabbed the money and hurried out. She really felt like she needed a job, especially since whenever she did carry her wallet with her, she still didn't have a lot of money in it. While she lived with Freddie and Mrs. Benson, she often chose to save up her money and not spend it. That meant that all her money was in a savings account that she couldn't really do much with. Freddie often carried at least ten dollars with him, since he had personally chose to take ten dollars from his allowance and put the rest in a savings account. He actually wanted to move to a checking account pretty soon.

"I hope you didn't need that for anything," Carly said with a small chuckle. Freddie sighed and shrugged his shoulders, he didn't really care.

"Yeah I did, but I'll deal with it." Carly nodded and glanced over at the door as Sam made her way in, the restaurant must have been really close. For a moment, she wondered why Sam bothered with getting a burrito when she could have just gotten some food from class.

"Hey guys, guess what," Sam said with a large grin. Freddie raised his eyebrows and Carly crossed her arms over. "I saw this great laptop that I really want to buy! It's awesome!" Sam didn't have a laptop of her own, so she really did want one. Freddie raised his eyebrows and Carly merely gave her a blank stare. "I know I've saved up money, but I kind of want to keep that for when I get older…so I have money then."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Sam crossed her arms and gave a slow sigh.

"I think I better get a job…but I _really_ want that laptop."

"Go for it," Carly said with a bright smile.

"Yeah, I think I might…" Sam looked to Freddie and blinked for a moment, still smelling Pina Colada from his lips. "Oh and Freddie?" He raised his eyebrows and Sam spoke a code insult from a list of made up insults for when they wanted to talk to each other in private. "You're so ugly that hair growing out of your ears would be a compliment." Freddie blinked and Sam walked off. He knew he would have to talk to her very soon.

"Hmm, it'd be interesting if she got a job."

"Yeah, I wonder how that would work out for her." A student from the AV club walked down the stairs and handed Freddie a cable.

"Hey, here's that cable you wanted."

"Thanks." The kid started to walk away but stopped and sniffed Freddie. Freddie raised his eyebrow while the boy thought for a second. "Pina Colada…" Carly laughed and Freddie groaned while wiping his lips furiously and walking toward his secret meeting spot with Sam.

Freddie looked around, making sure no one could see him, and he entered an empty room in the school that no one ever went into. He found Sam sitting on a windowsill, looking outside. Her foot was resting on the windowsill while her other foot was pointing toward the floor. The window was open, so her hair was moving subtly with the breeze. Her entire body seemed to shine as the sun bathed her with its glow. Freddie slowly closed the door and locked it, just in case. He looked at Sam and saw her turn her head toward him, she looked incredible.

"You ever wonder about this room?" Sam asked with a subtle smile. "There must be some mystery surrounding this…"

"I don't know, it just looks like an old and empty classroom to me. Of course, who can say? Maybe there's some deep, dark secret as to why it is never used and there's no windows on the doors." Sam chuckled and nodded her head. Freddie even got a key from Principal Franklin for the room, apparently it was so Freddie could go in and study at any time. Some of that 'studying' was the equivalent of spending time with Sam, whether it was romantic or just talking.

"Freddie, can I ask you a question?"

"Anything, what's on your mind?" Freddie moved toward Sam and sat against the windowsill, looking into her beautiful eyes.

"Why do your lips smell like Pina Colada? Both yours and Carly do, actually…" She knew Freddie wouldn't kiss Carly, but it was still odd to her. Freddie sighed and gave Sam a small smile.

"Nothing happened, other than Carly rubbing her hand against her lips and then against mine so I could see that she made a Pina Colada flavor out of Coconut and Pineapple." Sam laughed once and shook her head, Carly was odd like that sometimes.

"I see."

"You have nothing to worry about, Sam."

"Of course I don't, because I know you so well. I love you, Freddie."

"And I, you." Freddie placed a hand on Sam's cheek and gently kissed her lips. No matter what, he would always love her. That was his promise to her. He leaned back and smiled at his beloved fiancé. "So, you're serious about wanting a job?"

"Yes, I really want the laptop…though, I don't think I'll enjoy the job, but I need it for the laptop."

"Well, just remember, if it doesn't work out…you can quit at _any_ time." Sam smiled and nodded her head, she was grateful for Freddie's support. "I think you'll do well, though. You know, you could ask Valerie if they're hiring where she works."

"They're not right now, I was just over there the other day. I had a nice meal while visiting Valerie. She told me how they had just hired some new trainee, so there wouldn't be any openings for anyone. That sucks, because I'd really like to go there. The only place is that Chili place."

"Chili My Bowl, that's the place you're talking about?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Hmm, I don't see how that would be a _bad_ place to work at…do you think it'll work out?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest."

"Well if it doesn't, then maybe you don't need to worry about a job so soon. If you still want a job after that, just tell Valerie to let you know whenever the next job opening is. I'm actually considering a job, myself."

"Really? Where would that be at?"

"Jonah's father runs a factory that works on building various things from metals. Jewelry is one of the various items that they make."

"Wow, wouldn't that mean you'd be working around some hot fluids or something?"

"Could be…" Freddie gave a seductive smirk and arched his eyebrows up. "I'm sure to be working heavy equipment too."

"Wow, you already work out, so won't that just make you get stronger?"

"Big and strong…"

"I can see it now." Sam chuckled and looked into Freddie's eyes as he leaned forward.

"I'll probably be getting all hot and sweaty." Sam blushed slightly and Freddie stood up. He placed his arms around Sam's waist and pulled her close. "That also means I'll be coming home plenty hot and sweaty, just for you."

"Freddie…" The bell signaling class rang, so Freddie gave a defeated sigh. He smiled as Sam gave a wide smirk. "Heh, well what are you going to do? We'll have to go to class now."

"Or we could just skip a few minutes…"

"What? _You_, late for class?"

"Well odder things have happened, have they not?" Sam shrugged as Freddie slowly pressed her against the wall. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Freddie softly kissed Sam's lips and ran his hand through her hair. "You're so beautiful, Sam."

"Well thank you, I try to look good for you."

"I wouldn't care if you had mud all over your body, you would still look beautiful to me."

"Good to know."

"So, you don't mind if I carry you to class, do you?" Sam laughed and Freddie gently kissed her neck.

"Freddie, don't you think that'd be a bit odd for someone keeping a secret?"

"Yeah, but keeping this secret's just getting so odd for me. Though I know we have to or else unspeakable events may occur."

"Yeah…I kind of wish it didn't have to be a secret, either. Yet I know that it has to be. I mean, I'm not even sure if we can trust Carly."

"We might have at to one point…or maybe not. Remember when you changed those grades?" Sam nodded and frowned, that hadn't been one of her prouder moments. Carly couldn't keep it in, it was impossible, and it is still impossible for Carly Shay to tell a lie. That meant there was just no way that they could think of where Carly _wouldn't_ tell Tyrone about them.

"We'd better get to class anyway, Freddie."

"Yeah, so let's get moving. You leave first." Sam nodded and exited the room, Freddie waited a few minutes and then exited.

-NEW SCENE-

Sam had received that job from the chili restaurant, but she hated it. They made her clean the _men's_ restroom for one thing. The boss was just horrible to her. The place wasn't even all that refined. She'd expressed her distaste to Carly, then talked to Freddie about it after having calmed down some. Freddie felt Sam should quit the job, but she didn't want to until she had enough to buy the laptop.

She'd been working for a little over a week and was even more miserable than before. She was leaning against the counter when she spotted Valerie entering the restaurant. She was confused, Valerie was supposed to be working _and_ was still in uniform. "Valerie, what are you doing here?" Sam said as she straightened herself up. Valerie lifted her hand that held a folded up uniform, she placed it on the counter and smirked.

"Put this on," Valerie said while crossing her arms. Sam raised her eyebrow and stared at it. It was a uniform for _Sherry's Kitchen_ and even had her name sewn into it like Valerie's was.

"But…I thought that you guys weren't hiring there."

"We weren't, all positions were filled up. However, the trainee's not doing so well, we think she's better suited for this type of job."

"So, what do you mean?" Valerie smiled and ignored the people behind her. Some customers were complaining about Valerie not ordering food. She took a deep sigh and slowly shook her head. "I guess they're always _so_ impatient here…"

"Yeah, they're always complaining."

"Then work with us at _Sherry's Kitchen_. Where is your boss at?" Sam sighed and counted down from three. Right after one, her boss exited from his office.

"Sam, what is the hold up?" The boss asked. He looked to Valerie and raised his eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"Name's Valerie Williams…" Valerie glanced over as a young lady exactly Sam's height entered the restaurant. "There's the trainee now. Hey Sophie, come over here!" The girl quickly moved to Sam and smiled politely. "Sophie, this is Sam. Sam, this is Sophie. Now, Sam…it takes a long time for applications to be checked over and all, and we get a lot of applications, _so_…I spoke to my boss…she wants you."

"You're serious?" Sam's eyes were wide and hopeful, she had a great smile on her face. Valerie smiled and nodded her head in response.

"Yeah, she says since I'm the best cook there and that you're close to me, she doesn't think you'll have any learning problems."

"No way, I love food!"

"Good, now put on your new uniform and come with me."

"But…"

"Trust me, I've got this handled." Valerie winked and Sam quickly took the uniform as she ran into the restroom. The customers shouted out their protests while Sam's boss stared at Valerie with annoyance.

"What are you doing? You can't just take my employees out from under me!"

"Well my boss is prepared to give you money if you will accept a trade." The boss raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms, waiting for the proposition. Valerie held her hand out to Sophie and sighed. "Sophie here is not the greatest cook, so she's not really helping much at our establishment. However, she is great with cash registers and taking orders. My boss, Sherry herself, has offered you this amount of money if you'd be willing to take Sophie and let us take Sam off of your hands." Valerie handed the man an envelope and crossed her arms over. "Effective immediately…All you have to do is say yes, take Sam off your payroll, and she comes with us."

"Hmm, we'll see…" The man opened the envelope and took out a few hundred dollars, his eyebrows rose and he stared at Valerie. "Your boss must have great faith in Miss Puckett…"

"She does, and I do as well. I think Sam will be a great chef for us. I'm Sherry's lead chef at the restaurant, as well as Sam's best friend. I've seen a lot from her, so I have full confidence that she'll be a great chef."

"Well then…" The boss looked over as Sam left the bathroom. She was wearing a white uniform with a vest and apron. On her chest, over her heart, was her name sewn into the cloth. Sam looked at Valerie and her boss, awaiting an answer. "Sure, I'm willing to take the deal. I'll take Sophie and you can take Sam." He held his hand out and Valerie shook it.

"YES!" Sam cried. Valerie chuckled and the boss raised his eyebrows as Sam began to dance around. While dancing, Valerie placed her arm around Sam's shoulders and laughed once.

"Okay Sam, come on. You work for us now, and I'm sure the chef's are handling things just fine without me, but my boss isn't going to be happy if we don't hurry up and get over there." Sam nodded as Valerie looked to the other man. "Thank you sir, I'm sure you will not regret this."

"I hope not," The man replied. He looked to Sophie and pointed to the register. "Sophie, register, now." The girl nodded and instantly went to work. As Valerie and Sam exited the building, Valerie gave a little smirk and patted her back.

"By the way, not as many complaining customers at the kitchen…though it's still a good idea if you're nice to them."

"I think I can handle that. Freddie's going to be so happy when I tell him!"

"Go ahead." Valerie pointed to a car and Sam looked over to see Freddie leaning against it. Jonah was sitting in the driver's seat with the window rolled down, he was grinning at the girls.

"Anyone need a ride?" Jonah asked.

"I hear you've got a new job," Freddie said as he pushed himself from the car. Sam squealed with joy and gave Freddie a hug. The group couldn't be happier for her. This time, she would be willing to keep the job, because she was sure to enjoy it.

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IMPORTANT: I want everyone to know that my other account KING NATE will become my main account. Anyone reading stories and oneshots on this should know this so they can alert and favorite that. I will be publishing stories and oneshots on that in possibly the near future. I already have some oneshots there. Oh, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	81. Nervous

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

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Chapter 81 (Nervous Emotions)

Robert walked into the main lobby of the apartment complex, he was wanting to ask Emily out on a date, but wasn't sure if the time was right. He was actually rather fearful, even though he and Emily were becoming closer. He moved toward Lewbert's desk and placed his hands on the counter, it seemed the doorman was nowhere to be found. He looked to a small bell and rang it. Immediately when ringing it, he heard a man shout out and leave an was Lewbert.

"What do you want?!" Lewbert exclaimed while sitting in his seat. He was annoyed, he had just lost a lot of money in the stock market, which was pretty bad considering he didn't make much. Robert cleared his throat and checked his watch, he wanted to make sure that Emily would be off from her job by now. Oddly after so long, he was still a nervous wreck. Of course, after a little over twenty eight years, who wouldn't be? He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He was going to ask if Emily was in.

"Is Ms. Benson in her apartment? Do you think you could just call up there and ask?" Lewbert raised his eyebrow and shrugged as he picked up the phone. He pressed a button and called up the number for the Benson apartment. It rang for a little while, but nobody picked up. Lewbert hung up the phone and shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, so no one's home, that's fine…" He thought maybe it wasn't the right time anyway, she might still turn him down for it being too soon. Lewbert raised his eyebrow and stared at Robert.

"So, what did you want, anyway?"

"Oh, I just wanted to uh…I was hoping that I might ask Ms. Benson to join me on a date." Lewbert laughed and shook his head, causing Robert to frown. Robert crossed his arms and stared at Lewbert, he didn't really know who this person was, nor did he care. "I think it's not the right time to ask her out, anyway."

"Well look out, someone else could snatch her up before you even get a chance to say hello." Robert raised his eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders, he didn't feel that he had anything to worry about in that department.

"I'm not worried, thank you." He watched as Lewbert moved back into his office. He pressed his lips together and felt sweat running down the side of his face. Maybe Emily was right, maybe he _was_ a spineless jellyfish. After twenty years away from his girlfriend, he _still_ couldn't ask her out. He loved her, he was sure that she'd say yes, but there was still that chance she'd want to rip his throat out. He was a different man, he wasn't going to let his father tear them apart again. Under no circumstances would that happen, he would take whatever Tyrone could throw at him this time. Being a military man did toughen him up a little. "Okay scared as hell...been through worse things and yet, I can't think of anything that's scared me more…"

"What's that?" A voice asked. Robert swallowed and turned around to see Freddie looking at him from a few feet away. It seemed Freddie was returning from school by now. Sam wasn't with him, so she might have been with Carly. "Were you looking for mom?" Robert gave a brief nod and sighed deeply. Freddie set his backpack down and leaned against the counter.

"I don't know if I told you…or if your mom ever told you…but did you know that your original father was actually her family's second choice?" Freddie shrugged and looked forward, he had been told that. Emily had told both Sam and Freddie about how she once had a man that she was so deeply in love with, but the man's father ripped them apart and kept them from ever marrying. He did everything in his power to try and control them, to keep them from even _talking_. It worked, they never saw each other again.

"Yeah Mr. Shay, she told us a lot about him." Robert inhaled and exhaled slowly, unsure of whether or not he should let Freddie know that he was the one that was supposed to be with Emily.

"Freddie, as close as you and I have become, I'm hoping you wouldn't mind if I asked your mom on a date…" Freddie raised his eyebrow and scoffed slightly. While he was certain Robert and Emily were growing closer, he was sure his mom wouldn't date Robert. Though he had to admit, it wouldn't be too horrible or daunting if he did.

"Well, if you think she'll accept, I don't see why not. I will say, though…you being a Shay has a hard effect on it. Also, just think about what Tyrone would say…" By now Freddie actually knew that Robert was the man that was supposed to have been with his mother. He had figured a lot out from the way Robert reacted and from the conversations he'd had with him. Robert clenched his hands up and ground his teeth at Tyrone's name.

"I don't give a damn about that man or what he has to say. I love Emily! I've loved her since we were young, I always have, and I _still_ do!" Freddie's eyebrows rose and his lips formed a subtle smile. "As far as I'm concerned, Tyrone is not my father. He is an aggressive, abusive asshole who needs to learn to step out of other people's lives! If I want to be with Emily, I will. If that bastard tries to do anything about it, then he's got another thing coming."

"Not bad…I'd say exactly that about my fiancé."

"You do realize I know who it is, right?" Robert smirked and Freddie returned the smirk, neither man seemed to care about that. After all, Freddie had come to realize Robert wasn't going to be saying crap to Tyrone. "So, I hear you and Sam are just as in love…"

"Yeah, pretty much. There's nothing in this world that will stop me from loving her. No force can tear us apart." Robert smiled and closed his eyes, he was actually glad to hear that.

"I knew that when I was your age, but I wish I could have said it instead of clamming up like some coward."

"True, but it really wasn't your fault…If you're afraid she'll say no, I'm pretty sure she won't reject you now. I think you've shown yourself to be highly against Tyrone." Freddie could see that there was still that nervousness in Robert. It might take a little more to get him completely confident. He'd have to think of something, but then, there wasn't much to think about. He patted Robert on the shoulder and put his hand in his pocket. "You know, personally, I think you shouldn't worry about it too much. Mom does like you better now, now that she knows you're completely against Tyrone. Anyway, I'm fixing to do iCarly in a little bit, I just have to wait for Sam and Carly. We're doing another thing to Lewbert, so yeah…" Freddie rolled his eyes and chuckled as Robert rubbed his chin.

"You know, I was wondering about that show, what would happen if you got a stalker or something?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and glanced over, he had thought of that before. In a year and a half of doing the show, the group still hadn't had anyone stalk them or try to create harm. "What would you do if someone dangerous came? I mean you guys _do_ give a lot of personal information there…"

"The instant danger came because of iCarly…I don't care who it is that gets thrust into danger, I'm taking Sam from it and iCarly ends."

"What if they didn't want it to end?"

"I'm more concerned about Sam's safety rather than Carly wanting to continue it. Sam's actually on the line about it. She enjoys it mostly because it's something to do with Carly, but she would probably end it if danger came. She's afraid of danger coming because of iCarly, and she's told me her fears about it." Robert nodded and Freddie shifted his eyes toward a clock, he needed to hurry up and set up the equipment. "It's good talking to you, Mr. Shay…maybe one day I'll be calling you something else."

"What would that be?" Freddie shrugged his shoulders and smirked as he moved toward the elevator. Robert raised his eyebrow and moved out of the building. He stopped when he saw Sam walking down the street, he smiled and waved at her. She waved back and hurried over to him. "Hello Sam, Freddie's already heading toward the studio."

"That's great," Sam said with a bright smile. She wanted to see Freddie as soon as she could. "So what brings you here, Mr. Shay?"

"Oh…" Robert lifted his eyes up and smiled as he thought of Emily. He never could get her off his mind, it was practically impossible. "I wanted to come see Emily, but she wasn't here."

"That's too bad, but maybe you'll get to see her again soon!" Robert looked past Sam and thought he saw someone hiding behind a tree. He narrowed his eyes and placed his hand on Sam's shoulder. She tilted her head and looked up to Robert with confusion. "Is something wrong?" Robert smiled politely and looked to Sam.

"Go inside and to the apartment, don't worry about a thing." Sam nodded and went inside. Robert smoothly walked over to the odd man and grabbed his shirt. The man let out a yelp as Robert stared into his eyes. "Why were you following her?"

"W-What are you talking about?" Robert shook the man once and stared angrily into the man's eyes. It seemed clear that the man was following Sam, there wasn't anyone else walking down the road but her.

"Do you see anyone else? You were following her, why?"

"Well…I don't know…I mean…" The man shifted his eyes around nervously and chuckled, he was afraid of the situation he was in at the current moment.

"Well?"

"I thought she was one of those hot chicks from iCarly, okay?!" Robert frowned and thought about what Freddie had said. The show made Carly happy, and it seemed to give Sam something more to do with Carly. What would happen if iCarly ended? There might be a lot of trauma, that enough was predictable. The thought that someone had been following the girls around made Robert's blood boil. He couldn't believe someone actually would do such a thing.

"And how _long_ have you been following Sam around?"

"I don't know, maybe about a week."

"Well, you're not going to be doing _that_ anymore." Robert shifted his eyes over to see Emily's car parking nearby. She exited the car and stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "This man was stalking Sam…"

"I see," Emily replied as she walked toward the man. She pulled out her handcuffs and cuffed the stalker. "I'm taking you down to the station, we'll have some questions for you then." Robert smiled at her as she pushed the man toward her car, he loved how she was always so determined to do her job.

"Emily, Freddie says if something like that happened, he'd take Sam from iCarly and it would end for good…"

"I know, and I would agree with him. Right now it's just his guy, nothing really dangerous has happened yet, so I don't think at this moment, it will be necessary to tell Freddie about it. If it gets worse, we'll have to tell them."

"Right…" He nodded and watched as Emily sighed and moved toward the driver's seat of her car. She hadn't wanted to deal with arresting someone when she'd just got off work, but it was needed. He wasn't going to wait another second. He swallowed lightly and made sure he wasn't shaking horribly. "Hey Emily…" She stopped and looked at Robert, eager to hear what he had to say, but she was also in a hurry to get to the station. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Can it wait? I have to get to the station..." Robert frowned and shrugged his shoulders, it was best not to keep her from her work, he knew that much.

"You look great today."

"Thanks..." Emily blushed lightly and got into her car. Robert cursed mentally and watched as she drove off. He would ask her out when she wasn't in a hurry, it was always best to do such a thing when everything was calm.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that chapter.


	82. Misunderstanding

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

* * *

Chapter 82 (Misunderstanding)

A few days later, the trio of iCarly found themselves taking care of Lewbert. It seemed they'd accidently blew him up with a defective muffin basket. They probably wouldn't be messing with him very much again. Sam and Freddie both felt a little uneasy about taking care of him, but that was fine. He was the only one that knew their secret other than the inner circle of people. Luckily, he had done a very good job of keeping the secret. Although, sometimes it appeared that he'd forgotten about the secret altogether.

The group was once more at his apartment, cleaning it up. The place was literally a pigsty. They couldn't believe that a place could be so filthy. Sam even seemed to be getting physically sick from being at Lewbert's house, but there wasn't much for them to do about it. They found it odd that Lewbert actually _reattached_ his wart. Perhaps his pride made him desire to remove it himself whenever he got enough money. After they were done cleaning, Carly wiped her brow and looked over. "Okay, we're finished, your apartment is clean…er..."

"I want some tomato juice!" Lewbert called out. He wasn't done yet, this was just taking advantage of them for basically injuring him, and he knew it. He just didn't care, he felt they deserved it. Sam was growing impatient with the man, since he just never seemed to show any appreciation at all. She put down what she was working on and turned to Lewbert, she was _not _the type to be ordered around and not hear at least _one_ bit of appreciation. That was something Freddie loved and respected about her, he knew she wouldn't tolerate being pushed around.

"Hey! We've done everything you've asked for in the past _five_ days!" Sam called out. Everyone raised their eyebrows and looked over to Sam, each holding a different reaction. Carly seemed a bit shocked and slightly displeased, she just thought everyone should just keep silent and cheer when it was over. Freddie crossed his arms and smiled, he actually admired Sam for it. Lewbert was simply appalled that someone would yell at him. "The least you could do is try saying _thanks_ once." Lewbert thought about a comeback and decided to continue on with the battle.

"Well you didn't install an air conditioner!"

"We don't have enough money to buy you an air conditioner," Carly said while shaking her head in disbelief. How could one man expect three young kids to do something like that? They weren't even sixteen yet.

"You're just lucky Freddie's putting up that ceiling fan for you," Sam said as she pointed to Freddie on the ladder.

"Well I'd feel lucky if I were drinking some tomato juice," Lewbert said with a slight growl. Carly sighed and walked toward the kitchen fridge.

"I'll get you some tomato juice," Carly replied.

"Hallelujah!" Freddie rolled his eyes and stared at the fan he was working on. He needed some pliers to work with the wires.

"Sam, hand me my needle-nose pliers," Freddie said while holding his hand out. Sam grabbed the pliers and placed them in his hand, she had to appreciate how well Freddie was at fixing things. She knew when they got married, he'd probably be great to have around the house. Carly handed Lewbert the jar of what she felt was tomato juice.

"Here you go."

"This isn't _tomato juice_!" It wasn't, it was actually blood being used in some Wiccan ritual of his. He, of course, wasn't going to be telling them that.

"Uh nothing…" Carly looked at him suspiciously and shrugged her shoulders, she really wasn't caring anymore. "I need some more rest." Lewbert set the jar on the coffee table and groaned as he lay back on the couch. Freddie felt he had secured the fan enough, so he moved down the ladder.

"Okay…here's the remote that controls the fan," Freddie said as he handed the remote to Lewbert.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Sam said as she turned around. Carly nodded and suggested Lewbert call if he needed anything else, much to Sam's disdain.

"I'm hot!" Lewbert shouted. Sam slowly exhaled and turned toward Lewbert.

"So turn on the fan."

"What button?!"

"The green one," Freddie replied. That was the one Lewbert was pressing, but it didn't seem to work.

"I'm pressing the green one, but it isn't doing-" Just then the fan fell from the ceiling. Lewbert screamed and the girls gasped. Freddie groaned and closed his eyes, he couldn't believe he made a mistake. Lewbert groaned and the trio decided it was time to call the hospital, _again._

-NEW SCENE-

Lewbert was in and out of the hospital in only one day. Freddie hoped all would be over and done with before all this, because he had tickets to take Sam on a cruise for their second year anniversary. Robert had been nice enough to help him get the tickets. The cruise lasted around four days, but that was fine, since it wasn't setting sail until May tenth. Jonah and Valerie weren't able to go along this year, but that was fine. Sam actually didn't know that Freddie had a cruise in mind, he was going to surprise her big time. He'd have to get her up early and take her to the boat by noon.

His thoughts were on the upcoming cruise as he and Emily helped Lewbert to the couch. Carly and Sam merely watched, both feeling guilty over the fan falling onto the man. At the same time, however, they were amused by it. Emily groaned and walked away slightly as Freddie moved to stand next to Sam. "This place is disgusting," Emily said while shuddering. She'd seen Robert's apartment, and it was _clean_. Not a single thing was out of place. Lewbert recognized Emily as the one that Robert wanted to ask out, but he thought she was too good for him.

"Welcome back from the hospital," Carly said with a smile and slightly humorous voice. Lewbert narrowed his eyes and stared at her with a look of disbelief.

"Don't you mean welcome back from the hospital…_again!"_ Lewbert cried out.

"Come on, we didn't mean to drop the ceiling fan on you," Sam said with a quiet voice. She knew it was just one mistake, Freddie was normally good with his hands.

"I thought the brackets were secure enough," Freddie added. Then began a heated argument between Lewbert, Sam, and Freddie. Emily rubbed her temples and walked over to quiet them down. Typically, she would side with Sam and Freddie, but it wasn't exactly the time for that.

"Would you two please stop upsetting this injured man," Emily said while gesturing the kids to move away. The group nodded and backed up as Emily moved toward the other side of Lewbert and sighed, she figured it was best to be nice to him. "Poor thing, you look awful."

"He looked awful before the accident!" Sam said with a quick voice.

"Sam!" Sam quieted down and Emily slowly shook her head.

"Well I feel worse than I look," Lewbert said with a slight groan. Emily hummed lightly and looked toward his feet, it seemed his leg wasn't up enough.

"Well that's because your leg isn't properly elevated." Lewbert shouted out as Emily started to fix his leg, he sighed when he actually felt better. She did learn a few things from having a doctor as a best friend.

"Thank you Ms. Benson…" Emily raised her eyebrow and smiled, she decided to just tell him her first name. She didn't exactly like him, so she probably wouldn't be around him enough to actually care.

"Please, call me Marissa." She was starting to like the name a little bit, but she still despised it.

"Marissa? That's a pretty name…" Freddie and Sam raised their eyebrows and glanced over, this conversation just became odder. Emily raised her eyebrow and shrugged, continuing to hold her polite smile.

"Uh thanks, it's French. It means honeysuckle."

"Ooh, I like honeysuckle." She lifted her eyebrows up and glanced to the side slightly. Freddie knew she wasn't actually liking him, she was just being a good person by taking care of him. Lewbert was actually trying to beat Robert to dating her. There was just something he didn't like about Robert, but then, he didn't like anything about anyone. Emily sighed and stood up, looking toward the other three.

"Look, why don't you kids run along and I'll look after Lewbert." That was good enough for Sam, as she bolted directly out of the doors. Freddie and Carly chuckled lightly, both assuming different things about why Sam just ran out. Freddie knew she was uncomfortable around Lewbert, but Carly just figured Sam wanted to go be lazy or something. So, the two followed Sam out, not really caring to help Lewbert much more. Freddie felt that Lewbert would be off his feet soon enough, and that would most likely be before the anniversary cruise he had in mind for Sam.

-NEW SCENE-

It didn't take long for Lewbert to misunderstand Emily's kindness. Not only that, but both Freddie and Robert seemed to think that Emily liked Lewbert and was beginning to date him. They really couldn't have been more wrong, but they didn't think to ask Emily about it. Robert was trying not to let it get the better of him while Freddie was concocting a plan with the girls. They needed to make Emily and Lewbert separate.

Carly didn't exactly think it was for the same reason that Sam and Freddie were. Both Sam and Freddie were doing it so Robert could be confident and sure enough to date Emily. Carly thought it was just because Freddie thought Lewbert was gross and disgusting. It stood that it actually was both of those situations put together. Their plan involved Freddie falling onto the floor, getting Emily to be plenty concerned about Freddie. Lewbert acted selfishly enough, and his actions put an end to Emily's kindness toward him. The group left the area and Lewbert limped back to his desk.

When he made it, two big trucker's entered the building. Lewbert didn't realize that they were the truckers that Spencer had been messing with while he was away. He didn't even realize what Spencer had been doing. The men walked up to the desk and Lewbert raised his eyebrow. "Who are you clowns?" The shorter, fatter man pointed to himself and narrowed his eyes.

"Pork…chop." Lewbert didn't get it, but he didn't have time to ask what the person was talking about. The taller man, Sledgehammer, spoke up before he could say a word.

"Are you the doorman?" Sledgehammer asked.

"Yeah I'm the doorman, what of it?" With that, the two men started walking around the desk. "Hey, what's going on?" They threw him to the ground and began beating him up. He screamed out, but sadly no one was around. Just then, Robert entered the building and saw two people beating up on someone. He frowned and moved over.

"Hey! Hey! What's going on here?" Robert asked while crossing his arms and tapping his foot. The two men quickly stood up and Robert tilted his head, they looked like two people who had been talking to Tyrone once before. Robert pointed his thumb toward the door and growled. "Get out of here before I call the cops on you."

"Hey man, we weren't trying to cause any problems," Sledgehammer said while raising his hands up. The two men didn't want any trouble, so they quickly left the building. It was partly because he was Tyrone's son, that they were afraid if they started beating up on Robert, then Tyrone would get upset with them. Robert sighed and took Lewbert's hand to help him up, but stopped midway when he realized that it was Lewbert.

"Hey…you okay there, Lewbert?"

"Yeah, I'm just fine," Lewbert said with a slight groan.

"You still dating Emily?"

"We never dated…and her name's Marissa."

"She hates her first name, goes by Emily." Lewbert raised his eyebrow and Robert glanced upwards. "So, that means you're not with her, then."

"Of course not…"

"Good to hear…" Robert then released Lewbert's hand, causing him to fall down and bump into the ground. He shouted out and Robert walked around the desk. Perhaps now would be a good time to ask Emily if she would like a date. After all, if he didn't, then someone like Lewbert might steal her away.

* * *

I hope you liked that chapter. The next chapter, Robert asks her on a date. It used to be this chapter, but it ran long a bit so I shortened it.


	83. About Time

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

* * *

Chapter 83 (About Time)

Robert walked to the elevator and rode it up to Emily's floor. He then walked down the hall and stopped between Carly and Emily's doors. He reached up and knocked on the door of the woman he loved. After nearly thirty years, this just wasn't something that could or should wait another second. He heard Freddie's voice ask who it was, so he answered. "Robert Shay." It was a necessary precaution for Freddie and Sam, since they've known Carly to knock at the wrong times. Freddie said for him to come in, so he entered. Sam and Freddie were sitting on the couch, Freddie had his arm wrapped around Sam's shoulders and the television was on.

"Hey Mr. Shay, are you looking for mom?" Freddie asked with a slight smile. Robert nodded his head and looked to the television, they were watching some western with John Wayne in it.

"Yeah, do you know where she is?"

"She's in the shower right now, but if you wait, she should be out in a few minutes." Robert nodded and sat on the couch next to Sam and Freddie. The group looked to the TV screen in time to see John Wayne grab a horse.

"So, what are you watching?"

"A western that was playing while we were flipping through the channels…we stopped on this one since it looked interesting." Robert gave another nod and smiled as he closed his eyes, there was a pretty relaxing feeling in the air. Sam looked over at Robert and smiled at him.

"So, I hear you want to ask Emily on a date, is that true?" Sam asked in a subtle voice.

"Yeah, I can't go another moment without her," he answered.

"That's understandable. Don't go without her. You loved her, she loved you, so you two deserve to be with each other."

"Thanks."

"Heh, you might have been too late," Freddie remarked. He was thinking about the prior week taking care of Lewbert and when he thought his mom was starting to date him. "Apparently they weren't dating and Lewbert just got the wrong idea."

"This is why I say Freddie looks too into things," Sam joked while lightly flicking the back of Freddie's head. He raised his eyebrow and stared at Sam with a subtle smirk.

"You know, sometimes you are just _too_ cute." Sam smirked and raised her eyebrows up.

"Well I think I should be cute, just for you. Do you have a problem with my cuteness?"

"No I don't, but I do wonder what I should do with your cuteness. Perhaps reward you for being so adorable."

"Hah, what's the best you can do?" Freddie's eyebrows rose up and down seductively as his smirk grew. An idea soon came to his mind.

"You know how ticklish you are?"

"Oh no, don't you dare!"

"Oh I'm going to dare." Freddie began tickling Sam, causing her to yelp and laugh. She jumped up and Freddie quickly stood up, grinning as he and Sam squared off. Anytime Sam jumped to the side, Freddie moved in front of her. "Here I come!" Robert watched the scene with amused eyes, he hadn't seen something like that in such a long time. It reminded him of the playfulness that he had with Emily when they were children.

"Well, let's see here…um, bye!" Sam turned around and laughed as she ran toward her bedroom. Freddie lowered his arms and chuckled.

"Looks like I win." Freddie then plopped onto the couch and looked to Robert. "You know, if Mom does start going out with you, it might be a good idea not to let Tyrone know."

"I know, but if Emily thinks it's best for him to know, then we'll talk about it then. All I know is that it could be highly dangerous if he _did _know."

"So don't tell him, simple as that. Sam and I both support you dating mom, so you know we trust you. We believe mom trusts you as well." Robert smiled and leaned back in the couch. It was good to hear that they trusted him, he wanted them to. "Just let me ask…at what point of time did you start hating your own father?"

"The minute he tore us away from each other. He was physically abusive, so back then I was afraid to do anything at all. I should have said something, anything…but I didn't. Now I want to make things right. I love Emily with all my heart, I can't possibly be satisfied without her by my side."

"That's how I feel with Sam, you know. Without Sam, I am nothing at all. She's probably the sweetest girl in the entire world, and she's mine. I wouldn't let Tyrone take her from me, even if it meant my own life. I have another question for you."

"What is it?" Freddie sighed and turned off the television. He crossed his arms and lifted one leg, resting it over his other.

"Why didn't you guys ever tell me Spencer was my half brother?" Robert's eyes widened as Freddie closed his eyes. He wondered how Freddie figured it out. "You and Mom were as in love as Sam and I were, I'm sure you've succumbed to that desire, just like we did once. Sam didn't end up pregnant, but I think you said you had a child with the woman you loved, and I am pretty sure that's mom." Robert closed his eyes and smiled, Freddie seemed just as smart as Emily was.

"You're right. Spencer is your brother."

"Then why, _why_ do you two keep that from us?"

"It's not like we want to…I know it hurts Emily a lot to have to deal with that." Freddie slowly nodded his head and stared at Robert, waiting a continuation. "When Spencer was born, Tyrone took him from Emily. It was almost right in the delivery room. He said that no one was to talk of Spencer, no one was to find out he was the son of a _Benson_. And if anyone found out, Spencer was sure to 'disappear' from the face of the earth." Freddie frowned and looked toward the floor, that was horrible. Robert let out a small sigh and slowly shook his head. "This can't leave this apartment, because if anyone does…I don't know what that asshole will do. Personally, I want him to know his true mother. I don't want him to have to go the rest of his life and not know who his real mom was." Freddie rested his elbow on the top of the couch and sighed, he agreed with that.

"Yeah, but it's a shame that he can't know or else risk something horrible happening. I suppose it explains why Spencer seems against Tyrone too, just that subconscious hate." Robert chuckled and nodded his head, if hate were a genetic thing, it would certainly explain Spencer's disgust for Tyrone. Freddie stared at the wall in front of him and tapped his fingers on the couch. "Now I wonder about Carly, especially since this kind of makes her my half sister…"

"Hey, I suppose it would be a bad idea for her to date you."

"Not like I ever planned on it, and even if she wasn't my sister, I still wouldn't date her. I have the woman I love with me, there can be no other."

"Are you still going to pretend to like her?" Freddie frowned and slowly nodded his head, but he was going to make it much more subtle than before."

"Yeah, I have to, but it's only to quell the crush she has on me. Our best bet is to find someone who will date her. Mr. Shay…" He slowly turned his head toward Robert and breathed out slowly as Robert raised his eyebrows. "For Spencer's sake there, and Carly, who needs to have a mother…date my mom. When the time is right, marry." Robert smiled and nodded his head.

"I plan on it."

"Good." Robert heard footsteps entering the room, so he quickly stood up. Freddie followed afterwards and turned to see Emily entering the living room. She was staring at Robert with wide eyes.

"Robert? What are you doing here?" Emily asked in a quiet voice. Robert placed his hand on the corner of the couch and walked around it. Sam entered the room and stepped next to Freddie, smiling as she slipped her arm through Freddie's arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Well first, are you and Lewbert…together?"

"What?" Emily raised her eyebrow and scoffed slightly. "I was being kind to that person, just helping him to heal…"

"Oh, I see…" That made him feel much better. "Emily, I've waited almost thirty years, I can't wait any longer…" Emily blinked and her lips parted slightly. Sam felt like she was about to tear up, she really hoped that Emily would say yes to dating Robert again. "Emily, will you allow me to take you to dinner?"

"You mean as a date?" Emily tilted her head slightly, a small smile was tugging at the corner of her lips. Robert nodded and took a step forward. Emily tapped her chin and made a slight humming sound. "Well, can I trust you? After all, before when Tyrone was putting me down-"

"The things he said to you were wrong, you didn't deserve to hear what he was saying about you. He's an asshole who deserves to bite the dust. Yes, I know I'm saying that about my own father, but I could care less if he was my father or not…If he's so willing to take the love of my life away or ruin the best thing I've ever known, then he is no father of mine." Emily's eyebrows rose and she slowly crossed her arms. She knew well that Robert would cut his ties with Tyrone whenever.

"Well he is still your father…"

"Sure he is, but that doesn't mean I have to listen to him. Emily, when we were together, I loved you. When we were torn apart, I still loved you. And for nearly thirty years, I loved you, and even today, I still do. If I have to wait for you, I will, but I will never stop caring for you." Emily smiled lightly and stepped close to Robert, she was perfectly happy to be with Robert if he wanted to. She never doubted his feelings for her.

"Robert, it's okay. I'm willing to give you another chance." Robert smiled lightly and Emily gave a small sigh. "However, I really don't want Tyrone to find out just yet."

"Then he won't. Believe me, this time things will be different. I will not allow Tyrone to take us apart again. I'm stronger now, and I'm sure you are too."

"I believe you. I believe you won't betray my trust, either."

"I would never." Emily nodded and slipped her hand into Robert's, a gesture that warmed them both, it was a feeling they hadn't felt in so long.

"I'll let you in on something, Robert." Robert nodded and Emily gently kissed his cheek. "I still love you, too." Sam wiped her eye and Freddie smiled at her. He never pegged Sam to be the emotional type, but this scene seemed to touch even his heart.

_"It's about time,"_ Freddie thought while smiling lightly at the scene before him. Still Tyrone posed a great threat, but this would at least help in some way.

* * *

Well to much wishing and talk, I've updated the next chapter. Robert has finally asked her out. By the way, check out my other story, Jessica's Dark Past, which I posted on my King Nate account. It was voted that people wanted to see that story first, so there it is. I think you'll enjoy it as it goes on. Anyone who hasn't read Sam's Dark Past probably could benefit from reading it, but it isn't urgent that you read that. Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter ^_^


	84. Second Anniversary

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

Chapter 84 (Second Anniversary)

* * *

Finally May tenth rolled around, Sam opened her eyes and grinned, she couldn't wait to see what Freddie had planned for her. That was especially considering he just woke her up and told her he had a big surprise for her. Sam quickly got up from her bed and hurried into her closet, she had hidden Freddie's anniversary gift in there. It was ordered from the site that let people put their photos in a DaVinci masterpiece. (A/N: http: // www5. Mydavinci . com /Personalized-Art/Digital/Gift-31/majorgeneral . html). She chose to send in a photo of Freddie and have it put on the painting called Major General.

She pulled the painting from the closet and smiled as she exited her bedroom Freddie was sitting on the couch, waiting for her to get up and finish getting dressed. "Freddie, I have a surprise for you." Freddie stood up and looked to Sam, his eyes trailed to the back of a painting that she was holding in her hands. "You'll never believe what I got for you." She turned the painting around and Freddie's eyebrows went up, he saw his face on a major painting.

"That is _awesome_, Sam. Did you do it?" Sam laughed and shook her head.

"No, I sent in a photo to some site and they did it. They sent this to me. Happy Anniversary Freddie. Do you like it?" Freddie took the portrait in his hands and lifted it up slightly to look at it. He loved it.

"I think it's great, Sam. I love it." He leaned forward and lightly kissed Sam's lips. "I'm going to find a place to hang this in my room." Sam nodded and Freddie moved toward his bedroom. She quickly ran to her room so she could get dressed, she was really excited to find out what Freddie's surprise was.

After about thirty minutes, she was done. She left and found Freddie at the kitchen table, he looked very handsome. He looked toward her and smiled, she looked beautiful. He stood up and took her hand in his. "You look stunning as always, Sam." Freddie gently kissed her forehead and groomed her hair with his hand. "I bet you're waiting for what I have planned for you, right Sam?" She nodded and Freddie grinned.

"So what did you get for me?"

"You will see. Valerie and Jonah came over, so you're getting a nice meal for breakfast." Freddie held his hand out towards a plate on the table, it had a lot of scrumptious looking food on it. Sam felt her mouth watering, so she quickly sat down and grinned. Valerie and Jonah entered the kitchen, holding a box in their hands. Freddie raised his eyebrow as their friends set the box on the table. "Hey guys, what do you have there?"

"Oh, it's just our anniversary gift for you," Valerie said with a soft smile. "We thought it'd be nice to get you two something."

"Thank you." Sam stopped eating and moved toward the gift, Freddie followed soon afterwards. They began to open the gift and found two identical pairs of white bathrobes.

"They're a pair of Men's and Women's monogrammable resort robes. They're personalized too, take a look." On Freddie's robe, there was an F while on Sam's, there was the letter S. "They're made to pamper you, these Monogrammed Resort Robes are incredibly soft and absorbent."

"Aw, thank you so much," Sam said as she hugged Valerie. Freddie smiled and nodded in reply.

"Yeah, I've been needing to get a new robe," Freddie said with a subtle smirk. "You guys are awesome."

"Hey, we're best friends, what are best friends for?" Jonah replied while patting Freddie on the back. "Man, we're going to miss you these next few days." Sam raised her eyebrow and glanced over, Freddie sighed and Jonah gave a nervous chuckle. "My bad."

"What is Jonah talking about, Freddie?" Sam asked. A large grin was starting to form on her lips, she had a feeling Jonah was talking about Freddie's surprise for her.

"Oh you'll see," Freddie replied as he crossed his arms. "Let's finish eating and head down to Jonah's car. I think you're going to enjoy what I've got planned." Sam nodded and continued eating her food. When finished, they all said goodbye to Emily and left for Jonah's car, making sure Tyrone was nowhere nearby. They all entered Jonah's car and closed the doors, the day was just starting and already it was going great. Sam was sure she'd not be able to rest until they got to the place they were heading for. Freddie just loved building the anticipation in her. "You know, I've been thinking…"

"What were you thinking about?"

"Possibly when we get married, we should marry on May tenth." It didn't sound like a bad idea to Sam, she actually liked it. They already celebrated the tenth as their anniversary of starting to date, so why couldn't they celebrate it as the day they got married. Five years to go until they finally married, it seemed a long way off. Sam cuddled close to Freddie and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I think that's a good day to marry. We've got five years to decide, but you know…I kind of wish we could marry before we were twenty. The wait is fine though, since we're going to be together all the time, right?"

"Of course, we'll be together even beyond the day we die." Freddie gently kissed Sam's forehead and hugged her close. Valerie made an 'aw' sound and Jonah smiled while still focusing on the driving. It was only a few more minutes before Jonah finally parked the car, they had arrived at their destination. Freddie looked out and smiled lightly as he placed a blindfold over Sam's eyes.

"Freddie, what are you doing?"

"We're here." Sam giggled slightly and the group exited the vehicle. Freddie placed his hand on the small of Sam's back and whispered into her ear. "As for marriage, we'll see what happens as time passes." Sam nodded and felt herself being led somewhere by Freddie. Jonah and Valerie walked behind them and draped their arms around each other's waists. "Get ready Sam." Freddie placed his hands on Sam's sides in order to stop her from walking. He stood behind her and gripped the blindfold. "Here's your big surprise." He removed the blindfold and Sam gasped in wonder at what she saw, it was a large cruise ship.

"Oh my god, you got us booked for a cruise?"

"Yep, for about four days…" Sam squealed with delight and threw her arms around Freddie's neck, kissing him happily. She had always wanted to go on a cruise, and now she would. For a moment, she felt a little jealous since all she got Freddie was a portrait, but really they were probably worth the same in each other's hearts. "Jonah and Valerie can't come with us, so I suppose that makes some more time for us." Sam nodded and smiled as she rested her head on Freddie's shoulders.

"Thank you Freddie. You've got to be the best boyfriend ever, at least in my book." Freddie smiled and kissed her forehead in response.

"I'll go with that." Jonah and Valerie glanced at each other and chuckled, they hoped that their friends would have a lot of fun on the cruise. Jonah stepped forward and placed his hand on Freddie's shoulder.

"Dude, I want to wish you guys the best of luck," Jonah said with a smirk.

"We're going away for a few days, Jonah. Not forever." Jonah laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well however long you're going to be gone, Valerie and I are going to miss you guys anyway. We want to remind you, try not to give in to the temptation to make love. I don't think Ms. Benson wants Sam coming home pregnant." Freddie rolled his eyes and chuckled, he found it amusing whenever Jonah felt the need to remind him of such things. Sam quickly gave Valerie a hug and smiled.

"Think you can handle the Kitchen while I'm gone, Val?" Sam asked with a subtle smirk. Valerie raised her eyebrows and smirked back at her.

"Yeah, I think it'll be okay. Enjoy the cruise." Sam nodded and Freddie took her hand, it was time to get on the boat before it left without them.

"Hey Jonah," Freddie said while smirking. Jonah looked over and raised his eyebrows. "You know while we're gone, don't let the temptation of love with Valerie get the best of you!" Jonah crossed his arms and felt a blush rising on his face, Valerie was blushing as well. "Later guys, have fun. Don't have _too_ much fun, though!"

"Aw just shut up and get on the boat," Jonah stated. Valerie laughed and kissed him on the cheek. They watched as Sam and Freddie ran toward the boat and boarded it. "There they go, Valerie…"

"They're not gone yet," Valerie said while resting her head on Jonah's shoulder. "Even though it's only a few days, I'm going to miss them greatly." Jonah nodded his head and listened as the ship sounded its horn. The couple watched as the large boat began to move. Valerie tugged on Jonah's arm and pointed out. "Look!" Jonah glanced over and spotted Freddie and Sam on the deck, waving at them. They smiled and waved back. The two stood in place until the boat was completely out of sight. "It's going to be a quiet week…"

"Yeah, we'll figure out something to do without them."

"Yeah, let's try not to make it too boring." Jonah chuckled and walked to the car with Valerie, he'd make sure it wasn't _too_ boring of a week for her.

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I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I have to say, the next chapter and/or the one after that will quite possibly be the saddest chapters I have written/you will read of this story.


	85. Loss of a Friend

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

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Chapter 85 (Loss of a Friend)

Three days had passed by, Sam and Freddie were still on the cruise. They called Jonah and Valerie almost every day to let them know what was going on. Jonah and Valerie would tell them what was happening around their place as well. It was pretty quiet around Seattle, anyway. Tyrone hadn't done much hassling, since Freddie was nowhere to be found. Robert and Emily were dating, and clearly becoming closer. Sasha and Spencer were the same way as well. Carly actually wondered where her two best friends went, but she didn't worry too much about it.

It was pretty suspicious that Tyrone hadn't done anything, usually he at least called Emily to bother her once a day. He didn't know about Emily and Robert dating, nor did he know about Spencer and Sasha. Emily actually didn't know about them either, but they were considering letting her know. The gangs were getting riled up, however. There was speculation that one city gang was planning something, something that Tyrone didn't actually know about. The leader of that gang was often a rebel, someone that usually went against whatever Tyrone did or said.

Currently, Jonah and Valerie were talking with Jake. Jake had some suspicions that he'd been wondering about. In nearly two years, Jonah was Freddie's closest friend. That was fine. The only thing he'd been wondering about was the glances that Freddie gave Sam whenever they performed on stage with their band. Those, and several other instances made him wonder if perhaps there really _was_ something going on. Some people actually mistook Jake for Freddie's closest friend. It wasn't that hard to mistake, if you didn't see the trio that much. Jake sipped a drink and smiled lightly at his friends.

"Hey, you remember when we finally got onto Seattle Beat?" Jake asked with a slight smirk. They had made it onto Seattle Beat around two months ago. It was a blast. Jake had also seen Freddie talking to Sam that day, they were hidden away slightly. Jonah gave a brief nod and leaned back, that was one of the best moments that he could remember ever having. "Man that was great, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was awesome," Jonah replied. They had been able to sing several songs, it was perhaps the greatest gig the band ever had.

"Yeah, since then…even before sometimes, I've been noticing a few oddities." Jonah raised his eyebrow and Jake took a deep breath. He was sure of it by now, he was positive that Sam and Freddie were together. "Why is it that no one told me Freddie was dating Sam?" Jonah and Valerie stared with wide eyes, they had no idea how to respond to that. Jake let out a small sigh and crossed his arms, he felt hurt that he was left out of the loop. "I'm your best friend, yet no one let me know about them…"

"We weren't even supposed to know," Valerie said with a quiet voice. "I found out one day when Sam let it slip, then they decided to tell Jonah because he was my boyfriend…Their relationship has to be kept a secret or else they risk being ripped apart by a complete ass." Jake raised his eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, that was a surprising way to put it. "His mom's culture is something that some people don't like, so he can't let anyone know that his chosen bride is Sam."

"I see…so that's why no one could tell me?" Valerie nodded her head and Jake looked toward the ground, he still felt hurt by it. "So, do you know where the really are?"

"They're on a cruise, it's their second year anniversary of dating."

"How long have you two known?"

"We'll have known for two years around October or November," Jonah replied while crossing his arms over. He knew Jake felt betrayed, but he was also sure Jake could handle it. "Listen, you can't let anyone know that you know. We don't want anything bad to happen to Freddie or to Sam."

"Of course, I wouldn't tell anyone. I just wish I had known…"

"We're sorry if you feel deceived," Valerie said as she took a bite of some cake she had made. "Just please understand, there were good reasons why no one could tell you…and it's not you in general, either. There are just some people who want Freddie's family out of here, and they would take Sam away if they knew she was his future bride."

"I see how that would be a bad thing." Jonah nodded and Jake took a bite of cake. He understood now, it wasn't that he wasn't trusted, it was that it would be dangerous for him to know. "So, when do Sam and Freddie get back?"

"Tomorrow." Jake smiled and leaned back slightly.

"Can I go with you guys and see them?" Jonah and Valerie looked at each other, both questioning whether they should let him do that or not. If they did, Sam and Freddie might get a little upset that he found out. Then again, they were usually understanding about these types of things. Surely it wouldn't be bad if Jake went along, but they would have to call their friends up first and let them know that Jake knew about them.

"Yeah, just let us call them up first," Jonah replied while standing up from the table. He took his and Valerie's empty plates and carried them over to the sink. Jake took another bite of his cake and swallowed lightly.

"Yeah, I suppose we wouldn't want to drop it on them that I knew about them. I just hope they don't get mad that I found out."

"They shouldn't. I wouldn't see any reason why they would." Jake smiled as Jonah took his cell phone out and dialed Freddie's number. He waited until Freddie picked up the phone.

"Hey Jonah, what's up?" Freddie asked. "I'm watching Sam play cards with a group of people on the ship, she's winning." Jonah chuckled and Freddie took a slow sigh. "She doesn't want to leave."

"Hah, so I take it she's having fun on the cruise?"

"Like you wouldn't believe!" Jonah laughed and leaned against the counter. Valerie and Jake glanced over at him and smiled, they figured their friends were enjoying themselves if Jonah was laughing at something. "So Jonah, what are you calling for?"

"Well Freddie…Jake knows about you and Sam." Jonah waited as Freddie paused, contemplating his response.

"So he knows. That's fine, Sam and I were actually considering letting him know."

"Really, you're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with him knowing."

"Great! Well, he also wants to be there tomorrow when we swing by and pick you up."

"Okay, I'm fine with that. I'll talk to Sam about it, I'm sure she won't mind at all." Jonah heard a laugh in the distance, it seemed Sam was cheering about something. "Heh, she won _again._ I'll have to let you go."

"All right, we'll talk to you later. Have fun."

"Oh I will."

"I don't doubt that for a moment." Jonah hung up and smiled as he looked toward his girlfriend and Jake. "Freddie says he's fine with it." Jake grinned and cheered slightly.

"Awesome!" Jake cried out. Valerie laughed and Jonah slowly shook his head, smiling at the display. "So when do I have to start getting ready?"

"Well, you can just come over here around four, that's when we're leaving to pick them up."

"Okay, I'll see you then. I need to get home, though!" Jonah nodded and Jake exited the house. He was happy that Freddie was accepting of him knowing about the secret.

-NEW SCENE-

The next morning, around noon, Jake was walking down the street. He had some last minute shopping to do. His girlfriend, Stephanie, had wanted him to buy something for her while she was in bed with the flu. He loved her with all his heart, so he would do anything for her while she was sick. He just needed to pick up some medicine and some soup, then he'd go help take care of her. He decided to take a shortcut and enter through an alleyway. The only problem was that the alley had a dead end, so he had taken the wrong alley.

He sighed and turned around, but spotted a man in a brown overcoat. The man was in his twenties at least. He had a scar over his eye and a scowl on his face. Jake didn't like the looks of this guy, he seemed really dangerous. "Hey, who are you?" Jake asked with a slight chuckle.

"No one important," The man said while narrowing his eyes. "I know who you are, though. Jonah Brown, best friend to Freddie Benson and you play the guitar on your band." Jake raised his eyebrow and took a slight step back. That was a bit off, but he decided not to say that.

"Okay, so what?" The man stepped forward, keeping his hands in his pockets.

"You are Freddie's closest friend, are you not?" Jake swallowed hard and chuckled nervously. Jonah _was_ his closest friend, but Jake wasn't about to reveal that, or that he wasn't Jonah.

"Yeah, I'm his closest friend. Why do you want to know?"

"So we can scare him." The man pulled his hand from his pocket and revealed that he was holding a gun. Jake's eyes widened and he pressed his back against the wall. He didn't like the situation he was in.

"What are you doing with that?"

"If I kill Freddie's closest friend, then Tyrone will be happy since it will scare the Benson family away."

"You think killing me will do anything at all?"

"Yes, it will." Jake's eyes widened considerably as the man pulled the trigger on the gun. He winced as he felt a burning sensation go into his chest. Jake fell to his knees and shouted out in pain. "Tyrone doesn't condone murder, but I could care less."

"D-Damn it…" Jake clenched his teeth together and breathed in. He didn't care that he'd been shot, if it meant taking a bullet most likely meant for Jonah, then he was fine with it. Jake's eyes went skyward and he fell toward the ground. The man smirked and turned around, but met the fierce and angry eyes of Tyrone Shay.

"What the hell have you done!" Tyrone shouted as he punched the man in the face. "Why is it that only you…out of _every _goddamn gang leader or member that is loyal to me, it has to be _you_ that does the stupid and idiotic crap! I said _no killing!_ You bastards can use violence all you want, but why the hell are you killing people?"

"I'm sorry boss, but I just thought…"

"No, you didn't think. You can't think! If you could think, you wouldn't kill someone! Do you know what I want you to do now, before I take my gun and shoot your balls off?"

"What?"

"Go to the police station and tell them that you just shot a man. I'll be with you the entire way! Don't you _dare_ pin this on me either." The man frowned and Tyrone placed a gun toward the man's back and growled. "Walk. The police station is right next door, it won't be hard."

"Fine…" Tyrone followed the man into the police station where he met up with Emily. Tyrone had since left, but the man thought he was still there.

"Excuse me sir, but why are you entering the police station while holding a gun in your hand?" Emily asked while raising her eyebrow. The man sighed and closed his eyes.

"I just shot and killed a man. Arrest me, I will show you where the body is…"

"I see…" Emily followed the man to the alley and her eyes widened when she spotted Jake lying on the floor, blood seeping out. _"Oh my god…I can't believe this."_ Emily quickly took a bag and had the man put his gun in it. She handcuffed him and dialed for backup to come. Very quickly, police and paramedics littered the alley. Emily closed her eyes and felt tears go down her face, Freddie and Sam had just lost a close friend.

"I wasn't supposed to do it, but I killed Jonah anyway." Emily raised her eyebrow and stared at the man with confusion. Had he just referred to Jake as Jonah? Was the bullet meant for Jonah?

"Was there someone else here, sir?"

"No, it was just this man."

"The man you shot was not Jonah Brown. The man you shot was Jake Krandle." The thug's eyes widened as Emily led him into the police car. "Do you know if anyone else wants to kill Mr. Brown?"

"No, I was the only one in my gang that was gunning for anyone. My boss doesn't condone murder, he just wishes to scare…"

"Scare?" Emily's eyes widened slightly. She frowned and gave a deep sigh. She couldn't arrest Tyrone for this. By what the man was saying, it sounded like Tyrone had nothing to do with Jake's murder. She cursed slightly and looked over as an officer started to tell her about the report they made.

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There it is, the next chapter is a little sadder, depending on whether it will be sad or not. Chances are it will, since it's the groups initial reactions. Leave a review if you shall ^_^

By the way, I want to let you know that I'm redoing the last few chapters of SAM'S DARK PAST in order to make it more compatible with my story, JESSICA'S DARK PAST, which can be seen on my other profile, King Nate. I've actually changed a lot throughout SDP, so rereading it may be a good idea...but I'll post an alert on it when I'm done fixing up SDP


	86. A Funeral

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

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Chapter 86 (A Funeral)

The drive to the docks was a long and quiet one, filled only with the tears that Valerie wept. She and Jonah had been informed that Jake had been murdered and had taken the bullet from someone who had actually been gunning for Jonah. This wasn't going to be a happy reunion with Freddie and Sam, for surely they would want to know about Jake. Tyrone wasn't involved, it was a simple gang member who apparently wanted to please the old man by taking the life of Freddie's closest friend.

Friday, May fifteenth was the day Jake had been gunned down. Surely it would be a hard day to remember. Jake didn't die without knowing why, so that was not entirely bad. It was just so horrible that he had to die in the prime of life. Jonah and Valerie were there when they informed Jake's girlfriend. She had nothing but bitter tears after that, it was a horrible thing to have to see. Jonah also knew the band was over, no one could really fill the place that Jake had been in. There just wasn't a guitarist good enough to play. Whether the band would end or not, that was Freddie's decision to make.

Jonah parked at the docks and slowly exited the vehicle. He walked around and opened the door for Valerie. She exited and wiped her tears, she didn't want anyone to see her crying. They looked toward the large crowd of people that had exited the cruise ship. They could see Freddie and Sam carrying their suitcases. Their friends ran over to them and frowned when they saw that Jake was missing and neither Jonah or Valerie seemed happy.

Valerie put on the best smile she could and took Sam aside to talk to her about how the cruise went. She was eager to hear how much fun Valerie had. Jonah and Freddie loaded the suitcases into the car without a word, Jonah was having trouble trying to think of what to say. He knew Emily would eventually talk to Freddie about it, but he felt that he needed to tell him about it himself. Once they finished loading the suitcases in, they looked over to see the girls still chatting. Freddie sighed and looked over to Jonah.

"Jonah, could you tell me what the problem is now?" Freddie asked with a low voice. Jonah gave a slow nod and crossed his arms.

"It's Jake…" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Jonah slowly closed his eyes. "Ms. Benson could tell you more, but…Jake was shot today around noon by some gang member." Freddie's eyes widened in shock and Jonah frowned, he hated to have to be the bearer of bad news. "Jake's been killed. Even more, I think the killer was actually gunning for me, not Jake."

"Oh my god…is the killer still out there?" Jonah shook his head and Freddie gave a slow sigh of relief. He was glad the killer was in prison, but he felt horrible that Jake was killed. He could feel the anger growing inside of him, he lost a best friend. "Is Tyrone involved in this? Because if he is, I swear…"

"No. Though he was the man's boss, apparently…he wasn't involved in Jake's death. From the man's confession, he said that he'd asked Jake if he was me...Jake said he was."

"So…he took a bullet just so if the man went free, he'd think you were dead?"

"I think so…" Freddie had no clue what he could say. He was glad that Jonah wasn't in any immediate danger, but he was utterly disgusted that someone had to kill Jake. Jonah actually felt guilty, because Jake basically died for him.

"When is the funeral going to be?"

"This Sunday at three. Valerie and I are obviously planning on going."

"Sam and I will be there, obviously." Jonah gave a brief nod and everyone entered the car. Once more, the trip made was a silent one. Freddie broke the news to Sam. She cried when he did, there could be nothing good about this moment.

-NEW SCENE-

Sunday came, it was the day of the funeral. Carly didn't come, but Jake wasn't really her friend. She did mourn with the other girls at the school, but it wasn't like Sam and Freddie did. They mourned the loss of a great friend, they grieved. Carly mourned the loss of the 'hottest guy at school' with the other girls. Stephanie's flu went away, but it wasn't a happy time for her of course. The man who committed the heinous act would be put on trial for murder, they hoped he'd be jailed for quite some time. Tyrone didn't show up at the funeral, considering Jake wasn't all that important to him. Those who did show were close friends or family.

Stephanie was crying hysterically for the loss, so Freddie was the one that opted to comfort her. He walked over to Stephanie and gently rubbed her back. "Hey Stephanie, it's Freddie…" Stephanie wiped her eyes and looked to Freddie. She recognized him as Jake's best friend. Knowing this, she sobbed once more and Freddie gave her a gentle hug. "I'm sorry for what happened. He died too soon." Freddie closed his eyes and tried to hold back the tears, but as everyone else, it was impossible for him to do so.

"I want my Jake back," Stephanie cried. Freddie nodded and rubbed her back. He looked over at the casket, he saw Jake's head resting against the pillow and his hands over each other at his belt. It honestly looked like Jake was sleeping. Stephanie walked over to Jake and placed her hand on his arm, she hated seeing him like this. Jonah walked over to Freddie and handed him a tissue.

"Here, blow your nose if you have to," Jonah said with a hard voice. He had also been one to fail at not crying. Jonah and Freddie slowly walked over to Jake and placed their hands on the edge of the casket. They couldn't believe they had to say goodbye to their best friend like this. Jonah's body shook slightly and he turned his head downward. What did he do to deserve Jake taking a bullet for him? Jake didn't deserve to die, he did nothing wrong at all. "Why Jake? Why didn't you just tell that guy you weren't me? You would be here right now…_I_ should be the one lying there! I'm the one he wanted, I'm the one that should be dead."

"Don't say that," Freddie said in a quiet voice. He knew Jonah was angry, angry that Jake had to die just so the guy wouldn't hunt him down. Freddie was upset as well, but he knew that cursing himself or getting mad would not help anything. "You have Valerie, Sam, everyone else that's important to you. Jake here, he had a lot as well, but like you, he also had a good heart. He didn't want you to be put in danger…I agree though, he should still be alive today. He'll never be forgotten, that's for sure. Don't make him to have died in vain, and don't wish your own death in place of his…"

"I still don't understand why it had to be him instead…I mean, why when his purpose in life wasn't fulfilled?"

"Who said yours was? What right do we have to say that we should be in his place? He was selfless in his desire, he made it his choice to make that person kill him instead of you. We would only be selfish to say that he made the wrong decision. Think about it, Jonah. You still have a lot to take care of, and I'm sure he did too, but he felt that you had a reason left to live."

"Listen to him, Jonah," Valerie said as she stepped behind him. Freddie and Jonah turned to see Sam and Valerie staring at them. Valerie hugged Jonah and sobbed once. "I'm glad that you're still here, but that doesn't mean I'm glad for what happened. Jonah, you have to stay here, you have something important to do." Jonah raised his eyebrow and Valerie took a slight step back. "You have to take care of me, you have to take care of us. I mean, we wouldn't make it without you…"

"I never said I was planning on dying anytime soon, Valerie," Jonah said in a quiet voice. "I just feel responsible in a way."

"We all do. Every single one of us feels responsible, but we can all cope. It'll take some time, but we can make it together…" Jonah nodded as the four walked to their seats. The minister came up and spoke some more, it was time to bury Jake's body. Everyone exited to their cars as the pallbearers carried the casket to the hearse. Soon everyone was driving out to the cemetery, there had to be at least eight to ten cars driving down the road.

When they parked, they all moved to an area with a bunch of chairs. The ceremony was quiet all the way through, minus the sobs coming from Stephanie and Jake's mom. Everyone was praying for Jake and for his loved ones. Truly this was the saddest day of all their lives, the loss of a friend was truly great. "I feel responsible for Jake getting shot," Freddie said quietly. After all, it was because of his secret relationship that the killer had shot Jake, thinking he was Jonah. He knew one thing was for sure, no one else had better die because of this.

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There is probably the second saddest chapter you can have. Hope you enjoyed it and I sure could have rewritten that to make it more emotional...hmm...as a writer I'm just never satisfied, lol. The next chapter, you will love! SERIOUSLY. The chapter after that will be a huge one for the plot as well. I give nothing away ^_^.

BY THE WAY: I would like for some of you guys to check out my story JESSICA'S DARK PAST on my other profile, King Nate. It's really not a bad story, but I fear the name is turning people off. The name is only like that because it's the other side of Sam's story...it's got romance in it, it's got secrets in it, "It's Gold Baby!" Seriously, I personally feel as though it's a better story than my other ones...but that's just because I tried to make my writing look a lot better. I keep feeling self conscious about it, especially when people tell me that my writing is dry, flat, emotionless...Seriously a review like that made me stop writing GS at 116 temporarily and begin another story. Now I just need to thing of what that next chapter's going to be....I'll probably finish JDP first...


	87. Spencer's Proposal

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: Yes, I'm skipping over the Pie episode and the Japan episode, but things in there kind of don't work for this story. From here, the story will begin to stop following the series and continue to tie up the plot. I'm expecting quite a few more chapters before it's over though.

* * *

Chapter 87 (Spencer's Proposal)

Several months passed by and the group found themselves preparing for Christmas. December was a fun month for the group, presents were shared and time was spent with the family. Spencer and Sasha were still dating, but hadn't told Emily about it yet. They were planning to do it soon, though.

Spencer had taken Robert with him to a jewelry store, he wanted help to search for a ring. Robert didn't really know who or what Spencer was looking to buy a ring for, but he figured he'd help his son out regardless. This would be where Spencer would tell his father about the love of his life that he intended to propose to by Christmas day. Robert leaned against the wall of the shop as Spencer looked for rings, grinning brightly.

He was searching for a wedding set, those included a engagement ring and a wedding band. One would propose with the engagement ring, then attach the wedding band when the wedding came. Robert was rather amused to find that Spencer appeared to be wanting to propose to somebody. He crossed his arms and smiled as Spencer spotted one he thought he liked. Robert walked over and looked at the set, he thought it was a beautiful ring. "It looks great Spencer, so who is it for?" Spencer smiled and looked to his father, no more keeping it from his dad or from Emily. Tyrone could suck a lemon for all he cared, he didn't need to know.

"Sasha. As in Sasha, the daughter of Mr. Benson's sister." Robert rubbed his chin and smiled, he had met this girl. He liked Sasha pretty well and thought that her mom was a very nice person. He could approve of this, but he couldn't help but wonder just how long Spencer had been with Sasha. Spencer figured that his father might be wondering, so he decided to let him know. "We've been together a little over a year now. I love her very much and I know she loves me. I believe we're both ready to start a family."

"Wonder what your grandfather would say?

"I could honestly not care any less than I already do. Sasha's the woman for me, you think I'm going to let my grandfather control who I love?" Spencer looked into Robert's eyes and smirked slightly. Robert felt the statement more than Spencer probably intended. Spencer, Freddie, Carly, none of them had actually been abused by Tyrone when they were young. Tyrone used fear to get Robert to not speak up against him. It wouldn't work on him again, but would the others be immune to fear? It seemed Freddie was strong in the belief that nothing would stand in his way from loving Sam. Spencer was smart enough to deter anything Tyrone said or did. So what was different? Sure, they weren't easily scared children.

"Tyrone won't use abuse anymore, most likely." Spencer raised his eyebrow and Robert patted Spencer on the shoulder. "If Tyrone is displeased, he won't physically, verbally, or mentally harm you. He did that to me, that's why I couldn't be with the woman I loved…" Spencer blinked once but shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't entirely sure what Robert was talking about, but he figured it had something to do with his relationship with Tyrone. "I think Sasha's a great girl, she will be very happy when you decide to propose." Spencer already knew when he wanted to propose.

"I want to ask her on Christmas day." Robert smiled and nodded his head, he felt that was a perfect plan. "Dad, I'm in love with this girl, more than life itself. I _know_ she feels the same. We kept it hidden because we were unsure of how Mrs. Benson would take it. We were unsure of how Tyrone would take it. Sam, Freddie, and Carly found out months ago, but we had them never speak of it." Robert couldn't say he was surprised at all.

"I understand…and yes, there are a _lot_ of secrets going on. All because of Tyrone. Hopefully some day, those secrets and lies will be no more." Spencer gave a slow nod and Robert glanced toward the jeweler. "Spencer, would you like to buy Sasha this set?" Spencer nodded and took out his checkbook, this was a very big day for him. Sasha Everett would become Sasha Shay, but only if she accepted the proposal. Why wouldn't she? He was purely confident that she would. The jeweler took out the set and rang up the price. Spencer then wrote all the necessary info on the check, endorsed it and handed it to the man.

"I wish you the best of luck," The man said with a slight smile.

"Thank you, I'm sure she's going to say yes," Spencer responded. He walked with Robert out of the building and into his car. He placed the box firmly in between the seats. Robert couldn't help but to be proud of Spencer. He knew Emily was proud of the boy.

They made it to the apartments and entered inside, Spencer couldn't wait to tell everyone that he was going to ask Sasha to marry him. They made it to their floor and Spencer quickly entered his apartment. Spencer found Carly lying on the couch, she was resting peacefully and staring up at the ceiling. It seemed that she was bored. Spencer tapped his chin and looked to Robert. "Hey dad, could you go get the others? I want to tell them about Sasha…" Carly quickly sat up and stared at Spencer, she smiled and crossed her arms, glad that it looked like he was going to talk about Sasha.

"So you're going to tell Emily and Freddie about her?" Carly asked with a slight smirk. She knew Sasha was Freddie's cousin, she learned that before. Somehow she managed to not tell Tyrone, but he never actually inquired about it. Sam entered the apartment in a rush and plopped on the couch next to Carly.

"Hey Carly, how are you?" Sam asked with a slight smile.

"I'm doing all right, what are you up to?" Sam shrugged and leaned back in the couch. Sam wanted to talk to Carly since she hadn't been able to see her the prior day. She'd been sick.

"I'll go get your friend for you," Robert said while walking out of the apartment. He entered the Benson apartment and found Freddie reading a book. Freddie glanced up and gave Robert an acknowledging nod. "Spencer's ready to talk about Sasha." Freddie raised his eyebrow and looked up, it was nice to know. Spencer was already calling Sasha up to have her come over, so it wouldn't be too long. Emily walked into the room and looked to Robert with a smile.

"Hi Robert," Emily said as she stepped toward him.

"Hello Emily, you're looking as beautiful as ever." Emily blushed slightly and Robert gently kissed her forehead. "Spencer has something to tell us, would you like to hear it?" Emily nodded her response. Of course she wanted to hear what Spencer had to say. Emily and Freddie followed Robert out of the apartment and into the Shay apartment. Carly looked to Emily and smiled slightly. Over time, she had come to respect Emily a little more. Though with all that Tyrone said, it was difficult to fully trust Emily.

"Hello Ms. Benson, how are you?" Carly asked while slowly standing up. Emily smiled at Carly and crossed her arms.

"I'm doing very well, and yourself?"

"Not bad…" The group decided to wait until Sasha arrived. It wasn't a long wait at all, approximately ten minutes. When Sasha entered, she tensed up slightly at seeing everyone around her. Spencer walked over to her and smiled, he knew she was nervous, but he also knew she would be willing to do this. It had been long enough of a wait. Emily wondered what Sasha was doing there, but she had a feeling she'd be finding out soon.

"Are you ready?" Spencer whispered. Sasha closed her eyes and nodded her head. Spencer gently took her hand in his and turned toward the others. Emily raised her eyebrow as the couple smiled. "We have something to confess. Sasha and I have been dating for the past year. We kept it hidden because we were afraid of what people would say." Sasha nodded her head and Spencer gently squeezed her hand. "I frankly couldn't care less what people say. This is the woman I love, the woman I adore. If people are against us, I'll merely cast them aside."

"Spencer, isn't that a bit strong?" Sasha asked while blushing lightly. Sam grinned at the scene and Freddie crossed his arms over. Suddenly Spencer had a bout of bravery and confidence. Why wait? He loved her more than life itself. He didn't want to wait any further than this. In his pocket, burning a hole was the box holding the ring he had just bought. Sasha looked at Emily and smiled shyly. "Aunt Emily, I was kind of afraid of how you'd feel about me dating a Shay." Emily chuckled lightly and shook her head, she didn't care at all about that.

"I won't deny someone their true love," Emily said with a soft voice. Why would she anyway? She loved Robert Shay, how could she deny Sasha the right to love Spencer? "If you two are in love, then I am for you all the way." Sasha's eyes danced with joy, she couldn't believe it, Emily actually would have supported them. Spencer chuckled and Sasha looked to him with a raised eyebrow, she had to wonder what he was chuckling about. He turned to face her, gazing into her brilliant and beautiful eyes.

"I think we've waited long enough for this," Spencer said with a quiet voice. Sasha raised her eyebrow and watched as Spencer started to lower himself to one knee. Her eyes widened and she took a deep breath, he wasn't about to propose to her, was he? She put her hands over her chest and everyone else watched on with large eyes as Spencer pulled out the velvet box. He opened it and revealed the brilliant diamond ring. "Sasha, I love you more than anything in this world. You make me so happy to be alive. Please, please accept this proposal…will you be my bride?" Sasha gasped lightly and the women in the room grinned brightly.

"I-I…Of course I'll marry you, Spencer!" Spencer cheered and quickly stood up, he knew she would say yes. He hugged her close and kissed her passionately. It was like a dream come true for them. No longer would they have to keep their relationship a secret, nothing would stand in their way.

"I know it was sudden, I had it all planned out, but talking today…I just couldn't wait any longer." Sasha wiped her eye, she had tears going down her cheeks.

"I couldn't be happier, actually. I love you so much, Spencer. I can't wait to tell my mom, she'll be so thrilled!" Robert chuckled and looked to the others in the room, he felt it might be necessary to leave.

"Come on you guys, let's give them a little privacy," Robert said as he headed toward the door. Everyone nodded and parted their separate ways. Spencer and Sasha definitely deserved their privacy for now. Hopefully Tyrone wouldn't cause too many problems for them. They were sure he wouldn't do much, though, since Sasha wasn't a direct relative of Emily. In fact, Sasha was Lisa's adopted daughter.

* * *

I hope you liked that chapter. There's a lot more to come from that one...so stick around ^_^


	88. Valerie's Surprise

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: Yes, I'm skipping over the Pie episode and the Japan episode, but things in there kind of don't work for this story. From here, the story will begin to stop following the series and continue to tie up the plot. I'm expecting quite a few more chapters before it's over though.

* * *

Chapter 88 (Valerie's Surprise)

Valerie sat on her living room couch next to Sam, she was staring blankly at the wall in front of her. Sam patted her back and smiled softly, trying to give comfort to her friend. "Hey, it's okay," Sam said with a soft smile. "This happens to a lot of people."

"The first time?" Valerie asked while slowly turning her head to Sam. Sam gave a subtle nod and Valerie let out a sigh. "What will I tell Jonah, though? How will he react?" Sam gave her friend a hug and patted her on the back, she didn't think Valerie had anything to worry about. Jonah loved Valerie despite anything, he wouldn't have a bad reaction to her in any situation. "If you're right, then I need to find Jonah, but I don't exactly know where he's at."

"Well did you call him? Let me try for you…" Sam took her cell phone out and dialed Jonah's number, but it went directly to the voicemail. That meant he must have his phone turned off. Sam exhaled and spoke into the voicemail. "Jonah, where are you? Valerie needs to talk to you, something important has happened and you need to know. If you turn your phone on anytime soon, then call me back, or contact Valerie." Sam hung up her phone and pushed it into her pocket, she hoped that Jonah would call them back at some point of time.

"You didn't get him, I guess?" Sam slowly shook her head and stood up from the couch. Valerie stood up with her and closed her eyes. "Then we need to find him, who knows where he is. I'm worried about him." That was understandable, all Sam could do was comfort Valerie and help her try to find Jonah.

"Maybe Freddie can help us find him." Valerie nodded as Sam decided to call Freddie up. Freddie answered his phone and Sam began speaking. "Freddie, we can't find or contact Jonah. Do you know where he might be? Can you help us look for him?"

"I'm not exactly sure where he is, but yeah, I'll help you find him," Freddie answered. "I'll be right over."

"Thank you." Sam hung up the phone and looked to Valerie, smiling lightly. "Freddie's going to be right over. We'll find Jonah." Valerie smiled back at her friend and nodded her head. Ever since Jake died, Jonah had been acting strangely. Generally he just seemed to act guilty, and it bothered Valerie. She knew he was just depressed, but she didn't want him to be. Hopefully he wouldn't be so down and out for much longer.

"This is December, the Christmas season, so I want everyone to be happy." Sam gave an understanding nod and tapped her fingers on her leg. It wouldn't be a long wait for Freddie to get here, since it was only a three to four minute drive. To pass the time, Valerie and Sam decided to make a quick snack. When done making and eating, they heard Freddie knocking at the door. Sam went over and opened the door, smiling at Freddie.

"Hey, I think Jonah has his phone off if you've tried calling him," Freddie said while stepping inside.

"Yeah, we've tried that," Valerie replied.

"Okay, so what's going on?" Valerie chuckled nervously and looked downward, it was just something that she had been putting off and checking repeatedly, but her thoughts had been confirmed and she needed to talk to Jonah.

"It's just something I've found out recently…" Freddie nodded and rubbed his chin, trying to think of where Jonah could be. Quite frankly, he had no clue, just a few meager ideas. He gestured for the girls to follow and walked outside to his car. Though with his permit, he couldn't drive with Valerie and Sam, so the girls took Valerie's car while Freddie took his. They would search the streets all day if they had to.

"You know, I can't wait until I get my license," Sam said while trying to lift the mood a little. Valerie chuckled and smirked slightly, Sam would be the last one to get her license. She didn't mind much, since it just meant Freddie would have to drive her around. She actually enjoyed the thought of him playing her chauffer. When she did get her license, she was going to enjoy driving and possibly scaring the hell out of Freddie. "Man I love that guy."

"You want to make him a nervous wreck with your car, don't you?"

"Yes." Valerie laughed lightly and slowly shook her head. Sam smiled and rubbed her shoulder. "Don't worry, we're going to find Jonah." Valerie smiled at her friend and looked forward to keep her eyes on Freddie's car. They knew Jonah wasn't at his house, since Valerie had called Jonah's parents. The parents said that he had gone for a walk, which meant he could be anywhere at all. In a moment like this, the girls were clearly unhappy with Jonah. They knew he probably didn't intend to cause them worry.

_"All right Jonah, where could you have gone?"_ Freddie thought as his eyes surveyed the street. His mind searched through all the possibilities that he could think of. Jonah had been depressed lately because of Jake's death, so what were the odds that his disappearance had something to do with that? _"That's right, Jonah does visit Jake's grave every now and then. The cemetery, that could be where he is!"_ Freddie quickly turned left and the girls followed after him, they weren't exactly sure where Freddie was headed, but they trusted his direction.

-NEW SCENE-

Jonah sat in the cemetery in front of Jake's grave, months had passed, but he still felt that feeling of massive guilt. Why had Jake believed it was for the best to let his killer think that he was someone else? Jake could have lived. Jonah could have dealt with someone gunning for him. He felt completely responsible now for his friend's death. Jake shouldn't have had to die. He never deserved to die, he never did anything wrong. Why should he die when he was completely innocent and not even involved in all the secrets that had been swirling about?

Jonah took a deep breath and brushed some grass away from Jake's grave. "December tenth, it's been exactly seven months since the day you were killed." He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Tell me why you did that? Why when that man asked for _my_ name, you told him that was you. You weren't even involved until nearly that day…you didn't even deserve to die. Why did you have to let yourself die when that bastard was gunning for me!" Jonah clenched his fists and felt his eyes begin to water. "What have I done to deserve you dying for me? What do I have that means you should step in and prevent someone from killing me?"

"Stand up," A voice said. Jonah's eyes widened and he recognized the voice as Freddie's. He slowly stood up and turned around to see Freddie standing with his arms crossed. Valerie and Sam were standing behind him. Freddie swiftly connected a fist to Jonah's jaw and narrowed his eyes. "What gives you the right to deny Jake's basically saving your life!"

"…" Jonah rubbed his cheek and Valerie's eyes widened considerably. Freddie gave a deep sigh and slowly shook his head.

"Jonah, Jake didn't want you to die because you were his friend. He knew you were also the closer friend to me and Sam. Think about how you dying would have affected Valerie, Sam, and even myself."

"I'm sorry…" Freddie brushed that off and closed his eyes.

"It's true that we're all sad and devastated over Jake's death, but that doesn't mean that we aren't happy you're still alive. You have things to take care of, and yes, Jake did as well. However, Jake most likely felt you had more things to deal with than he did…None of us want you to be depressed, and hell, we don't want you to cause Valerie to worry about you."

"Yeah, I should have told you where I was…" Freddie placed his hand on Jonah's shoulder and stared into his eyes. He knew it was hard for Jonah to deal with Jake's death, but he also knew that Jonah could cope with his best friend's loss over time.

"Jonah, right now, you have something very important to take care of. You don't have time to be depressed anymore, none of us really do." Jonah raised his eyebrow and Freddie looked back to Valerie. Sam had her arm wrapped around Valerie's arm. She stepped forward with Valerie and Freddie stepped back from Jonah.

"Jonah, I was so worried," Valerie said as a tear left her eyes. "You were here the entire time…"

"I'm sorry that I worried you Valerie, I shouldn't have done that," Jonah replied. He felt bad that he caused her any grief, and he really did want to make it up to her. "I won't do that again."

"I hope not, because…" Valerie took a deep sigh and Jonah gazed into her eyes, eagerly awaiting what she had to say. Sam and Freddie remained silent as Valerie slowly exhaled. "It would be bad for the baby." Jonah raised his eyebrow in confusion and stared at Valerie. What was this about a baby?

"It would be bad for the baby? What baby? I don't…" Valerie rubbed her stomach and Jonah's eyes grew large with realization. Valerie was pregnant? Could it be true? They had fallen to the temptation one time a couple of weeks ago. Jonah inhaled sharply and slowly exhaled. "V-Valerie, are you saying that…you're pregnant?"

"I checked and checked over the last few weeks, and every time I tested, the test came out positive. I even went to the doctor yesterday…I'm four weeks pregnant and the first actual prenatal appointment isn't going to happen until I'm about eight weeks, they said." Jonah's hand shook slightly and Valerie took another deep breath, smiling lightly and hoping Jonah would take it well. "Jonah, you're a father."

"So do I cheer first, or faint? Cause I really feel like I'm going to faint." Freddie laughed and patted Jonah on the shoulder.

"Think you'll be all right, Jonah?"

"Yeah, hold on a sec." Jonah took a deep breath and Valerie watched with slight amusement. Clearly, Freddie and Sam were amused with his reaction. Jonah continued to take some deep breaths until he finally regained his composure, at least as much as he could. "I'm going to be a father!" Jonah leapt up and threw a proud fist in the air. Freddie and Sam laughed lightly. Valerie smiled and wiped her eye, Jonah seemed to take it well.

"Now the only thing you have to do is talk to Mr. and Mrs. Williams, then you're fine," Sam said while patting Jonah's back. "Your parents as well. You've got a lot to do Jonah." Jonah paled at the mention of his and Valerie's parents. He chuckled nervously and held up a finger.

"Hold on one sec." Jonah sighed and fell back onto the ground.

"Jonah!" Valerie cried as she knelt beside him.

"It's okay," Freddie said while crossing his arms and smirking. "I think he either passed out from the excitement and rush from being a father, or he passed out from the great _excitement_ and _thrill_ of talking to the parents." Sam playfully slapped Freddie's arm and he laughed out. "Come on, let's get him to the car." Everyone knew the parents would take it well, but they would push for Jonah and Valerie to marry and support the child as parents should. Jonah and Valerie would most likely have to buy an apartment, but the parents would help them in any way possible.

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I hope you liked that. Hm, so Jonah and Valerie will have a baby, not bad. I'm aiming for it to be a girl. Well, you know what to do! By the way, if you _really really_ want a lemon in this story...let me know through a Review or a PM. I'm personally a little ambivalent about putting one in, and my friend says it might be a bad idea since this didn't start as a M rated story....but you know, let me know what you think....


	89. The Flashlight

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: While the events of the Christmas episode in the beginning take place, it will be basically an entirely different scenario happening. Mitch will appear to someone else, not Carly. The events at the end may happen, but that will not be explained as Mitch, rather Carly having a nightmare or something. We'll see when I get to it. Trust, my fellow readers, trust.

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Chapter 89 (The Flashlight)

A week later, Jonah was talking to Freddie at the Benson's apartment. They were talking about Valerie's pregnancy and what Jonah was going to do. "I'm going to ask Valerie to marry me," Jonah said as he leaned back in the chair.

"I see nothing wrong with that," Freddie responded. He felt it would be best if Valerie and Jonah were married, preferably before the baby was born. "Have you and Valerie talked about when you might get married or anything?" Jonah sighed and shook his head, they hadn't discussed marriage just yet.

"I don't know, but I do know that Valerie likes spring weddings, so we might marry then. I haven't asked her yet, dude. I'm still in the process of looking for apartments and other things." Jonah and Valerie did have a lot they would have to do during this pregnancy. Freddie and Sam were going to support their friends as much as they could. "Mom and Dad have talked to Valerie's parents and they all decided that they would support us no matter what. They suggested we live with them, but I want to take responsibility." Freddie gave a nod and smiled at his friend, he thought it was very noble and smart for Jonah to take responsibility for the child. "I've already looked up a great site that Valerie and I can use during the pregnancy, even."

"Oh? What's that?"

"It's called baby center, it's a dot com site. It gives you a week by week analysis of what the mother will go through and shows what the baby will look like during a given week. It gives suggestions and tips on what to do during said week and tells you what you should stay away from. It also has some helpful tips for the fathers."**(A/N: Actual site that I've used for research on pregnancies)** Jonah felt prepared and ready for the pregnancy, he wanted to make sure that the next eight to nine months would go smoothly and that everything would be done right.

"I have to say, I'm proud of you." Jonah chuckled and Freddie laid straight on his sofa. "I have to say, though. Sam and I never thought that you and Valerie would have given in to that temptation." Jonah gave a sarcastic laugh and exhaled slowly. "Congrats to being the first of us to ever get married as well." Jonah smirked and raised his eyebrows, he didn't consider himself to be the first in the group to get married. Freddie looked over and saw Jonah smirking at him. He raised his eyebrows and moved to sit up. "What?" Jonah hummed a tune and tapped his foot on the ground.

"Oh, actually Freddie, you and Sam are technically already married. Therefore, you're technically the first to get married." Freddie crossed his arms and gave Jonah a smug grin. He could counter that one easily.

"However, you're having your wedding before I have my wedding with Sam. Meaning, your wedding bells go off first. You're married before me."

"Damn, you got me!" The two friends laughed and stood up from their seats. Jonah crossed his arms and smiled lightly. "Freddie, I would also like to know if you could be the best man at the wedding. I'm sure Valerie would agree with me that you seem to be the best choice." It was an honor for Freddie, so he would gladly accept it. And besides, why wouldn't he?

"So, you think I'm good enough to be the best man?"

"Well you are my best friend, so why wouldn't I think you're good enough?" Freddie gave a nod and patted Jonah on the shoulder.

"Thanks Jonah, I consider it an honor, so of course I'll accept the offer." Jonah was glad that Freddie decided to accept the offer, it meant a lot to him that he would.

"Thanks man, you're the greatest." Jonah rubbed his chin and looked over at a nearby computer, he knew iCarly would be starting up pretty soon. "Sam's over at Carly's place right now?"

"Yeah, she's getting ready for iCarly. Sam and I had a small dispute about something Carly did or said…so she's a little agitated."

"Ouch man, always remember that the girl is _always_ right." Freddie chuckled and sighed, Jonah did have a point there. "So dude, you're going to apologize for the argument, right?"

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I? Besides, it was just a small argument, nothing major. Although, I'm a bit afraid she's going to still be miffed through iCarly."

"You said the argument was about Carly, right?"

"Uh…yeah…" Jonah closed his eyes and gave a solemn nod. If that was the case, Sam would most likely be agitated through iCarly.

"Chances are, she will still be miffed because she'd be miffed at Carly too…and will probably take it out on you." Freddie didn't doubt that one bit. The sad thing was, he couldn't fix the argument until at least after iCarly was finished. He hoped it wouldn't be too bad.

"Yeah, I need help dressing up in a flashlight costume…" Jonah stifled a laugh and Freddie rolled his eyes, he couldn't stand having to dress up in such a stupid thing. Freddie exited the room and reentered a minute later, he was holding a large yellow flashlight costume. "You don't even want to know where the batteries go." Jonah held his stomach and started laughing, Freddie narrowed his eyes and growled. "You want me to be your best man at the wedding, right Jonah?"

"Yes, yes, I'm just…it's just so funny I can't help myself! That's hilarious!" Freddie rolled his eyes and walked past Jonah.

"Ho, ho, ho…let's just get over to Carly's apartment." Jonah shrugged and wiped his eye, he couldn't bear to look at the flashlight without laughing. Freddie narrowed his eyes and glared over at Jonah. "Go ahead, keep laughing. I'll make _you_ wear this thing when we're done, then I'll force you to walk around the streets while wearing this!"

"Hey, that's not very nice." Freddie flashed a grin toward Jonah and exited the door. Jonah muttered slightly and followed him. "You're lucky you're my best friend, man." Freddie couldn't help but to laugh at the statement. The two entered the Shay apartment and found Spencer working on a strange metal thing. "Uh, Freddie, what's that supposed to be?"

"I have _no_ idea. I think it's supposed to be a tree…" Freddie had to wonder sometimes, maybe Emily and Robert were mistaken and Spencer _wasn't _really his brother. Of course, he figured they were most likely correct. Spencer stopped and looked over at Freddie and Jonah, he grinned as Freddie set the costume on the ground. "I need you guys to help me get into this thing, then I'm heading up to the studio."

"Yeah, then I'm going to head over to the jewelry shop and buy a wedding set for Valerie." Freddie nodded and looked at Jonah with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"So, are you going to be watching iCarly?"

"Are you kidding? If I did that, I'd probably piss myself laughing at you in the costume." Jonah laughed again and Freddie whacked him behind the head. "Sorry about that dude, you know I'm kidding."

"Yeah yeah, I got that…"

"Anyway, let's get you in that thing and I'm out of here. Valerie and I will obviously be watching iCarly, that seems pretty clear." Freddie nodded as Spencer and Jonah moved to help him get the costume on.

"Hey Freddie, I didn't know you and Jonah were friends," Spencer said while helping to pull Freddie's arm out of a hole.

"There are a lot of things you don't know, Spencer. Yes, Jonah and I have been friends for a while. He uh…he wanted a second chance after what happened with Sam." Spencer raised his eyebrow and Jonah glanced over while patting the back of the costume. What Freddie didn't know was that Spencer actually knew that Freddie and Sam were together, but he wasn't going to reveal that to them just yet.

"What else don't I know?"

"Nothing you absolutely need to know right now." Jonah's cell phone beeped, so he quickly checked it. It was time for him to go and start running all of his errands. He hoped to finish them before iCarly began.

"Well I have to run," Jonah said as he stepped back and rubbed his chin. He was staring at Freddie's costume with a smirk. "Hopefully my errands will be done in time for me to catch iCarly and see what fun things Sam and Carly can do to you in that costume." Freddie narrowed his eyes and slowly glared at Jonah, causing him to give a sheepish grin.

"Hah hah, very funny Jonah. You're a riot. I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, see you around." Jonah exited the apartment and Freddie turned to the stairs. He now had to get up there and greet the girls.

"Come on, I'll help you up," Spencer said while placing his hand on Freddie's back. He carefully led Freddie up the stairs and into the studio.

"Hey there's the flashlight now," Sam said as Freddie entered the place. Carly looked over and gave a small laugh.

"He really does seem to light up the room, doesn't he," Carly replied. Freddie sighed with annoyance and walked over to his equipment.

"Yeah whatever, make all the flashlight jokes you want. See if I care."

"Okay, we will," Sam said while walking toward the center of the room. Freddie looked sadly at her and shook his head, he really wanted to make up the argument he had with her. The group began iCarly and ran through it quite smoothly. When it was done, Carly had asked Sam to help Freddie out of the costume. She pretty much let him fall onto the ground and walked out of the room.

"Sam!" Freddie called out. He heard Sam groan and walk back into the room.

"What?" Sam asked as she crossed her arms.

"Can you help me out of this thing first?" Sam closed her eyes and smiled, she did have to admit, she loved seeing Freddie get so worked up over a flashlight. She moved over and helped him out, it didn't take long at all. When Sam started to turn around and walk off, Freddie quickly wrapped his arms around her and turned her around.

"Freddie!"

"No, I want to apologize." Sam raised her eyebrow and Freddie gently kissed her forehead. "I love you so much, Sam. More than you'll ever know. I never want to have an argument that would ever cause a rift."

"This one wouldn't do that…"

"I know, but I still want to make up for it. Even the smallest of arguments could turn big. I was wrong. If you think you can trust Carly and you want to tell her that we're together, then I'm with you all the way, I'll support it."

"But…" Sam looked into Freddie's eyes and smiled softly. She had been thinking about it, but she still wasn't sure Carly could be that trusted with something like that. Tyrone was still strong and had a deep impact on her. "No Freddie, I did some thinking…I honestly don't think I'm ready for her to know about us yet. I mean, you're right…Tyrone could probably get it out of her." Freddie smiled and gently kissed Sam's lips.

"Then we don't have to tell her. Sure, that time may come one day, but let's not rush it. As long as Tyrone's around, it could be _very_ risky to tell Carly anything."

"You're right. If I didn't think about what you said, I might have told her, and then I'm sure all hell would have broke loose…" Freddie chuckled and brushed her hair back. She looked beautiful in her Christmas clothing. Sam wrapped her arms around Freddie in a hug and kissed the corner of his jaw. "What would I ever do without you?"

"Now that's a question I ask myself quite often, and personally…I never want to know what I'd do without you." Sam giggled slightly and Freddie kissed her forehead.

"Yeah, where would you be if we never met?"

"Don't know, don't care." Freddie released Sam and watched as she walked toward the door.

"You come down in a couple minutes, we'll have a nice little 'dispute' over the flashlight thing."

"Sure thing, Sam." Sam exited the room and Freddie kicked the flashlight costume. He couldn't help it, he hated that thing. Of course, he did enjoy the symbolism of Sam turning him on. She turned him on all the time. He chuckled to himself and walked out of the room, unaware of the invisible eyes following him.

* * *

Heh, and next chapter begins what I like to call the "Mitch Arc." I call anything more than 3 chapters an arc. The biggest arc will be the Davidson (Freddie's) Family reunion. But back to this one, you're going to love it! Bet you can guess what I've got in store for ya.


	90. A World Without Her!

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: While the events of the Christmas episode in the beginning take place, it will be basically an entirely different scenario happening. Mitch will appear to someone else, not Carly. The events at the end may happen, but that will not be explained as Mitch, rather Carly having a nightmare or something. We'll see when I get to it. Trust, my fellow readers, trust.

* * *

+Chapter 90 (A World without Her)

Freddie entered his room and lay on his bed, he had his mom do a little role play a while ago, she did enjoy having some fun every now and then. He sighed and placed his hands behind his head, he felt iCarly had been very successful today, even if he was in a stupid and idiotic costume. He couldn't help but appreciate some things about it, plus the perversion of Sam turning him on. He actually loved that part. Freddie smiled and closed his eyes, he couldn't even imagine what life would be like without Sam, and he never wanted to know. "How are you enjoying your Christmas break so far?" A voice asked. Freddie shouted and quickly jumped up. In the corner of the room was a strange and little man with a beard.

"Okay who the hell are you and what are you doing in my room?" Freddie asked while preparing himself for a fight. The man held up his arms and chuckled.

"Whoa, easy there tiger. The name's Mitch, I'm a Christmas angel and I'm here to earn my wings. Actually, I'm just here to have a little fun."

"Christmas angel? Yeah right, get out of my room. I'll have you know, I don't believe in magic and all that stuff." Mitch raised his eyebrow and snapped his fingers, Freddie's comforter flew off and landed on him. "What the!"

"What? I told you, I'm a Christmas angel. I'm magical." Freddie grumbled and tossed the blanket off of him. He didn't know who this man was, but he did think the guy was a nutcase. "I'm here to show you what life would be like if you and Sam never met." Freddie raised his eyebrow and scoffed slightly.

"Yeah right, I don't even want to know what life would have been like. I love her too much to even _dream_ of what it would have been like!" Mitch snapped his fingers and a gust of wind blew through the air. "What the!"

"What?"

"What did you just do?" Freddie started walking toward Mitch, narrowing his eyes angrily.

"You never met Sam." Freddie twitched slightly and grabbed Mitch's shirt, lifting him into the air.

"_What_ did you just say?" Mitch chuckled nervously and vanished from Freddie's grasp. Freddie growled and looked around the room. "Mitch? Mitch! Where the hell are you!" Mitch appeared sitting at the head of Freddie's bed. Freddie turned around and glared at him.

"You and Sam never met that day at the fountain. Sarah and Sam were somewhere else that day." Freddie rolled his eyes with annoyance and started to walk out of his room.

"Whatever, you're just a nut job." He left his room and entered the main room, but stopped in shock at what he saw. Everything was completely different. The room, no, the _house_ was a cluttered mess. Broken picture frames hung on the walls while glass was lying all over the floor. Where was his mother? She usually tried to keep the house clean. "Damn it Mitch, did you have something to do with this?!" Mitch appeared on the kitchen counter and Freddie swiftly turned to him.

"You…never...met…Sam. Say it with me now! You're a completely different person now."

"Shut up, I don't believe that for a minute." Freddie moved to the overturned couch in the living room and began to flip it back over. He raised his eyebrow as a cat shot out from underneath it and clawed at his leg. "Ah! Damn it! Since when do we own a cat?!"

"You don't, this cat actually nests hear because it came in one day and no one ever made any effort to force it out." Freddie grumbled and looked at the clock, it seemed school was about to start. He figured Emily must have gone to work and Sam went to school before he did.

"The least they could have done was wake me up…" Mitch sighed and slowly shook his head. Freddie found his backpack among all the clutter and quickly left his apartment. He would have to clean it later, hopefully Emily and Sam would help him out. "I wonder why the room's a mess anyway."

"Oh, you were having a fight with someone."

"Huh?" Freddie raised his eyebrow as he walked toward the school. He saw Mitch walking beside him and frowned. "Why do you follow me?"

"You'd rather I drag you?" Freddie sighed and rolled his eyes as he entered the school building. The second he entered, several people jumped out of his way and pressed themselves against the wall. Freddie raised his eyebrow and shrugged as he looked for anyone he knew. He saw Gibby, so he started walking to him. Gibby was frozen with fear and his eyes were large and terrified.

"Hey Gibby, have you seen Sam around anywhere?" Gibby was shaking so violently, Freddie thought he might have a seizure.

"S-S-Sam? Who are you talking about? I-I haven't seen anyone named Sam anywhere."

"Sam. Sam Puckett. You know, the girl who likes to pick on you and give you wedgies?" Gibby seemed clueless as to who Sam was. It was odd, since Freddie was sure Gibby wouldn't forget Sam overnight. Who could forget anyone so sweet, gentle and beautiful as her? Well, sweet to him, but to some like Gibby, not so sweet.

"I don't know anyone by that name. Um…here have some money! Take it all!" Gibby pulled out his wallet and placed it in Freddie's hands. Freddie's jaw fell and he watched as Gibby ran away. He could have sworn, Gibby ran faster than he'd ever run from Sam.

"What the hell is going on here?" Mitch appeared next to a large amount of graffiti that the janitors were cleaning up. The graffiti read 'Principal Franklin sucks balls.' Freddie cringed and walked over to Mitch, confused by everything going on. "Mitch, why is everyone scared of me? How come Gibby's speed just picked up.

"Well Gibby's always running from you," Mitch replied. He turned to the writing on the wall and chuckled. "Now that right there, that's just genius."

"Who on earth would write something like that?"

"Oh that was you, kid." Freddie's eyes widened quite a bit and he took a big step back. He wasn't sure if he could actually believe that or not. "You also wrote graffiti on the walls before, one time you said Mrs. Briggs masturbates to Jackson and another time you said Mr. Howard likes d-"

"That's enough!"

"I'm just stating fact."

"Okay, so maybe you are magical, I don't know…but if this is…no this is just too weird."

"By the way, say hi to your girlfriend."

"Sam?" Mitch started to say something but stopped, it wasn't Sam at all. He pointed behind Freddie. Freddie turned around and saw Valerie walking toward him, she had a bruise on her arm and a black eye. "Valerie? What happened? Who did this to you?"

"What do you mean, Freddie?" Valerie asked with a timid voice. Something was off, Valerie never sounded so timid before. She even looked a little afraid of him. "This was because I spoke up yesterday, remember?" Freddie couldn't believe it, he would _never_ hit a woman. Women were sweet and gentle, they didn't deserve to be abused.

"Valerie…"

"I made you a sweater…do you like it?" Valerie held up a sweater, it was lopsided and off center. It looked wrinkled and poorly made. Most likely she made it while crying. Even the sleeves were off, one was long and the other was only half as long. Valerie tensed up, but loosened her body when Freddie gently took the sweater from her. He was starting to become angry, angry at Mitch. He still had no clue what was going on.

"I…I love it, Valerie." Valerie gave a timid smile and started to reach out, but stopped. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I want to hug you, but…"

"You can hug me if you want." Valerie smiled and gave him a hug. Freddie could feel her arms shaking, she must have a lot of fear inside of her. Freddie didn't believe for a minute that he could do this, he didn't want to believe it. He lifted his arms and slowly rubbed Valerie's back, trying to comfort her. Eventually, her shaking body stopped and she became calm. "It's okay Valerie, I'm not going to hurt you." Valerie sobbed once and buried her head into Freddie's shoulder. If he honestly did this to her, he wanted to find the person that was supposed to be him and punch his face. _"Why is she...Jonah..."_

"You never let me hug you…" Valerie let go and took a step back, she stared at him with a very confused look. "I don't know why…I'm going to go now." Valerie turned around and quickly ran off. Freddie turned to Mitch and stared with bewildered eyes.

"_Valerie_ is my girlfriend? What happened to Jonah?"

"Well, if you remember…You and Sam talked about them being together. Sam's the one that introduced Valerie to Jonah. You never met Sam, so Jonah's never met Valerie."

"My god…and where is Jonah?" Mitch froze and cursed under his breath. Freddie raised his eyebrow and stared at him. "Mitch…_where_ is Jonah?"

"You may want to forget about him."

"What!"

"He barely knows you."

"What are you talking about? He's my best friend. Tell me where he is right now!" Mitch frowned and stared at the ground, this would definitely be rough. "Tell me what's going on. Why is everyone afraid of me? Why is Valerie abused? Where is my best friend, and where the hell is Sam in all this?"

* * *

Ah so Mitch strikes, and Freddie is not happy. Let's see what's going on. Where was Emily, why was the house a mess, who was he fighting with? Where's Sam? Where's Jonah? Why is Valerie being abused? All these questions and more to come and be answered in the next chapters! Tell me what you thought of this one!


	91. Where Are They?

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: While the events of the Christmas episode in the beginning take place, it will be basically an entirely different scenario happening. Mitch will appear to someone else, not Carly. The events at the end may happen, but that will not be explained as Mitch, rather Carly having a nightmare or something. We'll see when I get to it. Trust, my fellow readers, trust.

* * *

Chapter 91 (Where Are They?)

Freddie stepped into the juvenile detention center and frowned, this couldn't be where Jonah was. Jonah wasn't a bad kid at all, he was a _good_ guy. This was just wrong. Why would Jonah be here? Mitch appeared next to Freddie and sighed. Freddie turned toward Mitch and stared at him with disbelief and shock. "Why…is Jonah here? What did he do to get slammed into this place? He's perfectly innocent!"

"Yes he is," Mitch said with a quiet voice. Mitch crossed his arms over and let out a small sigh. "Though he's also an accessory. Someone was trying to off you by planting detonates in your car. He was the closest person there…" This clearly meant that Jonah was framed, and perhaps the person intended to frame him.

"What? Who would do such a thing?" Mitch frowned and slowly shook his head. Freddie had a fear that Tyrone was behind it. "Mitch, I want you to change everything the way it was, _now!_ I don't give a damn what you have to say, this is just wrong!"

"I can't do that." Freddie's nostrils flared angrily at the statement. Mitch looked toward the ground and shook his head slightly. "You've got to change things around here. Make things for the better, you know? Oh, and by the way." Mitch pointed to the window separating him from the visitors, the guard was leading Jonah over to the window. Freddie picked up the phone and waited as Jonah picked his phone up.

"Freddie Benson?" Jonah asked while raising his eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"No, the question is what are _you_ doing _here_?" Freddie asked with a quivering voice. Jonah looked toward the table and frowned. What did he care? He didn't know anything about him. "Jonah, I'm your best friend. Some stupid guy changed the world all around, we're friends. You shouldn't even be here!"

"We are not friends."

"Yes we are. Maybe in another life, but we _are_ friends!"

"Hah, please…prove it." Freddie decided to think of several things to say about Jonah that would prove they were friends in another life.

"Okay, if we weren't friends, then how would I know that when you were little, you used to always have both your mom and dad sing goodnight to you?" Jonah raised his eyebrow and Freddie went on. "Your dad enjoys taking you out every night and showing you the stars. Your favorite color is brown because your last name is Brown. You've always wondered why people couldn't believe it wasn't butter and your dad has a tattoo of your mom's head on his upper thigh!"

"Whoa, that's…" That was all right. Jonah went on to ask him a few questions, and Freddie answered every single one of them correctly. Somehow, the fact that he never met Sam meant he'd never met Jonah either. Freddie remembered that when he met Jonah, it was when they were really young. Freddie had been playing tag with Sam and she ran into Jonah. That's when the friendship blossomed between the three. "I don't know how or even when we were friends, but that's just weird that you know all of those things."

"Jonah, you're innocent. I'll find a way to prove that, I know you're innocent."

"Why do you even care?"

"You're my best friend, that's why. You're a good guy, you would never harm a soul in your life."

"Yeah well a lot of good that does me." Visitation hours were over and the guard took Jonah away. Freddie could feel his eyes beginning to water, he couldn't believe something like this could ever happen. Freddie turned to Mitch and glared at him.

"Mitch, what kind of person am I?"

"Well you're not exactly a killer, but you are a harsh person," Mitch answered with a nervous chuckle.

"Who would try to kill me?"

"Well…"

"Was it Tyrone?" Mitch shook his head and Freddie raised his eyebrow. He watched as the angel kicked the ground.

"Actually Tyrone is dead."

"Hm, I can't say I ever thought I'd see _that _day. There's one good thing about this world."

"Well if you think so. I mean he did have a heart attack."

"Then he'll leave mom alone!" Mitch winced and Freddie raised his eyebrow once more. It was true, wasn't it? Tyrone wasn't around to create harm for Emily. "Actually you live by yourself."

"What?" Freddie narrowed his eyes and Mitch gave a small sigh.

"Your mom's dead, Freddie." Freddie paled at the statement, he immediately wanted to know how his mother died. What did not meeting Sam have to do with whether his mom lived or died? "Do you remember that letter a long time ago that Sam accidently dropped when she took it out of the mailbox…it fell into the water in the curb and floated away." Freddie gave a brief nod, that envelope didn't seem very important when they found it. They had chased after the envelope and managed to catch it, but it was so gross that nobody wanted to touch it. There was some strange substance on it.

"Okay, what about it?"

"Well…" Mitch took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Sam wasn't around to drop the envelope, so your mom got a hold of it. It was addressed to her from Tyrone, he had put some poisonous dust inside of it and it hit her. She died the next day. Tyrone was later arrested for it, but he had a heart attack while awaiting trial."

"Oh my god…"

"Yeah, and you managed to live alone, no one ever saw you and decided to take you home. That's when the fights broke out between you and Carly."

"Carly?" Did Carly hate him in this world? Why was she against him now?

"Yeah, she blamed you for her father's death…"

"F-Father's death?!"

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie walked through the rows of tombstones until he came to the Shays. He saw Tyrone, Robert and even Spencer all next to each other. He couldn't believe it, they were all dead. He didn't even know how or what had happened. Mitch appeared leaning against a tree, he looked over at Freddie and frowned.

"Robert killed himself when Emily died, he just couldn't take it," Mitch stated with a quiet voice. Freddie rubbed his forehead and groaned, he never thought Robert would do such a thing. He immediately wanted to know how Spencer died and prayed he wasn't the cause of Spencer's death. "Remember that death that Jonah was framed for?" Freddie slowly nodded his head and Mitch pointed to Spencer's grave. "Spencer was attempting to take your car, he wanted to trash it after his father died. He blamed you for his dad's death as well. The only problem was Carly had rigged your car with explosives and hadn't told Spencer about it…"

"Oh my god…" Freddie's eyes widened and he fell to his knees. Carly did hate him. Carly's malice ran deep. She should be in prison, not Jonah. Freddie needed to fix things, he had to make things right.

"The only thing that could have set Jonah free was Valerie." Freddie looked over at Mitch with added confusion, he didn't have any clue how Valerie could have made a difference. "She had spotted Carly rigging the car, but she had been too afraid to tell you at the time. Therefore she was too afraid to go to the police for it when Jonah was framed."

"My god…I'm a bastard, aren't I?"

"Well, I wouldn't _exactly_ say that."

"Because I never met Sam, I became an asshole and everyone's afraid of me…because I never met Sam, practically all of the Shays are dead, my mom's dead, and my best friend is in jail for something that _Carly_ did while the girl who's supposed to be _his_ girlfriend is mine. Valerie's too afraid and timid-"

"It was Sam that toughened her up. Which is odd, since Sam also softened you up. You just became who you were because when your father died, you were filled with sadness, darkness. You never had a friend, you became angry and then finally here we are." Freddie clenched his eyes shut and he felt his eyes beginning to water once more, he just couldn't believe this was his world. He didn't want to believe it.

"Yes, Sam has always been my better half. She's an angel, she deserves to be treated as such."

"Hey, I can't say you treated me like an angel should be treated." Freddie glared at him and Mitch quickly silenced.

"You've messed up quite a bit of things here, _angel_. Because I've never met Sam, thanks to you, I seem to be making life miserable for everyone."

"Yep, and only until you make things right can anything return back to normal."

"What? This is your fault! Not mine! I didn't even want this!" Freddie quickly grabbed Mitch's shirt and glared into his eyes. Mitch chuckled nervously and vanished, he then reappeared behind Freddie.

"You seem pretty angry." Freddie scowled and turned around to face Mitch.

"No, what tipped you off?" Mitch took a step back and Freddie took a step forward. They continued this walking for a few seconds until Freddie growled and finally grabbed Mitch's shirt. "Now tell me. _Where_ is my girlfriend?"

"Oh Valerie? She's probably-" Freddie shook Mitch and growled with more anger.

"Not her, the love of my life. The girl that's supposed to be Valerie's best friend!"

"Heh, Heh…you don't mean Sam do you?"

"You're really starting to piss me off here, Mitch."

"Okay, okay, just let go." Freddie released Mitch and stood up straight as the angel dusted himself off. Mitch sighed and shifted his eyes to the side. "You really don't want to see Sam."

"No, I really _do_ want to see Sam."

"Er…well you know when her mom died, she didn't have anyone to go to. Emily and Sarah never had that conversation and Sam went to live with one of her uncles…"

"Okay, tell me more." Mitch gave a slow sigh and slowly shook his head, he was starting to regret messing with Freddie.

"Well her uncle basically thinks she's dead now because she was abused a lot…"

"_Is_ she dead?" Freddie's muscles were tightening with more anger and malice than before. This display was really frightening Mitch. "Because if she's dead, then you and I are about to have a little spat."

"No, no, no, Sam is very much alive! She faked her death, though…she did it in order to get away from her Uncle and her Aunt. It worked, but now she's still not doing her best in life…"

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe it's best you forget about her."

"Mitch." Freddie's tone was actually a dangerous one, he was letting Mitch know that he wasn't playing around. Sam meant everything to him, and he wasn't going to go another moment without knowing about her well being.

"Did I mention that Sasha and Lisa are very much alive and both have offered to care for you?"

"Great, I'll think about that while I gaze at your head resting upon my wall. WHERE IS SAM?!"

"Oy…" Mitch snapped his fingers and Freddie found himself standing on what seemed to be a brown patch of grass. In front of him was a very small mobile home. Could it be that Sam was actually in there? He had to find out, he had to know what had become of the girl that he loved.

* * *

Now if you paid close attention, you'd see that Freddie's experience with Jonah was similar to Carly's experience with Sam. Seems Carly's REALLY worse off, and apparently she was the one that Freddie must have fought with at the apartment. Mitch, Mitch, Mitch, ya just keep ticking off Freddie...Well you know what to do! Hope you liked this chapter.


	92. Turning it Around

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: While the events of the Christmas episode in the beginning take place, it will be basically an entirely different scenario happening. Mitch will appear to someone else, not Carly. The events at the end may happen, but that will not be explained as Mitch, rather Carly having a nightmare or something. We'll see when I get to it. Trust, my fellow readers, trust.

* * *

Chapter 92 (Turning it Around)

Mitch appeared in a white car, he grinned and waved at Freddie. "Hey, I think you might want this." Freddie looked over and raised his eyebrow with curiosity.

"You think I care right now?" Freddie asked with a quiet voice. "The love of my life is in that trailer...or mobile home, the last thing I'm concerned about is having a car." Freddie looked to the door of the mobile home and saw Sam exiting. Her eyes met with Freddie's and her eyebrows went up. She had no clue who he was or what he wanted. Though she did recognize him a little from having seen him somewhere. "S-Sam Puckett, right?" Sam froze slightly and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, sort of," Sam replied as she walked to Freddie. She felt a strange connection with him, she had no clue what it was. "I haven't actually gone by the name _Puckett_ for a while. You can call me Samantha. Who are you, though?"

"I'm Freddie Benson, I'm…" He wasn't sure what he could say, nor was he sure she would believe him to begin with. "You're living in a mobile home?"

"Yeah, with my boyfriend." Freddie felt his heart sink, Sam had a boyfriend. It didn't help matters that he had a girlfriend, one who clearly deserved better than the jerk that dated her. "So, why are you looking for me? Or did someone finally decide to report my boyfriend and get me out of this hellhole? I'd really not enjoy faking my death again." Freddie raised his eyebrow and looked over as Mitch slapped the car and grinned. "Yeah, my boyfriend's a jerk. He's actually abusive, and I'm surprised he hasn't actually done anything more than hit and yell at me." Those words made him feel sick, he wanted to get Sam out of there right away. He knew he needed to make things right, there was no question about it.

"Sam, can I call you that instead of Samantha?" Sam blinked and shrugged her shoulders, it didn't matter much to her if he called her either name.

"Suit yourself, I don't really care."

"Maybe we can talk a little, would that be okay?"

"Sure, I've got nothing better to do. Plus, my boyfriend won't be around for a few hours." Freddie nodded and followed Sam behind the mobile home where they sat and talked for hours on hand. They came to know quite a bit about each other, and Freddie explained that he knew her a little in a past life. He didn't explain the relationship part, just that they had been friends. He even gave her evidence like he did for Jonah. She believed him.

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie stood in front of the school and slowly closed his fists, he needed to make things right. Not just because it would help him get back to his own timeline, but because he wanted to. He wanted things to be the way they were supposed to be. Freddie spotted Carly exiting from the school, she glared angrily at him and walked over to him. She was probably going to spat at him or hit him, he wasn't really sure.

"Carly look, this isn't right," Freddie said with a quick voice. Carly raised her eyebrow and Freddie gave a deep sigh. "You're not like this. I mean, why are we fighting? I didn't cause any of your relative's deaths, and you know Tyrone was the one that killed my mother." Carly crossed her arms and arched her eyebrow, she almost wanted to walk away and ignore everything he had to say. Though for some reason, she didn't. "Please Carly, hear me out."

"Yeah I'm listening, just hurry it up. I have to go find my mother…" She lived with her mother? Did that mean Linda Peeloff was looking after her now? "God I'd rather be anywhere but under her care!" Freddie rubbed the back of his neck and frowned.

"Carly, do you live with Ms. Peeloff?" Carly scowled and stared at Freddie with annoyance, she was sure he knew that information. She crossed her arms and glared into his eyes.

"Yes I live with that bitch. Why the sudden interest in my personal life, Benson?" Freddie winced at the words that he thought he'd never hear from Carly. He had to relax, he just needed to make things right with her.

"Carly look, I know nothing I say or do can bring back your family, but I want you to know that I am deeply sorry for your losses." Carly narrowed her eyes and Freddie slowly exhaled. "I am not the reason for your brother's death, nor for your father or grandfather."

"I know that about my brother and I know my grandfather had a heart attack. My father killed himself, and I'm not sure why."

"Your father and my mother loved each other deeply, that's why." Carly's eyebrows rose and Freddie continued to look into her eyes. She saw nothing but honesty in them. "Spencer is…was my half brother. My mom's family chose Mr. Shay to marry her, but Tyrone was abusive. He kept Mr. Shay away from Emily, even after the two had made love once. They gave birth to Spencer…Tyrone took Spencer away and made them never speak of him again." Carly wasn't sure if she could believe it, but he seemed so genuine and honest in his words. "Carly, I'm your half brother, okay? I won't fight with you anymore, but I would appreciate it if we could start over."

"Benson…" Carly tapped her arm and glanced to the side, unsure of what to say. She did want to see proof, but the way Freddie said all of that made it sound so real. "Do you have any proof?" Freddie nodded his head and took a journal out of his backpack. He had been correct about the placement of it. It was his mother's journal, kept in the drawer beside her bed. He handed Carly the notebook and lowered his arm. "What is this?"

"Read this while I take care of some business inside that school. Please don't go anywhere, I want to talk to you after this. I'm trusting you, okay?" Carly hesitated as Freddie walked off, she was sure he was a _fool_ if he was going to trust her. She shrugged and sat next to a tree where she opened the journal and began reading it. It was nice to see that Freddie actually trusted her. So she figured she wouldn't betray that trust and she'd read the notebook to find out what Freddie said. She found out a lot of interesting things about Emily's past, things that affected her deeply and emotionally.

Freddie was talking now to Principal Franklin, he was trying to set up punishment. "Freddie Benson, you finally decided to turn yourself in to me?" Franklin asked while raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know everything I've done, but I do-"

"Graffiti, busting lockers in, beating students up considerably, vandalism, I'd say you've done enough…" Freddie sighed and reached into his backpack, pulling out his wallet. Mitch had given him some money out of the kindness of his heart. Rather, Freddie simply _convinced_ Mitch to hand him enough money.

"How much do I owe you for the vandalism. I'll pay it all off with my own money." Franklin's eyebrows rose and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Wait, _you're_ paying for damages you've done to the school?"

"Yes yes, I believe that's what I said. How much do I owe you? I want to make things right." Franklin chuckled happily and turned to his computer, he couldn't believe his eyes or ears. He typed in all the damages that Freddie had ever created and the total came up to five hundred dollars.

"That's going to be five hundred even."

"Okay…" Freddie pulled the dollar bills out and placed them on the desk. "Will this be enough?" Franklin took the money and counted it, it was _six_ hundred dollars.

"You gave me one hundred extra."

"Consider it a tip." Franklin nodded and leaned back in his chair. This was perfect, he would immediately send this over to the school's treasury office. "What else can I do? I can clean up all the graffiti around campus."

"No that won't be necessary, the janitors have already cleaned it up."

"Did any of them work overtime to do it?"

"I think the extra hundred you gave me will be just fine for paying them." Freddie smiled and nodded his head as Franklin stood up and extended his hand. Freddie stood up and shook the principal's hand. "Congratulations Freddie, you're starting out with a clean slate for the school."

"Not quite, I need to earn the students trust again." Franklin nodded and handed Freddie the intercom button and microphone. Freddie then began to speak into it, catching the student's attention. "Students of Ridgeway, this is Freddie Benson. I have some important news for you."

The school was silent as they listened to Freddie, every ear eager to hear what he needed to say. "I want to first off apologize for everyone I injured in some way over time…" Freddie went on to apologize to everyone in the school that he'd done wrong to and apologized for what he had done. Mitch helped him out quite a bit with that before. "I know it will take time to regain your trust, but hear me out, I will _never_ harm any of you again. I am a changed man." Mitch promised to use magic to 'speed up' time. To where it would take quite a bit of time before people trusted Freddie, he figured he'd just make it instant so Freddie could feel better. Freddie was doing the right things, anyway. "Now, may Miss Valerie Williams _please_ come to the office, I would like to say something to her."

Freddie turned off the intercom system and exhaled. He waited until Valerie came in, she still seemed a little nervous and confused. "Freddie, what was that all about?" Valerie asked with a quiet voice. Freddie started to say something, but was interrupted when his cell phone went off. He held up his finger and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Freddie, this is Carly…I-I can't believe this. It's all true, our fighting, what has it been on? I don't understand this anymore. We shouldn't be fighting, we should be friends."

"Yes, that is true."

"Freddie, I…I feel guilty. I need to make things right. I realize that I am at fault for Spencer's death and I made an innocent person go to jail because of it. I'm going to confess my crimes…"

"Carly, just remember, we are friends. I promise you that things will look better if you admit that Spencer's death was an accident. You wanted to kill me and instead you killed Spencer. I will never hate you for anything that you've done or that you will do. Why? Because I know that you never completely understood. Your wrath was only because of simple misunderstandings. Maybe now, things will get better."

"I hope so. I was going to wait for you, look out the window, I'm still here." Freddie looked out the window and saw Carly waving by the tree. She had tears running down her face. "I'm going to the police station now. I'm going to leave this journal on the ground for you, okay?" Freddie nodded and Carly set the notebook down. "Goodbye, I hope we'll be friends some day."

"We aren't already?" Carly chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, sure we are." Carly hung up and Freddie turned to Valerie. He knew he had some things to make up for her, and he would. Soon, he would make everything right with her. Then, he'd make everything right with Sam. He just had to figure out what to do.

* * *

I know I haven't updated JESSICA'S DARK PAST yet, but hey, no one reviewed the last two chapters of it, so do I really feel comfortable putting up the third chapter? Yes I do, but I like to hurry on the stories that are getting attention, like this one ^_^, so bear with me on that one. Hope you liked this chapter.


	93. Final Step

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: While the events of the Christmas episode in the beginning take place, it will be basically an entirely different scenario happening. Mitch will appear to someone else, not Carly. The events at the end may happen, but that will not be explained as Mitch, rather Carly having a nightmare or something. We'll see when I get to it. Trust, my fellow readers, trust.

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Chapter 93 (Final Step)

Freddie gently hugged Valerie and smiled. She smiled back, his hug was soft and gentle, it confused her at first. "I don't understand any of this, Freddie," Valerie said with a quiet and timid voice.

"I've had an epiphany, so to speak," Freddie said with a small chuckle. Valerie chuckled lightly at that as Freddie wiped a tear from her eye. "God, I'm so sorry Valerie. You know, Jonah would kill me…" It was true, if Freddie ever hit Valerie in the normal timeline, Jonah would seriously maim him, best friend or not. "Valerie, I…I want you to meet someone. This person is someone that would take care of you, believe me, he's the most honest and good-natured man I've ever met in my life."

"What are you saying?"

"Valerie, you and I…right now I only see you as a close friend. To be honest, that's really what you are, that's how things should be. I don't deserve someone like you. You're a good person, you're sweet, you're nice, you deserve someone who can take better care of you. I know exactly who that person is, do you trust me?" Valerie thought for a minute, but saw genuine honesty in Freddie's eyes. He was saying she could have a better life, be with someone better, and she believed it.

"Okay…" Freddie smiled and walked with her out of the office. He made note of the kids staring at him, some were a little confused, but most were just fine with him now. He led Valerie out of the school and spotted the car that Mitch had appeared with. He entered the car and waited as Valerie moved to the passenger side. "This man is my best friend, Jonah Brown."

"Jonah? Isn't he the guy that got arrested for a murder he did not commit?"

"That's true, he did." Valerie blinked and stared ahead as Freddie drove toward the juvenile center. Once they made it, Freddie led Valerie inside and toward the visitation area. "Here, have a seat." Valerie nodded and sat down, she picked up the phone and waited as Jonah walked toward his side and picked up the phone.

"Hi, I'm Valerie Williams." Freddie crossed his arms and smiled as Valerie and Jonah began talking. They seemed to be hitting it off well. As they spoke, he could see Valerie blushing and giggling every now and then. It was definitely a sight that he missed. The two spoke for a long time, but Freddie didn't count down the hours. He knew he'd been in this world for days, but none of it mattered to him unless he could make things right.

After they finished talking, Valerie stood up and smiled at Freddie. Her face seemed to shine, perhaps it was because this was the first time he'd seen Valerie appear genuinely happy in this world. "He said that someone confessed to killing that man. All I have to do is give my witness testimony and then wait for a few months until they have the new trial. Either way, he's a really caring gentleman."

"Yeah, that's why he's my best friend." Valerie smiled and rolled her eyes, she wasn't sure what to make of how Freddie was acting. Just the other day, Freddie had been harsh and abusive, but now he wasn't. "Valerie, I want you to know, you never have to worry about me hurting you again. I promise, I won't ever hit you. However, as I said, I don't feel you and I are meant to be together."

"You're in love with someone else, aren't you?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Valerie sighed quietly. "I can see it in your eyes, you look at me differently than you used to, but not in a bad way. I mean…it's like you only see me as a friend, someone that you care about but you're not _in love_ with."

"Valerie…" Freddie took a deep breath and smiled slightly. "You're right, I'm in love with the person who is supposed to be your best friend." Valerie raised her eyebrow and Freddie crossed his arms over. "Sam Puckett, she's the one. Listen, you wouldn't believe me if I tried to explain, but how would you like to meet her?" Valerie tapped her chin lightly and nodded her head, she actually did want to meet Sam.

"I would love nothing more." Freddie patted Valerie's back and smiled as the two walked out to the car. He drove toward where the small mobile home was and parked, he hoped to see Sam around the area.

"Wait in the car, Val. I'm going to check on her." Valerie nodded as Freddie moved from the car and walked around the house. He could hear a noise, so he stopped and poked his head around a corner. He saw Sam pressed against the side of the mobile home with her arms pinned against her head. The one holding her there was Rodney.

Mitch appeared behind Freddie and tapped his chin. "Ooh, Rodney is her boyfriend." Freddie felt anger rushing through his veins, he couldn't believe this. Sam looked like she wasn't enjoying it at all. She was moving, as though struggling to free herself from his grasp. Rodney had his hand under her shirt and was fondling her breast, this angered Freddie more than anything.

"Please stop it," Sam said in a hushed voice. "I'm not enjoying this."

"You're my girlfriend, of course you enjoy this," Rodney said while nipping at her neck. That was it, Freddie had enough. He walked behind Rodney, grabbed the man by the shirt, and tore him away from Sam.

"She said _enough_," Freddie said as he violently threw Rodney on the ground. Rodney grunted and glared up at Freddie. Sam stayed behind Freddie and grasped his arm, she wasn't really sure why, but she felt safe with him.

"How dare you do that, why are you interfering with my time with my girlfriend?!"

"I'm not your girlfriend anymore!" Sam shouted angrily as she glared at Rodney. "It's over, we're through. You can't make me afraid of you any longer!"

"Come on babe!"

"I said we're through. I'm leaving you."

"If you leave, then where will you go?" Freddie had told Sam that he could provide her with a better life. She trusted him, so she had no fears.

"I think I'll find something, bastard." Rodney swallowed and sweat dripped down the side of his face. If there was anything Freddie knew about Rodney, it was that the man would never fight back. Once he became scared, he would run.

"W-Well if you leave, don't think you can come crawling back to me, because I won't take you back!" Sam scoffed and threw her hair back, she wasn't worried.

"I won't come back to you, not in a million years."

"Do you have anything you need?" Freddie whispered to Sam. She shook her head and clung to his arm.

"Everything in that place can burn, I don't need any of it, since Rodney's touched it all." Freddie nodded and started to walk away with Sam. Rodney wouldn't go after her, he was far too cowardly to do that. They made it into the car and Sam gasped when she saw Valerie. "Oh my goodness, your eye! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just fine," Valerie said with a gentle voice. "I'm Valerie Williams, it's nice to meet you."

"Oh, same..." As Freddie drove, he listened to Valerie and Sam talk. They seemed to be heading down a good track for their friendship. They had even asked each other for their contact information. Perhaps they would now become the best of friends. This made Freddie very pleased with everything. After some amount of driving, he dropped Valerie off at her home and drove toward Lisa and Sasha's place. Freddie parked next to the curb and looked to Sam with a small smile.

"Sam, I know it may seem sudden…but would you like to start going out with me?" Sam blinked and smirked slightly, she actually liked Freddie pretty well. To her, he seemed nice, charming, and generally like a good person. He was definitely different from Rodney. Maybe, just maybe, she could have a good relationship with him. She took a deep breath and smiled as she leaned forward and gently kissed his cheek.

"You got me out of that hell, and I trust you to…will you never hurt me?"

"I promise, I will never do anything to hurt you. The people in this house…They're my Aunt Lisa and cousin Sasha Everett, they've offered to take care of me, so I'm going to move in with them. I'm positive they're going to take care of you."

"Great." Sam looked to the house and smiled, it looked like a big change from the small mobile home. Two women stepped out and looked at the car, they chose to wait until Freddie exited. "It's definitely a change."

"I'm positive it's one for the better." Freddie and Sam exited the car and walked toward Lisa and Sasha. The two women smiled kindly at them. "Aunt Lisa, I'm ready to accept your offer and move in with you."

"Really, you're honest about that?" Lisa asked while raising her eyebrow. A smile was tugging at the corner of her lips. Freddie nodded and grinned at them. The two women quickly hugged him and smiled. "Well, we're glad to have you!"

"I'm glad to be here."

"This is the greatest Christmas gift we could ever have." Freddie chuckled and nodded his head, he was proud to give it. He remembered Sam standing next to him, so he stepped back and placed his hand on her back.

"This is Sam, she needs a place to live." Sasha and Lisa looked over as Sam took a step forward. They began talking and Freddie walked over to the car. He leaned against the door and looked inside. "Hey Mitch? I've done it. Everything's better, everything's fixed." Mitch didn't appear anywhere, it was odd. "Mitch? Don't tell me I'm stuck this way, though. I wouldn't have too much of a problem, but it would still be hard…Mitch? Where are you Mitch?" Freddie swallowed hard and turned around, he was starting to lose hope of ever returning back to his normal world. That meant Carly would be in jail, his mom and all of the Shays would be dead, he'd be starting over with Sam, and so many other things would be different and hard to get used to.

_"Oh no…"_ He had no fear that things would work out, but he was still frightened about how he'd get used to an entirely different lifestyle. He frowned and started to walk toward Sam and the others. Sasha turned to him and smiled.

"Hey cousin, it's settled," Sasha stated as she hugged Sam. "She can stay." This pleased him, he was so glad that she could stay with them.

_"I still wish everything was back to normal. I still wish I had met Sam at the fountain. 'More than anything, I want a best friend I can grow up with.'"_ The kid that lived next door was playing with his brother. They were throwing around a ball. Just as Freddie was wishing his life normal again, the kid threw the ball toward him on accident.

"Freddie, look out!" Sam shouted. Freddie turned around and the ball hit him in the head. He shouted out as he fell back, unconscious. "Freddie!"

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I hope you liked the chapter, the next will be the final chapter of the Mitch Arc, then we'll be getting back into play. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.


	94. Back to Normal

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: From here, you'll most likely see the end of the Christmas episode, but it'll be a tad different. You shall see, my good reader. Read on.

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Chapter 94 (Back to Normal)

Freddie moaned and rubbed his forehead, his head was pounding. He pushed himself off of the floor and looked around, somehow he was in his own room again. The comforter was lying on the floor as it had been when he threw it once before, his clothing was even back to normal. He didn't understand what had happened, wasn't he just lying unconscious in Lisa's yard? Wasn't Sam just calling out his name?

_"Sam!"_ Freddie quickly stood up and exited his room. He ran into the living room and found everything clean and in order. Making sure there was no cat around to claw his leg up, he surveyed the floor. He wondered if what he had experienced was a dream. He looked to his leg and saw claw marks, it must not have been a dream. That meant it was all real. He spotted what seemed to be Sam sitting on the couch. "Sam?" She turned around and smiled at Freddie.

"Oh Freddie, how are you?" Sam asked with a bright smile.

"Thank god! Wait, you are my fiancé and we're going to get married when we're twenty, right?"

"Uh…yes." Sam chuckled nervously, unsure of what to make of her boyfriend's sudden question. Freddie cheered and quickly ran to embrace Sam in his arms. He kissed her lips with passion and pulled back, smiling at her. She shook her head out of her daze and raised her eyebrow. "Okay, I'm confused, what just happened to you? Should I call Emily from the kitchen?" Emily was alive and well, that was perfect.

"Yeah, what's wrong with you?" It was Jonah's voice. Freddie looked over to see Jonah and Valerie standing next to the Christmas tree in the room. Valerie didn't appear to have a scratch on her and Jonah was actually out of jail. Freddie ran over to them and hugged them tightly, which confused them both.

"Yes! You two are together. Valerie's not abused and Jonah, you're out of Juvie!" Valerie and Jonah raised their eyebrows and looked toward each other. Jonah chuckled and placed his hands on Freddie's shoulders, looking into his friend's eyes.

"Juvie? What are you talking about? Freddie, _are_ you okay? What's this about Valerie being abused? I'll kill the person that puts a single bruise on her." Freddie chuckled and made a mental note never to tell Jonah _that_ part of the adventure.

"I don't doubt that, but I also know you wouldn't ever resort to murder." Freddie had to check, he just _had_ to make sure that Carly and Spencer were in the right place. Of course, he was sure they were, especially considering everyone else seemed fine. Sam put a piece of chocolate in her mouth and walked over to Freddie. She lifted her hand up and felt of his temperature.

"Are you sure you're doing all right? It doesn't feel like you have a fever or anything."

"No, I'm fine Sam." Freddie wrapped his arms around Sam's waist and gently kissed her lips. "I'm just fine."

"I don't know, you're acting _pretty_ weird," Valerie said while shaking her head. Freddie looked over to Valerie and smirked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I _tried_ to explain." Jonah chuckled and crossed his arms, smirking at Freddie.

"Maybe the flashlight costume did something to him, who knows." Sam rolled her eyes and smiled as she hugged Freddie tighter.

"Hey Freddie, Spencer called me up," Sam said with a quiet voice. Spencer called her, that was something Freddie enjoyed knowing. "He said he couldn't reach you and asked that I contact you. He wants us to help him remove that metal tree."

"Okay, let's go over there then." Sam nodded and looked to Valerie and Jonah.

"Hey, we'll see you guys in a little while."

"Sure, but let me know if I need to shake Freddie into his normal self," Jonah joked while patting Freddie on the back. Freddie chuckled and left the apartment with Sam. They entered Carly's apartment and found Spencer.

"Hey Freddie, go get Carly, would you?"

"Sure." Freddie walked upstairs and raised his eyebrow when he saw Carly crying. He didn't know what was wrong with her. What he didn't know was that Carly just had a horrible nightmare. Unlike him, who had been visited by Mitch, Carly just had a nightmare that she feared she couldn't awaken from. Freddie sat down on the bench and stared at Carly with concern. "Hey, are you crying?"

"Leave me alone," Carly stated. Freddie shrugged and stood up.

"Okay, but I did have an idea for the next iCarly." Carly's eyes widened and she quickly stood up.

"Did you just say iCarly?!"

"Uh, yes…" Carly hurried into the studio and Freddie followed after. Carly wiped her eyes and turned around quickly.

"It's back! Our studio is back!" Freddie raised his eyebrows as Carly hugged the car seat. "Hello old car!" She grabbed her beanbag and smiled. "Hello bean bag." She then moved to the hammer in the wall and beamed. "Hello hammer that almost killed me!"

_"Ah yes, that brings memories."_ Freddie rolled his eyes and sighed. _"And in this world, Tyrone is _still_ alive. How much do you want to bet that in the other world, I threw that hammer at Carly in a fight?"_ Carly turned to Freddie and smiled hugely.

"It's all back!" She ran over to Freddie and hugged him tightly. He grunted in surprise and blinked. He was wondering what just happened to Carly. Sam entered the room and raised her eyebrows at the sight.

"Whoa daddy, what is going on here?" Sam asked with a little concern. Sam let go of Freddie and he quickly turned around, thinking he definitely had some explaining to do.

"Sam!" She hugged Sam tightly, thus confusing Sam even more. First Freddie seemed off, and now Carly? "You're out of Juvie!"

"Juvie?" Sam chuckled awkwardly and looked to Carly with concern. "What are you talking about? Are _you_ okay?"

"Spencer!" Carly ran out of the studio and Sam turned to Freddie while raising her eyebrows.

"What just happened?"

"I have no idea," Freddie replied. Sam shrugged and the two headed downstairs. They found Carly hugging Spencer and talking excitedly. All Freddie could think about was at least Carly's strange behavior would make them forget all about the strange way he was acting a little bit earlier. "Hey Spencer, you wanted us to help you take that tree down?" Spencer looked over and nodded.

"Yeah, just help me move-" Carly ran over and held her arms out in front of the tree.

"No!" Carly exclaimed. "No one touches this tree!"

"I thought you hated it."

"I don't, it's my favorite tree ever. Let's move it back to where it belongs." Spencer chuckled lightly and walked over, he was fine with that. They moved the tree back to where it was before and Carly smiled lightly. "There, it looks great. All it needs was a little love." Spencer nodded and looked toward a box of decorations.

"Hey, how about you guys help me decorate it."

"Yeah." They all moved to the box and pulled out some ornaments, they all thought the tree looked great. Christmas wasn't about a tree, the important aspect of Christmas was being with the ones you love. Freddie looked over at a laptop and spotted Mitch on the screen. He smoothly walked over and looked toward the screen.

"Thank you." He was grateful that Mitch put him back in his regular life, the time he belonged in. He was thankful to have everything the way it was supposed to be. Mitch chuckled lightly and shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I say? Maybe I should have chosen someone else," Mitch replied. Freddie nodded and shook a fist at the screen.

"Yeah, the next time you decide to take Sam away from me, you're going to get it big time. You're just lucky that time around that Sam was alive." Mitch swallowed and gave a toothy grin.

"Aren't you at least…ah I guess you're not all that happy about anything."

"Right, I _really_ wanted to see all that I saw. Mitch, don't ever screw with my life again, please?"

"Heh, no problem. At least I got my wings, though!" Mitch held his hands out and showed a pile of chicken wings. Freddie narrowed his eyes and Mitch gave a sheepish laugh. "What?"

"Stay the hell out of my life, Mitch. Christmas angel or no, I really don't want to have to go through all that again."

"Don't worry, I prom-" Freddie closed the laptop on Mitch and walked back over to the group. He stood behind Sam as the group turned to the tree. Sam leaned slightly against him, but not enough for Carly and Spencer to notice. They all started to hum to a Christmas carol, each celebrating the moment. Freddie wouldn't give anything to change this moment, he liked everything just the way it was.

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I hope you enjoyed that chapter, I know I did. Well stick around for the next one, it should be pretty interesting


	95. First Kisses

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: Yes, the Kiss episode is going to be twisted. Maybe, maybe not as much as the Money episode was. But there's really no way to fit the Kiss episode in this story if it's not twisted around a bit.

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Chapter 95 (First Kisses)

It was now the middle of February, Freddie had finally celebrated his sixteenth birthday and received his driver's license. Sam was telling him how he'd now have to drive her places, Freddie teased her by saying that if she wasn't wounded, she'd be walking. Penalty for that was equal to Sam putting a dead fish in Freddie's locker.

Freddie decided to retaliate, but it was all fun and games to them. He handcuffed her to Gibby and ran. Sam decided to take the opportunity to scare the living daylights out of Gibby while chasing Freddie. Freddie ran all the way to Carly's apartment and locked the door. Carly looked over as Freddie smirked and walked forward. "I pulled a prank on Sam." Carly gasped and stood up, shocked that Freddie pulled a prank on her. Whatever it was, Carly learned from prior mistakes and knew she wasn't going to compliment Freddie on it. She did have to wonder what Freddie did to Sam.

"You pulled a prank on Sam?! What, are you tired of living?" Carly asked with a quick voice. "Why would you pull a prank on Sam?"

"Because she put a dead fish in my locker…" Freddie lifted his backpack and frowned. "Smell this." Carly chuckled and hit the backpack.

"No! I'm not smelling your fishy backpack." Freddie chuckled and set his backpack down. "So, what prank did you pull on Sam?" Just then, Carly's door opened slightly, but stopped at the chain lock. Freddie smirked when he looked over, she looked cute when she was angry, even when she was just faking. Sam was definitely a good actress, that much was for sure.

"Open the door!" Sam shouted as she banged on the door. Sam grabbed at the chain and pulled it out. She then slammed the door open and barged in, dragging Gibby along with her. Carly's eyebrows rose and she glanced over at Freddie, surprised to see that he had handcuffed Sam to Gibby.

"You handcuffed her to Gibby?"

"She put a dead fish in my locker!"

"Gibby's _way_ worse than a dead fish!" Sam shouted out. Gibby frowned sadly and glanced at Sam.

"My mom thinks I'm awesome," Gibby said in his defense. The trio stared at Gibby in disbelief, they felt he should just be quiet in this circumstance. Sam ordered Freddie to give her the key, and soon everyone was running around trying to catch Freddie. Sam quickly grabbed Freddie's arm and twisted it behind his back, making sure not to hurt him too much.

"Where is the key?"

"In my front pants pocket, left side," Freddie said quickly. He smirked and hoped Sam would reach in. It was strategically placed. Sure, he could be a bit perverted every now and then. Sam could tell he had probably been planning something, so she smirked and looked at Carly.

"Get the key out of his pocket." Freddie paled and Carly started to reach, but she quickly cringed with disgust and pulled away. She didn't want to go anywhere near that. Freddie managed to get up and pull the key out, he unlocked Gibby and watched as the kid ran away screaming. Carly sighed and Sam pulled at Freddie's collar, glaring into his eyes. It was more of a passionate glare than a angered one. Freddie's was one that told Sam he wanted to kiss her tender lips more than anything during that moment. To keep the act, they made sure to continue their dispute.

"Come on, you put a dead fish in my locker and I handcuffed you to Gibby, we're even." Sam smirked and raised her eyebrow.

"I don't play to get even…mama plays to win." Sam released Freddie on the basis that the temptation to kiss him was becoming too strong. She started walking toward the door and turned around to face Freddie, continuing to back up. "I'm going to get you. May not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but I'm going to get you."

"I'm not scared." And he wasn't. After all, how could he be scared of Sam? Both he and Sam knew that he was physically stronger than she was. Just not in front of Carly or most other people. Alone, Freddie could pin her down perfectly. Whenever he did, he would always kiss those beautiful lips of hers. To him, they were the sweetest lips in the world, and they were all his to kiss. Sam turned around and raised her eyebrow, Carly couldn't tell that it was a seductive raise.

"Really?" She walked out of the room and Freddie wanted to chase after her. He figured for acting, he best just grab a bucket and make like he was going to puke. It was believable, since Carly thought he was going to puke into the bucket.

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie entered the studio the next day with a baseball bat, it was merely for show. Carly and Sam had gone to see a movie called _The First Kiss_, he personally thought it was going to be a lame movie. Carly raised her eyebrow curiously at the bat in Freddie's hand, she couldn't help but wonder what it was for.

"So what's the bat for, Freddie?" Carly asked. Freddie shrugged and pointed the bat to Sam.

"Nothing, as long as Sam keeps her distance." Sam was actually too tired to really try anything funny, so she just waved the situation off.

"Don't worry, I'm too tired to get you back tonight," Sam replied. Freddie shrugged and sat down next to the girls. He sighed and figured he'd ask them how they enjoyed the movie.

"So, how was _The First Kiss_?"

"Worst movie ever," Carly replied. Freddie figured they'd hate it. He chuckled and looked at Carly as if to say 'I told you so.'

"I told you guys that movie was going to be awful. I mean even the title was lame." He looked to Sam and smirked suggestively, he figured she must be thinking of their first kiss. He knew he was. Right in the studio, wrapped up in that warm blanket. The first time he ever tasted of lips sweeter than honey. Sam raised her eyebrows as Freddie closed his eyes and breathed out of his nose.

_"Uh huh,"_ Sam thought while eating a bite of popcorn. She looked to Carly and smiled, wondering if Carly ever kissed a guy yet. "So, who was yours?"

"My what?" She replied.

"Your first kiss, who was it with?"

"Sam!"

"What? We're all friends here." Sam looked to Freddie and moved the corner of her lips back. "Well, two friends and a coworker." Sam smirked and looked into Freddie's eyes, as if to say _"You know what I mean."_ She was starting to get to the point where it seemed like Carly was mostly a coworker, there just wasn't enough of that trust to go around. "Who was your first kiss?"

"Okay…it was Ben Hoobsher." Freddie laughed once and Carly glanced over to see what was so funny. Sam couldn't help but laugh once herself, the guy's name seemed kind of funny.

"Nobody's last name is _Hoobsher_," Freddie said as he took a drink from a water bottle.

"Yes it is!" Carly smiled and put a piece of popcorn in her mouth. She spoke in a slight daze. It had been years since she actually even talked to the guy. "He kissed me under a kumquat tree and his lips tasted like potato salad." Freddie and Sam raised their eyebrows, they weren't sure just _what_ to make of that experience. Sam chuckled and pat her leg once.

"My first kiss with Buddy Hinton at a cuttlefish concert," Sam stated. Freddie nearly spit out his drink, both he and Sam had hated that guy. "In a port-a-potty." He raised his eyebrow and chuckled, at least it wasn't even remotely as romantic as her actual first kiss was.

"Mm, _so_ romantic," Freddie said with slight sarcasm in his voice. Sam shrugged and stood up, wondering if the market was open across the street. She asked if the strange guy out front was still around and grabbed the bat. It was times like that when Freddie _hated_ for her to go outside. Strange people hung around out there late at night, people who could possibly cause harm for her. After Sam left, Freddie got up and moved toward his equipment.

"So, who was your first kiss?" Carly asked. Freddie raised his eyebrow and chuckled, he wasn't about to tell her the true answer to that. Of course, he needed to keep himself from falling into a daze. The more they talked about first kisses, the more he thought about that day with Sam.

"You don't need to know."

"I absolutely need to know!" Carly stood up and hurried over to Freddie. He shook his head and crossed his arms. "Well at least tell me her first name." He knew _that_ wasn't going to be happening anytime soon.

"I haven't had my first kiss."

"Oh shut up."

"I'm serious, I've never kissed anyone." Carly frowned in surprise, she thought for sure Freddie might have kissed _someone_ in his lifetime. A lot of people would make a big deal out of it if they knew this information.

-NEW SCENE-

"Freddie, I've thought of something fun!" Sam said as she entered his bedroom. Freddie looked up from his work desk and smiled as Sam sat in his lap and held her arms around his neck. "I want to ask if you think this is a good idea. What if…what if we say on iCarly that you haven't had your first kiss?" She knew people would probably tease Freddie, he knew it too, but they also know that it wouldn't bother him at all. Why should it? He'd kissed someone, plus it wasn't like it was anyone else's business to know.

"Hmm, well I could act all bothered by it, I guess," Freddie said while rubbing his chin. "You can reveal it, but then you should probably apologize on the iCarly after that." Sam gave a brief nod and started to lean back. Freddie placed his hand on her back right above her belt and smirked. "Don't fall."

"What? I've already fallen, fallen for you." Sam leaned forward and gently kissed Freddie's lips. She closed her eyes and let out a content sigh. Her eyes slowly opened and she gazed into Freddie's soft and gentle eyes. "I love you, Freddie."

"I love you. I also love how you made up that first kiss story, no bit of romance whatsoever." Sam laughed and nodded her head.

"Well I wouldn't have been able to think of a romantic first kiss without giving ours away. That was the most romantic first kiss that I could ever think of."

"I'm so glad you enjoyed it, I know I did."

"Yeah, all the way through that dumb movie, I just couldn't stop thinking about our kiss."

"It was a good moment." Sam nodded and looked toward the papers on Freddie's desk.

"So what are you working on?"

"Homework."

"Ooh!" Sam took the papers and leapt off of Freddie's lap, smirking at him.

"Sam, what are you doing?" Freddie stood up and smiled at his beautiful fiancé.

"I'm taking your homework." Sam stuffed it into her shirt and ran to the other side of the room. "Come get it."

"You don't think I can?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam smirked lightly.

"I _know_ you can't." In no time, Freddie had her between him and the wall, beside her was the bed. She laughed and landed on the bed, hoping to crawl away. Freddie quickly jumped onto the bed and landed next to her, draping his arm over her. "Heh, hi."

"Hey sweetie, looks like I caught you." Sam giggled as Freddie pressed himself against her and kissed her lips tenderly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, not quite catching him slip his hand in and pull the homework out. He quickly moved off of the bed and shot her a daring smirk while holding the homework up. "I got it."

"Aw man!" Freddie laughed and Sam slowly stood up, he won that round. "I'll win next time, mark my words!"

"I don't doubt them. Now, I have to finish my homework, but I'll spend some time with you when I'm done. I only have a few more questions left."

"Okay, that sounds like a plan." Sam continued to lay on the bed while Freddie moved to his desk and began working.

"Uh Sam?" He looked over and saw Sam looking at him seductively. "You're distracting me." She smirked and Freddie gave a small sigh, he wasn't getting his homework done anytime soon.

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I do hope you enjoyed that chapter, especially the little bit at the end. By the way, if you're thinking they did anything after this was cut off, I would say no since I didn't intend for them to, but leave it to your imagination. Perhaps they just made out a bit, perhaps Sam left so he could do his homework...Anyway, look forward to the next chapter, you should enjoy it ^_^. Chapter 98 is coming up soon...the end of iCarly, as it's called.


	96. Sam's Fear

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: Yes, the Kiss episode is going to be twisted. Maybe, maybe not as much as the Money episode was. But there's really no way to fit the Kiss episode in this story if it's not twisted around a bit.

* * *

Chapter 96 (Sam's Fear)

The next week was when they revealed that Freddie hadn't ever kissed a girl. It seemed that it was going according to plan, Freddie just needed to act really upset about it. Jonah and Valerie actually wondered _why_ their friends would even bother with such a thing. "I don't want to be here," Freddie said as Carly pulled him into the school.

"Come on," Carly said while trying to pull him in. She was impressed by the amount of strength he had. She finally did manage to pull him in, but he was still bugged. "You can't ditch school." Freddie groaned as Carly pulled Freddie toward the lockers.

"Everyone's going to make fun of me." Carly sighed and slowly shook her head, she didn't think there'd be a big problem with him going to school. She did, however, think there was a big problem with the disguise he was wearing. "Now come on, take off that ridiculous disguise." Freddie slowly took off his shades and the fake afro. He handed them to Carly and fixed his hair over slightly. "See, I told you, you're just being too-" Just then a group of guys walked by and called out to Freddie. He raised his eyebrow as they made kissing sounds in order to poke fun at him. He wanted to pop them in the jaw and tell them that he had kissed someone, he had kissed Sam Puckett several times. Though, he knew the art of restraint and just shrugged them off. Freddie turned to Carly and held his hand out.

"Give me my afro."

"No, just because a few rude guys made kissy noises at you doesn't mean-" Just then a British sounding teacher called out to Freddie and walked over. Freddie sighed and turned around, raising his eyebrow and wondering what this teacher could possibly want.

"Freddie, I don't mean to be rude, but I hear you've never kissed a girl," The teacher said while raising his eyebrow. Freddie blinked and stared at him with a nonchalant look on his face. Really, when would these people learn he didn't care?

"Well, thanks for stopping by!" Carly said while trying to get the teacher to leave. The man patted him on the shoulder and pulled him over slightly.

"The important thing is to be proud of yourself. Face the world with shoulder's cocked and say, I am Freddie Benson and I have never kissed a girl!" The man said that loudly so everyone could hear. Freddie sighed and whispered to the man.

"Do you know Tyrone Shay?" Freddie shifted his eyes over and made sure no one was hearing.

"No, can't say I've ever heard of him." Good, it seemed true considering the teacher was actually very new to the school and city.

"Well then, I'll have you know I have made out with a girl named Angel several times over the last…oh say…not quite three years. Now that you've just done this and gathered all this lovely attention, run before I pummel you enough times to make you have amnesia for the rest of your life." The teacher took the warning well and decided to run. Freddie simply ignored the people surrounding him and laughing at him. He was shocked that so many people thought it to be their business if he kissed a girl or not. Freddie turned to Carly and raised his eyebrow.

"Okay, so far things don't seem to be going that well," Carly said with a sad voice. Just then, several little girls started laughing at him. Freddie closed his eyes and sighed.

"Can I go home now?"

"I would." Freddie nodded and made his way out the door. His work was done, he just needed to miss rehearsal a few times and then miss iCarly. He didn't actually care all that much about iCarly. Then Sam would think of a way to apologize.

-NEW SCENE-

The day of iCarly, Carly actually got upset with Sam. It was shocking in a way, as Carly never got upset with Freddie over what he did to Sam, no matter what the thing was. However Carly always got upset with Sam. This was valid, though. It wasn't like when Freddie sent the fake text to Sam, Carly complimented Freddie about it. No, this was different. Either way, when the truth came out, that would be when Carly would be the most shocked. Jonah always opted for Freddie and Sam to not remain her friends because he didn't trust her at all, but they all knew that wasn't going to happen.

Sam decided to go out and talk to Freddie, it was actually a nice way to get away from doing iCarly for a little while and spend some extra time with Freddie. Sam was actually at the point where she didn't really care all that much for iCarly. She never really did, she was just always scared of something bad happening with it. She'd heard so much about bad guys that find people online and rape them or murder them, so she was always a bit fearful.

Sam made it to where Freddie was on the fire escape, she smiled and heard the sound of music being played. Freddie had been watching iCarly, he found it rather funny that she threatened bodily harm to anyone that teased her. It was true though, _he _would hurt anyone that dared to pick on her. He could handle people picking on him, but he didn't want anyone doing that to Sam. He was just too protective of her. He would have nearly killed Rodney when he found out what Rodney said to her back then, that was why Jonah was a good friend to have around.

Sam sat on the windowsill as Freddie turned off the radio, he smiled and gazed into Sam's eyes. This was their moment, they had some things to discuss. Sure, it could have waited until iCarly was over, but Sam had to make Carly believe she was physically apologizing to Freddie. "You know Freddie, it just seems so dumb how people get so freaked out over their first kiss," Sam said with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, I agree, it really does," Freddie replied. Of course, it really wasn't that big of a deal. "Even still, it was a big deal to us, remember?" Sam smiled and closed her eyes, she remembered. The emotion, the feeling, everything about that kiss had been nearly perfect.

"Yeah, you were role playing as some vampire and I was just a poor and innocent little village girl." Freddie smirked and nodded his head.

"Yep, do you still have that blanket?"

"I've never gotten rid of that thing. I call it _Freddie's Cape_, just because you were using it as if it were your cape." Freddie laughed and Sam leaned back slightly. They sighed and smiled at each other. "It's impossible to forget our first kiss, and why would we?"

"I don't know, it was just so perfect for that moment. Just you and me up in the studio, searching for those missing chicks…I think _someone_ distracted me." Sam raised her eyebrows and chuckled, she thought it was the other way around.

"Maybe it was _you_ who distracted _me._"

"Perhaps both of us distracted the other." Freddie walked to Sam and leaned over her, placing her in between his arms which rested on the windowsill and the railing of the fire escape. She breathed in and felt Freddie slowly breathe onto her. "My mistress, we meet again." So the game was afoot once more. Sam raised her eyebrows and smiled lightly.

"What is it you desire?"

"I believe it is you that has my cape."

"But your cape is so warm and comfortable, I just _couldn't_, I _couldn't_ part with it!" Freddie moved his right hand beneath Sam's chin and tilted her head upwards.

"You couldn't part with it, you say? How long has it been since we've last met?"

"It must have been years, I simply _can't_ bring myself to return the cape after all this time."

"I see, then do you have something for your lord? Perhaps I shall sink my fangs into you? Perhaps I will seduce you."

"Seduce me if you desire, I will never return your cape. I love it too much." Freddie smirked and moved closer to her, pressing his body against hers and gently kissing her lips. Sam wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. "If this is your way of seducing me, then I think it's working…"

"Yes, and now I shall make you mine once more. You escaped me once, you will not do it again." They heard a noise inside and quickly backed up. Sam silenced herself and Freddie looked into the window, there was nothing to worry about. Freddie chuckled lightly and looked to Sam. "I think it was just our imaginations, but let's stop for now, shall we?"

"Y-Yeah…oh Freddie, I've been thinking."

"Yes?" Sam stood up and slowly traced a circle over the windowsill. "How long will we do iCarly for?"

"How long do you want to do it for?"

"I don't know…I mean, I love it, but…" She didn't want to quit it, not when Carly enjoyed it so much. She was just really scared sometimes. The prior night, she had a nightmare that had been reoccurring for her. Over the years, she had kept dreaming about a random stranger that showed up at her door, asking if she was Sam Puckett from iCarly. This stranger would always end up killing her. "Carly likes it so much, but I keep having these weird dreams…"

"Dreams? You've never told me about these dreams." Freddie looked at her with concern and placed his hand on her lower arm. "What's going on, Sam?"

"Well, I never wanted to say this, but ever since we began iCarly, I keep having this weird dream. I keep thinking that this weird person shows up at my door and asks if I'm the girl from iCarly. And every dream is different, he does something different every time. It always opens with this man appearing there and it always ends tragically. One time even, I think you were killed."

"Sam…" Freddie sighed and gave her a comforting hug, he hated to see Sam fearful of something like this. He knew where he stood with iCarly, but he didn't want to take it from the girls. They did actually give personal information away, and that _was_ a bit of a problem. "I promise, if anything like that ever happens, iCarly _will_ end. I won't give it a chance to happen. In fact, I'll start thinking of what to do as soon as I can, okay?"

"No, I don't want to end something that makes Carly happy. Not just because of senseless and pointless fears."

"No, no, no…Sam…" Freddie placed his hands on her arms and looked at her, filled with concern. "Look at me, Sam." Sam turned her head and met his gaze, she looked like she was about ready to produce tears. "Carly's happiness is not the factor here. It's not as important to me as you. If you're afraid, then I want you taking a break from iCarly. If you're afraid, then I don't want you doing iCarly. If you think it's getting worse, if there's even a problem that comes because of iCarly, I promise you…not only will I protect you, I will make sure that iCarly ends right there. Do you understand? I don't care one bit about whether Carly wishes to continue it or not, I care more about whether you're scared or happy. If you're not happy, then guess what."

"Then you're not happy?" Sam gave a tiny smile and Freddie nodded his head. He gently kissed his forehead and hugged her close.

"I won't let anything bad happen to you."

"Thank you…" Freddie rubbed her back and let go, Sam knew he spoke the truth. She actually hoped he'd make a decision. If he wanted her to quit, she would gladly quit. "I'm going to head back now, what about you?"

"I've got some thinking to get out of the way, don't worry. I'll be in soon." Sam nodded and went back inside, Freddie watched on as she left. He chuckled to himself and leaned back, he couldn't help but think of Nevel from some time ago. Pity the kid, trying to find ways to rid the internet of iCarly. If only he'd realize that he just had to ask Freddie and Sam to end it, Freddie would gladly do so. Instead he tried to force the end of it, that would never happen.

* * *

You're going to enjoy the next chapter, it takes place after the car episode. I hope you liked this one ^_^


	97. iCarly's Stalker

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: Skipping over the Car episode, in a way. Do know, however, this story will soon, possibly with this chapter, stop following the series. Bear with me dear reader and enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 97 (iCarly's Stalker)

April had passed by, the excitement of Jonah and Valerie's wedding had also come and gone. They had become married on April the fifteenth. It seemed to be the middle of spring, that was why they chose it. Freddie had been the best man and Sam was the Matron of Honor. It had been a beautiful wedding. Sam had even managed to catch the bouquet.

The group had also met with Nevel once more, he had tricked them into nearly having to shut iCarly down. Freddie may have wanted the end of iCarly to come, but he didn't want it to have to be by Nevel. They had to find a new car or else iCarly would be finished. In the end, they did find a new car. Sam actually expressed her distaste of the situation to Freddie, it had been so confusing for her. She had been conflicted, trying to decide whether Nevel's trick had been a good thing or not. Freddie reassured her that it would be bad because Carly would hate that Nevel basically won. Sam couldn't help but feel more distress over the fact that her nightmares were becoming more frequent. The car dealership they mentioned was just yet _another_ way for people to identify them. It was a fearful thing for Sam.

Freddie decided to get Nevel to quit his little game, he figured it was high time for it to end anyway. He would be happy to inform the little twit that he was _already_ in the process of ending iCarly. It was a thought that had been on his mind for quite some time. He was sure iCarly had to end.

Freddie drove to Nevel's house and parked at the curb. He exited the black sports car and walked up to the door. Thinking about what he would say, he knocked on the door and waited as Mrs. Papperman opened the door and smiled at Freddie. "Why hello, what brings you here?" The lady asked. Freddie shook her hand and leaned against the doorframe.

"I'm just looking for Nevel, is he in?" Nevel's mom nodded and led Freddie inside. He sat on the couch and stared ahead as the lady went to fetch her son from his room. After a few minutes, Nevel seemed to appear next to Freddie, as he hadn't seen the guy come down.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Nevel asked while crossing his arms. He was already upset that he had failed to shut down iCarly, the last thing he needed was iCarly's technical producer to be inside his house. "Go away, shoo." Freddie gave a deep sigh and closed his eyes, he was plenty annoyed with Nevel as it was. The last thing he needed was for Nevel to start acting stupid. Nevel placed his hands on his hips and stared at Freddie. "Well?"

"Would you just shut up for a minute, Nevel." Nevel felt as though he'd just been insulted. Freddie actually wasn't in the mood to play games or anything. "Why do you want to end iCarly so badly, anyway?" Nevel rolled his eyes and sat down in a chair across from Freddie, he figured that might be what the guy was there for. "Is it jealousy? Greed? _Lust?_" Freddie narrowed his eyes and shifted them over to the oddball. Nevel merely raised his eyebrow with confusion, it wasn't any of those. He just wanted revenge because Carly didn't want to kiss him. Yes, he was still mad about that.

"Carly didn't kiss me, and I'm still mad about that." Freddie chuckled and bowed his head, it was hilarious to him that the geek was still upset over something so trivial. Carly wouldn't then, and she still wouldn't do it.

"Yeah, well you should know by know that Carly's not going to kiss you. Therefore, why don't you just stop worrying about it?" Nevel tapped his chin and leaned back, he didn't think he should. He did wonder if maybe Sam would be easier and kiss him, then he'd be off of iCarly's back.

"I might stop trying to sabotage iCarly _if_…" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Nevel smirked slightly. "If the co-host would kiss me." Freddie felt his anger and jealousy flare up, he now wanted to punch Nevel in the face. How _dare_ he suggest something like that! Freddie took a deep breath and tried to maintain his calm and patient demeanor. It was hard, though.

"No, she wouldn't kiss you." Nevel frowned and Freddie clasped his hands together while leaning forward. "Besides, she's got a boyfriend who would probably kill you if you even _tried_ to kiss her. Trust me on that, I should know." Nevel blinked a couple times while Freddie stared back at him. "Plus, iCarly won't end because you want it to. Not one bit for you."

"Then when_ will_ it end?" Nevel crossed his arms as Freddie shrugged.

"I don't know. It might end soon, I hear Sam's getting a little tired of it. I'm actually more concerned than the girls are, though." Nevel raised his eyebrow and Freddie continued on. "Think about it. I'm concerned for them that iCarly could give them a stalker. I don't want that to happen to them."

"Yeah, they don't need that." Nevel wasn't the type to give anyone a stalker, he didn't think like that. However, he had seen something suspicious recently. He wondered if he should bring it up, Freddie might think it was a foul plot or something, but it would be best to tell him anyway. "I did see something odd, though. I thought I saw Sam at the park, and this weird guy was flashing photos of her." Freddie raised his eyebrows and leaned back, this was news. He knew Sam had been at the park just a few days ago, this couldn't be good at all. Freddie stood up and placed his hands on Nevel's shoulder, looking intensely into Nevel's eyes.

"This is important, Nevel. What did this guy look like? Have you seen him before? Tell me all you can." Nevel didn't understand why Freddie was so extremely concerned for Sam, but he figured he'd better give the information anyway. He actually snapped a photo of the guy himself, since he wanted to take it to the police and say that he thought someone had a stalker.

"Here…" Nevel opened up the drawer of the coffee table and handed Freddie a group of pictures. It showed a tanned skinned man snapping photos of Sam, most of them were of his back. He was wearing a trench coat and had a baseball cap on. He had shoulder length red hair, from what Freddie could see of his back. He was about medium build and stood at approximately six feet tall. Nevel moved to a picture that had been taken of the man's frontal body. The man had a red goatee and a scar on his cheek. His eyes were hazel colored.

"This man, where have I seen him before?" Freddie tapped his chin in thought and narrowed his eyes. He was sure this man worked at the smoothie shop nearby. His eyes widened and he took a slight step back. No, he didn't work at the smoothie shop. He saw the man sitting there once, watching as Freddie, Carly and Sam all sipped their smoothies. He _had_ seem the man working at the chili restaurant that Sam worked at for a short time. That could have caused trouble if this man was a stalker. "Shit. I have to go Nevel, thank you for these. By the way, when this man's arrested, be sure to give your witness statement. I'm sure the police will be seeking you."

"Uh, okay…" Nevel watched as Freddie ran out of the door. Freddie honestly wasn't sure what to think, though. How come Nevel had those pictures? Freddie parked next to the chili restaurant and entered inside. He saw the red haired man serving a customer. Freddie pushed the customer aside and grabbed the man's shirt, pulling him in. The customer didn't complain, since it seemed Freddie's eyes were very angry.

"Do you want to tell me what you were doing snapping photos of Sam Puckett in the park the other day?" The man stuttered for a moment, but stopped when Freddie slammed the photos on the counter. "What is the problem here? Why are you taking photos of her? What is your name?" The man swallowed and sweat dripped down the side of his face. Freddie shook the man violently and glared into his eyes. "I _asked_ you a question. _WHY_ were you taking pictures of Sam Puckett? What is your name? Answer me now."

"My name is Micah Papperman, I'm Nevel Papperman's uncle! He made me go to the park so that he could take photos. He was planning to put them up on iCarly and alert the girls that they had a stalker. He wanted to make them afraid. It wasn't my idea!" Freddie clenched his teeth and released Micah, he couldn't believe that Nevel had tried that. Fortunately, he had taken the pictures away from him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced back to see Robert standing behind him.

"Freddie, take a breath for a moment," Robert said with a quiet voice. "Let's sit down." Freddie nodded and sat down with Robert. Mr. Shay let out a slow sigh and closed his eyes. "The girls don't have a stalker, we've already questioned Micah. Emily and I both have watched carefully over them, making sure there were no signs of a stalker in their midst…Other than Micah, who confessed wholly to Nevel making him stand in the park. We caught him that very day, so we confiscated his camera."

"You watched over Carly and Sam? Why?"

"Because…we didn't want to worry you with this, but we think it's about time for you to know. About a year ago, Emily and I did catch a man who was following Sam." Freddie's eyebrows rose and he leaned back in the velvet booth. So Sam really did have a stalker, from what Robert was saying. "He's been arrested and put into jail, the police found enough evidence to put him in. He apparently had some sort of shrine at his house or something."

"My god…so iCarly really did have a stalker?"

"Yes." Robert slowly opened his eyes and tapped a gift card he had bought on the table. "In fact, I would strongly recommend that if you're considering iCarly's ending…do it now."

"Well, Sam was getting nightmares and growing more afraid of doing iCarly. I'm becoming more and more concerned for her safety."

"I see, if she's becoming afraid because of iCarly, then what do you think is the best route to take?"

"I think it would be best to talk to the girls about ending iCarly. I could do it abruptly or talk to them peacefully…but Carly won't want to end it, no matter what."

"If Carly refuses, then have Sam quit. If Sam quits, then you can quit."

"We've done the whole quitting thing, Carly manages to talk us back into rejoining iCarly."

"Then if you have trouble, leave it to us, the parents of iCarly. I'm sure we can figure something out." Freddie nodded and looked over as two bowls of chili were placed in front of them.

"You ordered chili?"

"Yeah, while you were talking to redhead over there, I told the waitress to bring two bowls of chili. So, let's talk over chili." Freddie chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, it seemed like a fine idea for him. He wondered if he should have a talk with Nevel about what had just happened, but he figured it didn't really matter all that much anymore.

* * *

Ah there it is, the benefit of the man found several chapters ago has come to pass. Next chapter will be the end of iCarly, but not the story itself. After this story breaks from the series, I guarantee you, it WILL GET BIGGER. Not longer, just bigger as in better ^_^. You're going to enjoy it. Isn't it ironic, Nevel tries everything, but still fails to be the cause of iCarly's end, and now it will be ending because of a stalker...one that _he_ _didn't_ _hire! _lol


	98. iCarly's End

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: Keep in mind, with iCarly's end, the story then flows freely and no longer follows the series. Enjoy, my dear reader, the rest of the story as it goes.

* * *

Chapter 98 (iCarly's End)

Freddie sat down with Carly and Sam, he was going to talk to them about what Robert had said to him about the stalker. He didn't want to worry them, but they had to know. Of course, it would worry them too much, and he didn't want to do that. He didn't want them to be looking over their shoulders all the time. He would just have to relay his fears and concerns over to them. There to help him, were the three parents. Two parents, really. Lisa didn't exactly count as one of the parents, despite the fact that Carly thought she was Sam's mom.

"Girls, I have a few things that I've been very concerned about lately," Freddie said with a slow sigh. He knew Carly was probably going to fight this decision, but he was very set in his belief that iCarly should be no more. "Lately, I've been having some issues with iCarly."

"Like what, Freddie?" Carly asked with concern. She didn't want him to feel left out or unimportant to the show, he was very important. She tried to make him feel important to the show. "If you don't feel important, let me just say that you are _very_ important to the show." Freddie chuckled and slowly shook his head, it wasn't that at all. Sam knew what Freddie wanted to talk about, he hadn't quite told her, but she could basically tell. They needed to discuss iCarly's final airing. "Then what, Freddie? What's the problem?"

"iCarly's had a long run, we all know that. I can't help but worry about you two…I'm worried about stalkers, internet bad guys, things like that." Carly blinked and laughed it off slightly, she wasn't worried about that at all. She had never had a stalker because of iCarly, so she didn't have to be afraid. "Plus, we kind of have a person who basically hates us because of iCarly, that person would be Nevel." Carly had to admit, Freddie had a point there. Even still, she wasn't afraid at all.

"Freddie, these fears you have aren't exactly all that big. I mean, we've never had any risks with iCarly.

"You don't know that, Carly." Sam watched the two talk, her eyes shifted between them. The parents were listening outside, getting ready to enter if they had to. As Freddie and Carly spoke, it seemed they were getting nowhere. Sam had about enough of it, she just wanted to end iCarly. She felt if iCarly was over, then the nightmares would stop coming. Over the years, Freddie had made it so no one could download the videos off of the internet or even embed them into anything. If he deleted the site and all the videos, the boom, they were gone forever. No one could _ever_ access them again.

Eventually Carly and Freddie started arguing about it, Carly didn't want iCarly to end because of concerns that didn't seem to have much base anyway. Freddie wanted it to end based on his concerns. Sam finally decided it was time to intervene, let her voice be heard. She stood up and cleared her throat, causing both Carly and Freddie to look up at her. "Carly," Sam said in a quiet and shaky voice. Carly raised her eyebrow and Sam inhaled sharply. "This one time, I agree with Freddie."

"What? But why?" Carly asked with great concern.

"Because ever since iCarly started, I've had nothing but fears with it. I keep having nightmares that I'm in danger, I keep thinking that iCarly will give us trouble if we keep it up…I don't want it anymore. I want to end it." Carly slowly stood up and looked to Sam with sorrow, she could see the fear behind Sam's eyes. She didn't like that Sam was so afraid, she wished she could do something about that. Maybe they were right, maybe they should end iCarly.

"But still…nothing bad has happened…" The parents were getting ready to move in, but it seemed Freddie had one last thing up his sleeve.

"Sam, please leave the room for a minute," Freddie said in a quiet voice. Sam nodded her head and exited the room, she wouldn't be able to hear Freddie. Freddie closed his eyes as Carly sat down. "Carly, you say nothing bad has happened yet. You're right, no one has done any physical harm to you or Sam because of iCarly. However, you're putting up images of yourselves, and quite a bit of them have you and Sam as _half naked_ or in other compromising situations. Who is to say that there isn't some whack job out there who gets off on that kind of stuff? Thank god I made it so no one can download the videos or anything."

"I didn't know you did that…"

"I did, because I was concerned. I won't allow that nonsense."

"Wow…"

"Another thing." Freddie opened his eyes and slowly stood up, Carly stared up at him and swallowed slightly. "Sam _did_ have a stalker." Carly gasped lightly and Freddie continued. "My mom and your father caught him before he could do anything. So don't you try to tell me that there isn't anything to worry about. I don't care if Sam and I hate each other or not, but if I have to, I _will_ find a way to get Sam to quit iCarly. Then, _I_ am quitting iCarly, for good. My decision is final." Carly's jaw fell slightly and Freddie crossed his arms. She had to think of something, she had to respond somehow. "So here's the deal, and I get the feeling that Sam will agree, since she just said she's been afraid. iCarly ends and we all are there for the final bit, or iCarly ends and you're the only person standing in front of a camera inside an empty studio. _OR_ iCarly continues, but you'll be asking your viewers for a new co-host and a new camera guy. What is your decision?"

-NEW SCENE-

Carly and Sam stood in the center of the studio as Freddie worked the electrical equipment. Sam hadn't heard much about what Freddie said, other than he gave Carly an ultimatum. She wondered how harsh Freddie had been and hoped it wasn't too harsh. It seemed Carly wasn't saying much to Freddie, but it didn't seem like she was _angry_ at him.

Freddie pointed and counted down from five, Carly began. "Hi, I'm Carly."

"I'm Sam, and I'm legally changing my name to Rebecca Thomas and moving to Minnesota!" Carly raised her eyebrow and looked to Sam.

"Seriously?"

"My mom said so, Carly. Unless her job transfer doesn't go through, which I highly doubt, we'll be moving to Minnesota."

"Why are you changing your name?"

"I feel that compelling need to do so." Carly laughed and looked toward the camera.

"Anyway, this is a special broadcast of iCarly. As you can see, it is going to be our last. You'll also notice some changes to the site." Freddie had already deleted basically everything on the site, all except the current video, which would be deleted at least an hour after viewing.

"Clearly our paranoid little dork over here…" Sam couldn't bring herself to insult Freddie at the moment. She was just having a bundle of emotions go through her. She wanted to cry, but it wasn't a bad cry, she just wanted to cry for the fact that with iCarly gone, she actually felt safer. She felt relief. "Carly and I had a few concerns, if not some scares. We feel the need to end iCarly forever."

"You've been a great audience over the years, and great viewers, but that time has come." Carly wiped her eyes and stared into the camera. "We know it's unexpected, but it has to be like this. There are certain forces beyond our control that prevent us from continuing iCarly. I'm sure Freddie has something good to say, right?" Freddie didn't really have anything to say, what he had to say, he said on a private iCarly video that the girls hadn't seen. He then deleted it. It basically told people that if anyone tried to mess with Sam or Carly, he'd be the last thing they saw before getting sent away.

"Nah, I'm good," Freddie said with a slight smile. Carly and Sam shrugged in response and Freddie waited as Sam and Carly performed the final skit. They even had a surprise guest, Nevel decided to show up on the big screen.

"What's going on!" Nevel shouted with disappointment, shock and anger. "Why is iCarly ending?!"

"Isn't this what you've always wanted?" Sam asked while raising her eyebrow. Nevel groaned and rolled his eyes, he didn't want it like this, _he_ wanted to be the one to end iCarly for good.

"No, _I_ wanted to shut down iCarly! I did, I did! Why are you ending iCarly when I should be the one finding a way to shut you down?"

"Face it Nevel, you're a little too late." Nevel groaned angrily and glared at the girls.

"You'll rue this day, iCarly! Rue it!" Freddie growled and set the camera on the table. He stepped forward and glared at Nevel.

"How about this, Nevel," Freddie said while narrowing his eyes angrily. The girls stepped back and stared at Freddie with shocked looks. Nevel's eyes widened slightly and he leaned back in his chair. "You can go back to your geeky little cave and leave these two alone. If I find you making anymore threats, or even _attempting_ to do anything to my girls here, I'm going to personally have your ass arrested, you got that? I'm not joking, I will sic the police on your sorry little ass, and you will _never_ get to open your own little haberdashery."

"Okay, okay, I get it! Geez, you think you wouldn't take a guy so seriously…" Freddie had enough with people trying to cause trouble for the girls. Sam was scared enough, she didn't need someone like Nevel making things worse. Nevel left the big screen and Freddie turned toward the main camera. Carly and Sam stood behind him and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Hey, this is Freddie Benson here, I just want to say that it's been a fun ride. However, I believe someone once said, all things, good or bad must come to an end. I will miss you people, probably more than I'll miss this blond thing over here." Freddie smirked slightly and Sam rolled her eyes.

"You're just lucky that goodbyes get me emotional, dork," Sam said while narrowing her eyes. "Otherwise I would_ totally_ get you for that statement."

"I don't doubt it Sam, I don't doubt it…" Freddie walked back around the camera where he would stay for the remainder of iCarly. Soon, it was all over and Freddie would press the button to terminate the site forever. It was an emotional time for everyone, but they all agreed that it had to be done.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that. Now it's time to pick up on the plot ^_^ You are so going to love it from here on out.


	99. Birth Plan

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

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Chapter 99 (Birth Plan)

Freddie, Sam, Jonah and Valerie were all at the apartment that Jonah had bought. They were not only discussing how the final iCarly went, but they were also drafting a birth plan for Valerie. It was something that women could do to ensure that the pregnancy goes the way they would like it to. The baby would be a male child, as they had found out. Jonah enjoyed rubbing his wife's belly and talking to the baby, Valerie thought it was cute.

The doctor had given Valerie a birth plan worksheet to fill out, so the group decided to do it right then. "Okay Valerie," Sam said as she moved her pen to the top of the list. "You want the following people present during your labor? Your partner, friends, relatives, doula, or children…" Freddie looked over and raised his eyebrow, wondering what the hell a doula was.

"Pardon me, but what is a doula?" Freddie asked with a quick voice. Jonah finished talking to the unborn baby and sat upright in his chair.

"A doula is a labor coach," Jonah replied with a smile. They didn't really have to have a doula at the place. "You know I'm going to be there, so mark me down next to partner." Sam nodded and wrote down Jonah's name. Valerie placed her hand onto her stomach and smiled softly.

"I want Sam in the delivery room with me. Freddie should stay in the waiting room, just in case Jonah needs to vomit. We don't have to have two vomiting guys in the room." Jonah and Freddie both glared at the now smirking Valerie, she actually didn't have a doubt in her mind that Jonah could handle the birth. Sam chuckled and wrote her name next to the _friends_. "Okay Sam, what's next?"

"Well it says here…" Sam moved the pen down as she read the words. "Would you like to bring music?" Valerie thought for a second and shook her head, she didn't think it would be all that necessary. "Would you like to dim the light?"

"What are they doing? Turning this into a romantic setting?" Freddie jokingly asked. Sam chuckled and rolled her eyes slightly.

"Hey, it's what's on the birth plan! You and I will most likely be doing this one day."

"I don't want to dim the lights," Valerie said as she rubbed her belly. Sam nodded and read the other two items off.

"Do you want to take pictures during the labor and delivery? Do you wish to wear your own clothes?"

"No and No." Valerie took the list and a pen, it was her turn to mark the items down. She marked next to having the option to return home if she wasn't in active labor. She wanted Jonah to stay with her at all times. She chose to have only the practitioner, nurse, and guests present. She didn't have contact lenses, so she didn't need to check that off. She chose to eat if she desired. She wanted to stay hydrated by drinking clear fluids rather than having an IV. She chose to have a heparin or saline lock and to walk and move around as she chose. If the she and the baby were doing fine, she chose to be allowed to progress free of stringent time limits but decided not to have an intermittent rather than the electronic fetal monitoring.

"She's a woman on a mission," Jonah said while chuckling slightly. Valerie was just blazing on down the list while the others watched. Valerie checked off the items that if available, she would like trying a birthing stool, birthing chair, squatting bar, and a birthing pool or tub. Of course, she wouldn't mind doing the labor regularly either, which was most likely how it would go. Under the question of when it was time to push, she chose to be coached on when to push and for however long it took to push. She also chose the option that as long as she and the baby were fine, to be allowed to progress free of time limits.

"Yeah Jonah, I'm on a mission." Valerie laughed slightly and continued filling out the form. "I think I'll just get this out of the way." The others nodded and just watched what items she marked off. As for pain relief, she chose all of the possible options, except for self hypnosis. For the vaginal birth, she decided to view the birth using a mirror. She wanted the room to be as quiet as it could be and to have Jonah help to 'Catch' the baby.

"So you want me helping to get the little one out?"

"Yes I do."

"Fine by me." Valerie nodded and continued on. She chose that after birth, she wanted to hold her baby right away and put off any procedures that weren't urgent. "Maybe I can hold him too."

"Father holds the baby later." Jonah's face fell and Valerie gave a quick laugh. "I'm joking of course, we'll see what happens." Jonah grinned as Valerie checked off another box. She wanted to wait until the umbilical cord stopped pulsating before it was clamped and cut, she also chose to let Jonah cut it. Jonah and Valerie had discussed both of them being involved in the birth.

"Look at that Jonah, you can't be allowed to faint," Freddie said with a slight smirk. Jonah raised his eyebrow and leaned back, he didn't think he would faint. "If you faint, you won't be able to cut that cord."

"Aw, leave my poor husband alone. He knows if he faints, he probably won't hear the end of it." Sam and Freddie couldn't help but to laugh at the comment. Jonah rolled his eyes and chuckled slightly.

"Oh don't worry honey, I'm not fainting to save my life," Jonah replied.

"Oh good for you, I'm glad." Valerie moved to the C-Section part of the list and opted for Jonah to be there. She wanted the screen to be lowered a bit so she could see her baby coming out. She opted to have the baby given to her partner when he was dried, and as long as he was in good health. She also opted to breastfeed the baby in the recovery room, if possible. "Hmm, moving on to the postpartum section…" She chose for after delivery, she wanted all newborn procedures to take place in her presence. She wanted Jonah to stay with the baby at all times if she couldn't be there. She also wanted a private room and a cot to be provided for Jonah.

"This list is _long_."

"Hey, you have to do what is necessary," Sam said with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, true…" Valerie marked that she would most likely plan to combine breastfeeding and formula-feeding. Of the things she wanted offered to her baby, she chose the formula, sugar water, and pacifier. She also wanted her baby fed on a schedule for that time. She also checked for rooming to make the decision later and depending on how she's feeling. Jonah looked at the list and rubbed his chin. "Do we want him circumcised at the hospital?"

"What is a circumcision?" Sam asked while raising her eyebrow. Freddie leaned back and sighed.

"When a baby boy is born, they have a fold that covers the head of their penis," Freddie explained. "A circumcision can take that fold off. There are several benefits of circumcision, actually…"

"I actually want my baby to be circumcised," Valerie said while rubbing her chin. She marked next to that and smiled as she checked the final box as well, letting herself be checked out early. "There, we've reached the end of the birth plan."

"That took a while."

"A lot longer than it took you to tell off Nevel," Jonah said while chuckling lightly. Freddie blinked and Sam turned toward him, she did wonder about his temper during that moment.

"Yeah, why were you so upset?" Sam asked with concern. Freddie frowned and sighed slightly. "I also remember Carly telling me that you were pretty harsh about wanting to end iCarly…she hasn't even talked to you in the last two days." Freddie didn't care if Carly talked to him or not.

"As long as you're safe, I'm not worried about whether Carly talks to me or not," Freddie said while shrugging his shoulders. "Are you still having nightmares?"

"No, they seemed to stop since iCarly ended…"

"Good." It was funny, after iCarly, Sam basically told the school that her mom wasn't moving and she said her name was still the same. Some people groaned, but all in all, no one really paid much mind. It had been a somber time for the students, since they didn't want iCarly to end, but they could get over it. Some people were upset with Freddie, but he paid them no mind.

"I'm with her on this one," Jonah said as he placed his arm around Valerie's shoulders. "Why _were_ you so harsh?" Freddie closed his eyes and slowly exhaled, he figured it was time to let Sam know what had been going on.

"Sam, I found out recently…A year ago, mom and Robert found someone who was indeed stalking you…" Sam paled slightly and her eyes widened, she had been in danger at some point of time because of iCarly. She couldn't believe it. "Ever since then, there haven't been any other stalkers, but I couldn't take that risk. I wanted you to be safe, I couldn't allow iCarly to go on while you were afraid or in danger."

"I see, thank you then," Sam responded with a small voice. Freddie wrapped his arms around Sam and pulled her into a close hug.

"Don't worry, you're safe now. The show is over, no one can see you online, so no one's going to do anything harmful at all." Sam nodded and kissed Freddie's cheek, she was pleased now that he'd been abrupt about it. While he didn't _have_ to be, if he wasn't, iCarly might not have ended and she would have become more fearful. Jonah and Valerie were happy for their friends, and why wouldn't they be? Sam wouldn't be afraid of internet creeps anymore, so she was happier. If she was happier, they were happier.

* * *

Well well well, we've reached this point...the next chapter is the milestone chapter, so I must say, you KNOW something big plot-wise will be happening. I hope you've enjoyed this relaxing chapter. I can say from here, the story is only JUST beginning, prepare yourselves for the the greatest ride that GS will take you on. Especially the Family Reunion Arc which begins around chapter 106, where there will be so many surprises and shocks. I DO HOPE that you've read over the GREATEST SECRET FAMILY TREE, because Freddie's got quite a bit of relatives that you will want to remember the relationship of them. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know you'll enjoy the next ^_^. That's right, I'm that confident.


	100. His True Mother

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: Here it is, for all those who have been waiting! The big milestone chapter, something big plotwise happens here! Read and enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 100 (His True Mother)

Tyrone entered the Shay apartment and leaned against the wall, he stared at Spencer while crossing his arms. Spencer was working on a strange sculpture that had aluminum all over it. Unlike everyone else, Tyrone was personally disgusted with Spencer's artwork, he felt it was always the wrong thing to be doing, and at the wrong time. Instead of artwork, Spencer _should_ be trying to reject the Bensons and help get them out of the apartment.

Spencer stopped what he was working on and looked over at Tyrone. He narrowed his eyes and stood up, crossing his arms in the process. "What do you want, _grandpa_?" Tyrone rolled his eyes with annoyance, he wondered why Spencer had to take such a tone with him. Naturally, it disturbed him to have his own grandson talk to him in such a spiteful manner. He also felt quite a bit of annoyance at the fact that Spencer would be marrying the niece of Emily. Even though it was true that Sasha wasn't blood related to Emily in any way, he still didn't like the idea of it.

"I just want to know how serious you are about marrying this Sasha girl." Spencer raised his eyebrow and turned back to his sculpture. Tyrone watched as Spencer moved the aluminum around his sculpture and acted as though he didn't hear the statement. "Spencer Shay, tell me why you are marrying this…this…"

"This what?" Spencer threw down the tool in his hand and stood up abruptly. Tyrone stepped back in shock and stared at his grandson with wide eyes. "Sasha is the woman I love! Who the hell gave _you_ the right to try and break up a couple so much in love?"

"I'm only thinking about what is best for you, Spencer." Spencer growled dangerously and stepped toward Tyrone.

"No, you're only thinking of yourself." Spencer blinked and smirked a moment. "I got you pegged, I know what it is. You hate them so much that you don't even want your _perfect_ little world to be tainted by the ones you hate. I bet you would even take a baby from them if they ruined your little hopes and dreams." Tyrone's eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly.

"I have never done that!"

"Oh yeah? Is that so?" Spencer walked toward a desk that he had put inside the main room of his apartment. Tyrone raised his eyebrow and wondered why he even had a desk there. Spencer opened a drawer and removed a sheet of paper. "Do you know what this is? This is my birth certificate." Tyrone stepped back and narrowed his eyes, he knew that they never put Emily's name in the slot designated for a mother. "Why is my mother's name blank?"

"What? What the hell are you talking about?" Spencer rolled his eyes and moved toward Tyrone. He held the paper in both of his hands and showed Tyrone the area where his mom wasn't mentioned. There was indeed, no name mentioned. Tyrone could remember now, he had told the doctor to place no name on the mother. _"Oh crap."_

"So Tyrone, is that Linda person not my real mother?"

"No, she is your mother." Spencer scoffed and lowered the paper, he knew Tyrone was lying. He had called up Linda and asked her about it. She didn't know who his real mom was, though.

"You're lying."

"No I'm not, why would I lie to you?"

"You are! I don't know why you _should_ lie to me, you shouldn't. As for why you would lie, I don't know, but I _will_ find out." Tyrone took a deep breath and Spencer moved back to the desk, placing his birth certificate on the desk. "I called Linda up and she confirmed that she was in fact _not_ my real mother. Boy I cheered when I realized that bitch didn't give birth to me. I'm sad that Carly had to be born to her, but I would love knowing who gave birth to me."

"You don't need to know." Spencer raised his eyebrow and smirked as Tyrone cursed himself. Slowly, but surely, Spencer was starting to push Tyrone into a corner.

"Why? Why do you think I shouldn't know who my mom is? What have I been missing that you haven't been telling me? Linda _did_ tell me that I was born before she ever met dad…I could just ask him."

"No! I will not permit you to do that." Spencer leaned his body back slightly and hummed, he was getting more and more clues just by the way Tyrone was acting. He was acting like it could have been Emily.

"Who is my mother? You, as my grandfather, should be able to let me know." Who was he kidding? Tyrone wouldn't be that easy. Of course it would be harder to get Tyrone to reveal anything at all. "Did you take me away from my mother, Gramps? Did you take me away and give me to my father?" What he did do was call his dad and learn that he was truly Robert's son. Robert didn't say much more than that, anyway. "Why do you hate my real mother so much, Tyrone?" Tyrone was sweating now, he had no clue how to respond to Spencer's questions.

"Go ahead, tell him," Freddie said as he walked down the stairs. He had heard the entire conversation and decided to help Spencer out in any way he could. He was upstairs because he'd been working on something in the studio for Carly. Freddie smirked and stepped next to his half brother. "Tell him why you hate his birth mom almost as much as you hate my mother. Tell him why you've wanted to keep this a secret from him for twenty nine years." Tyrone stuttered and clenched his hands together.

"I don't have to listen to this," Tyrone said as he turned toward the door.

"Why are you running? He'll find out anyway." Tyrone scoffed and walked toward the door. As he reached for the knob, the door opened and Robert stood in the doorway. Tyrone let out a small gasp as Robert narrowed his eyes and glared at the old man. Apparently someone had called him over. Quickly entering behind Robert was Emily, she stood closely next to him and looked at Spencer with worry. Tyrone grit his teeth and stepped back, he didn't exactly enjoy the position he was in at the moment. Tyrone then smirked and recalled that he had the upper hand.

"I did make the promise that if anyone told Spencer, that a life would be ended." Spencer, being fresh out of law school, immediately spotted the loophole in the statement.

"If anyone tells me who my real mom is?" Spencer asked while raising his eyebrow. Tyrone turned around and crossed his arms, smirking slightly at Spencer.

"Yes, and if you marry this Sasha person, then-"

"You will keep your damned radar away from her! She is not involved in this, so you will leave her the hell alone." Spencer slashed his hand through the air and stepped close to Tyrone. He glared into the man's eyes and smirked dangerously. "I just graduated from law school, Gramps. I guess I forgot to tell you, everyone else knows it though."

"What?" Sweat ran down the side of Tyrone's face, he knew this could be a problem for him.

"I will issue a restraining order against you for Sasha if I have to, I don't care." Spencer tilted his head and his smirk grew more. "Oh, and by the way. There's a loophole in your statement, _Granddad._ I can find out on my own."

"Er…I suppose that's true…" Spencer looked over at Emily and saw the concern in her eyes. He saw equal concern in Robert's eyes. When he glanced at Freddie, he saw the look of a brother watching over a brother in battle. "The things you have said just now, Grandpa…they've served as clues. If I'm right, then I know exactly who my mom is. I know why you hated my mother, I know why you took me from her and left her name off of the birth certificate." Tyrone was sweating even more now, perhaps this meant he was losing his grandson.

"If you do this. If you marry this girl, if you go to your real mother, then you are no longer my grandson."

"Frankly, I don't give a damn if you're my grandpa or not. For the things you've done, I don't consider you my grandfather anyway. Leave my apartment, _Gramps_. Leave my apartment and stay the hell away from Sasha." Tyrone's eyes darted around to everyone and a frown graced his face. He lost this battle, but the war wasn't over yet. Freddie was glaring angrily at him, Robert was looking as if he was ready to kill, and Emily had a motherly look on her face. With Spencer just now, both of her children were placed in danger, and so were the women they loved.

"Fine, but this isn't over." Spencer shrugged and narrowed his eyes even more.

"By the way Gramps, I'm marrying Sasha in June." Tyrone scoffed and left the apartment in a huff. Robert and Emily stepped aside and let him run through them, slamming the door as he left. Spencer looked from Spencer, to his father and finally to Emily. No one spoke a word as Spencer collected his thoughts. All he needed to know, he gained when his eyes met Emily's. His eyes started to water and he took a shaky step forward. "Mom…"

"My baby," Emily said quietly. Robert smiled lightly and Freddie patted Spencer on the back.

"Go on…bro," Freddie replied. Spencer smiled and ran toward Emily, hugging her and feeling her return the hug. Emily was crying for joy and relief. After nearly thirty years, she was finally able to hold her firstborn son. Spencer had tears leaving his eyes as well, he finally had a mother, and one that he actually liked. Freddie and Robert watched on with wet eyes, but they weren't completely crying, despite it being a very emotional time for them too.

"I have so many questions," Spencer said as he placed his hands on Emily's arms and leaned back slightly. Emily nodded and smiled at him.

"And I'll answer every last one of them," Emily replied. "I'm so sorry you never knew, but I never wanted Tyrone to hurt you or anyone else. I always-"

"That's not important anymore, Mom. Grandpa's not going to do a thing. I'm just glad that I have a mother. Wait until I tell Carly!"

"No, don't do that just yet, bro," Freddie said while patting Spencer on the shoulder. Spencer raised his eyebrow and glanced to Freddie with concern, he wondered why it would be bad to tell Carly. "Carly's still under Tyrone's control. Even if we took her away from him, she'd still find ways to converse with him. Whatever we told her, she could tell him."

"Yeah, but Tyrone already knows that I now know who my mother is. What could it hurt to tell Carly?"

"It couldn't hurt, but then it could also piss Tyrone off. What if Tyrone heard Carly knew, it could 'mess up' his plans or whatever…he could hurt Sasha."

"Oh yeah…" Spencer frowned and let out a heavy sigh. He turned to Freddie and crossed his arms. "So bro, when were you going to tell me that Sam's your fiancée?" Freddie's eyes widened and his heart nearly stopped for a quick second. How did Spencer figure it out?

"Wha…you already know that? How?"

"Hey, I'm smarter than I look." Spencer smirked and Freddie thought for a moment. He returned the smirk and crossed his arms.

"Well then, I can't say I'm surprised about that." Robert chuckled and rubbed his chin, he thought he'd contribute to the moment with a joke of some sort.

"You know, I hear in some cultures of arranged marriage…if a man dies, his brother's required to marry his spouse." Spencer and Freddie quickly looked over with wide eyes.

"Don't even _joke_ about that!" They shouted. Robert laughed and Emily slowly shook her head. While that was true for various different cultures, Emily didn't actually practice that part.

"Don't worry, I don't require that," Emily said while playfully shoving Robert. Spencer sat down on the couch and exhaled slowly, he did have to wonder about what Emily and Robert would do. He didn't know if they were together or if they still hated one another.

"Sorry that I'm not able to participate in the culture, mom." He shifted his eyes over and blinked. "Uh, you wouldn't mind if I called you_ mom_, would you?"

"I would love nothing more." Emily smile and gave Spencer another hug, this was like a dream come true to her. "Also Spencer, if you really want me to put you through an arranged marriage, how about this…For your bride, I think the one that would be best for you…" Emily stood up and tapped her chin, it was quite obvious who she was going to say, but she was going for fun. "I think Sasha Everett would be the best choice for you, wouldn't you agree, Robert?"

"I do, I feel she is the best choice for Spencer," Robert said as he placed his hand on Emily's shoulder and grinned. "Just as I feel Sam's the best choice for Freddie." Spencer and Freddie both chuckled and shook their heads, they loved their parents, they really did.

"So, Tyrone forced you two apart in the past?" Spencer asked while clasping his hands together. Robert nodded and narrowed his eyes.

"I'll never forgive him for that. He took away the woman I loved and made me marry some woman that I despised."

"So, does this mean that you two are together again?"

"Yes, we are," Emily responded as she kissed Robert's cheek. "Of course, that we can't tell anyone…at least not without risking more hell from that bastard." Spencer nodded with agreement and stood up to pat Freddie's back.

"So, since I finally know you're my brother…want to help build a sculpture?!" Freddie laughed and shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Sure, that sounds like something fun to do. Although, I think we should probably spend some time with Mom and…" Freddie looked to Robert and rubbed his chin, the guy could very well be his father anyway. He could probably have more experiences with the guy. "Dad. How about we alternate, you spend time with Mom for a while and I'll spend some time with this big guy over here?"

"Now _that_ sounds like a good idea! A good family time would be great. I do need some quality time with the mom I never knew I had." Emily and Robert smiled at each other, it seemed like things were starting to look up. Emily felt as if Sarah was smiling down upon her. She remembered what Sarah's spirit said to her seemingly not so long ago. Something, someone would come that would turn the tables on Tyrone. She placed her head on Robert's shoulder and closed her eyes. He looked to her and placed his arm around her waist, smiling and kissing her forehead. Freddie and Spencer both watched the display with pleased looks on their faces, it seemed like such a warm moment. Emily knew for sure, it was the bond she had with Robert, Robert himself, and her family that seemed to be turning the tables on Tyrone.

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I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. Be prepared for GREAT chapters coming up in the future. Now now, review ^_^.


	101. Family Bonding Starts

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

* * *

Chapter 101 (Family Bonding Starts)

"So you're telling me he's your brother?" Jonah asked while raising his eyebrow. Freddie leaned back in Jonah's couch and nodded. Valerie was in the kitchen, decorating it with some fun decorations. Freddie admired the place, it was pretty good for Jonah and Valerie to get, it had enough room for everything they needed. Jonah blinked once and raised his eyebrows up, this was definitely news for him. "Wow, I did not see that coming."

"Yeah, and we're doing things that families tend to do, sort of. I mean we are going to get to know a little more about each other." They had some fun events planned for the day. They were going to play some on the golf course, then they would go have some lunch. After that, they were going to see a movie, walk around the mall a bit, and have dinner in the park underneath the stars. "We have a lot of events planned out for the day. We're starting out with some golf."

"Good, it sounds like fun!" Jonah smiled at his friend and took a sip of his drink. He was happy for Freddie, and why not? His brother finally knows and there's nothing bad to come of it. "So, what time are you going to go meet with them and leave?" Freddie hummed and thought on the meeting time, he was sure it was going to be around ten. It was early in the morning. Jonah and Valerie lived in the Bushwell apartments, so Freddie and Sam could always visit whenever.

"I believe around ten o'clock…" Freddie looked over as Sam left the kitchen. She raised her eyebrow and stared at Freddie, confused as to why he was still here.

"Freddie, it's five minutes till ten, shouldn't you go?" She asked. Freddie's eyes widened and he looked at his watch. Yep, he was going to be late if he didn't hurry. He quickly stood up and Sam laughed lightly as she moved toward Freddie. "Hey, they probably won't hold you accountable for being late, but then they might…" She smirked and Freddie gave a sarcastic laugh. "Have fun Freddie, I'll see you later." She leaned up slightly and gently kissed Freddie's lips. "I love you."

"I love you too Sam, have fun with Jonah and Valerie today." Valerie stepped out of the kitchen and smirked. She was holding a plaque in her hand.

"Oh, we've got _lots_ of fun planned out for Sam," Valerie said with a grin. Sam giggled once and smiled.

"Uh oh, I better look out," Sam replied. She gave Freddie a hug and smiled at him once more. "Let me know how things work out." Jonah lowered his hand onto his armrest and looked over. He raised his eyebrow and sighed. "Also, don't overdo anything. Spencer is new to the whole brother thing, so be careful on the things that happen. During your game-"

"Hey Sam, would you let him go so he isn't later than he should be?" Jonah asked with a small chuckle. Sam laughed sheepishly and kissed Freddie once more on the cheek.

"Have fun." Freddie smiled and nodded his head as Sam trotted back into the kitchen with Valerie.

"See you around, Freddie!" Freddie waved at Jonah and hurried out the door. He spotted Emily, Spencer, and Robert walking toward him and laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. Apparently, they were coming to pick him up, probably because he was late.

"We figured you were over here, since you didn't come to the meeting place," Emily said as she patted Freddie's shoulder. Robert rubbed his chin and smirked.

"I think he gets his tardiness from me," Robert jokingly stated. Freddie raised his eyebrow and glanced over as Robert patted Spencer on the back. "Careful Spencer, you could be a very tardy person as well!" Spencer blinked and Emily laughed, she didn't think Robert was _that _bad.

"Hey, I've only ever been tardy once in my life," Freddie said in his defense. So, he actually had been late for other things, but for the most part, they were mostly out of his control. He tried his best to be very punctual.

"Yeah, and wasn't that for a date with Sam?" Emily asked as the group began walking. She smirked and Spencer smiled with interest. Freddie gave a sad sigh and dropped his shoulders.

"Yes. She sent our best friends out to get me…I was sleeping. They grabbed my ankles and pulled me right out of the bed." Spencer and Robert both stifled their laughter, Emily didn't succeed so well. "Oh, thanks mom."

"Sorry sweetie." Upon thinking about it, Freddie did think the whole thing was pretty funny. Needless to say, he never slept through another date again. The group made it to the lobby floor and looked over at the doorperson. Lewbert had quit some time ago. The new doorman was actually very nice and subdued. He waved at the family and smiled as he went back to work. The four walked out of the building and moved to Robert's car, they figured it'd be best to take that one since it had the most room. Robert and Emily entered the front while Spencer and Freddie got into the back. Robert started the car and began to drive.

"So Freddie, how long have you and Sam been together for?" Spencer asked with a small smile. Freddie was looking out the window. He shifted his gaze over to Spencer and smiled at him.

"Well, May tenth was our third full year of dating. So May 10th 2008 was when we started out. Mom didn't choose for us to be together until a few months later. We'll be getting married on May tenth, but that'll be when we turn twenty." Spencer's eyebrows rose, he didn't think it had been that long. That meant they had been together before Freddie even knew Carly.

"Wow, no wonder you guys seem so close, you've had a lot of time to grow in your relationship." Freddie nodded and closed his eyes as he thought of Sam. They had definitely grown a lot since they were younger. "So, what's the_ real _reason that you pretend to like Carly?" Carly had told him what Freddie said to her so long ago, but Spencer suspected it wasn't all the way true. Emily and Robert glanced in the rearview mirror and Freddie gave a slow sigh.

"Sam thought that my being pushy would make Carly lose interest in me, so even though it hurt both of us, she and I decided to pretend I liked her. I'm done with that, though." Freddie crossed his arms and frowned. He'd had enough pretending, especially since it hurt Sam. "It hurts Sam to see Carly liking me so much. She can't say anything, though…I know if she could, she'd tell Carly to please stop and find someone who isn't already taken." Spencer frowned and nodded his head, he could understand how Sam and Freddie must feel about that. "I'm personally glad that Jonah and Valerie know, because we might have gone crazy if we didn't have someone to vent to."

"Yeah, I'll bet." Spencer laughed slightly and began to wonder why Freddie and Sam decided to tell Jonah and Valerie. Not only that, but did that also mean their dating was fake? "So, about your two friends…"

"What about them?" Freddie blinked and soon realized that Spencer was probably curious about everything that involved his friends. "Yeah, Valerie is Sam's best friend and Jonah's mine. Sam and I met Jonah when we were really young…she ran into him." Spencer chuckled and Freddie smiled at the memory.

"She's not always clumsy is she?" Freddie laughed and shook his head, he didn't think Sam was clumsy at all.

"Nah, but it was a fun moment. She also met Valerie about two years before she and I got together. We introduced them to each other and they just hit it off." It was a good memory, the two had become such great friends with one another upon meeting. "Sam…I love that girl so much, no one can take her from me without expecting me to fight back." Spencer knew what he meant, as he'd do the same exact thing for Sasha.

"So, Carly told me about Valerie…I'm guessing Jonah was faked too?" Freddie nodded his head and leaned his shoulder against the door. He knew he could trust Spencer, so he could tell him the truth.

"Yeah, but it really was more or less Sam's idea. We had Jonah and Valerie role play as our dates in order to throw off suspicion. Valerie's not really that bad and Jonah…well, he'd never actually cheat on his girlfriend, otherwise he'd be his own worst enemy." Freddie chuckled at the corny joke, he could do better. "Of course, Jonah doesn't like Carly at all…"

"He doesn't? Why?" Spencer frowned and Freddie rubbed his neck.

"Well, it's just because he doesn't trust her. He thinks she'll hurt me and Sam in some way, therefore he doesn't like her all that much."

"I see…" Spencer rubbed his chin and stared at Freddie for a moment, he smiled lightly and crossed his arms. "You know, I'm glad you've stopped pretending to like Carly, it would be too weird." Freddie agreed and sighed while raising his eyebrows up. He knew it would seem way too odd to pretend to like the person that was his half sister. She wouldn't ever actually be his _step_ sibling, in which case things wouldn't be nearly as odd. "Anyway, now that we're brothers…" Freddie looked to Spencer and raised his eyebrow, wondering what he had in mind. "I can do this!" Spencer leaned over and started rubbing his closed hand over Freddie's hand at rapid pace. Freddie shouted out and laughed while trying to push Spencer back.

"Cut that out!"

"I think not, my brother."

"I _will_ get you back for this!" Emily and Robert looked at each other and smiled, they were thrilled that Spencer and Freddie were so accepting of one another.

* * *

  
Well I hope you liked this chapter. The next will involve them golfing, then Sam makes a _little _slip up.


	102. Golfing

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

* * *

Chapter 102 (Golfing)

Robert parked the car near the golf course and exited the vehicle. The others exited and waited as Robert pulled the golf clubs from the trunk. They made their way to the building and toward the front desk. Robert pulled out some money and handed it to the man at the desk, it was enough for a full game for the family pack. "Well, we're ready," Robert said as they moved out onto the course.

"It's definitely a beautiful day," Emily said with a small smile. The cool wind blew past the group and the clouds in the sky as if an object in a painting. It was the perfect day to golf and have fun. "Okay, so the lineup…" She pulled out some straws and held them out. "Pick." The group all drew straws and stared at them. Emily would be hitting the ball first, then Robert, then Spencer, and finally Freddie. "Hm, looks like I'm up first." Emily took one of the clubs and set the ball on the tee.

"Hey, we can try to psyche her out," Robert said with a slight smirk. Emily sighed and positioned her club next to the ball.

"I heard that, Robert!" Robert chuckled as Freddie and Spencer laughed. Emily lifted her club and swung it down. The ball sliced through the air, it was very fast. Robert whistled and started walking to the clubs. Emily crossed her arms and smirked. "Yeah, you couldn't psyche me out if you _tried_." The ball landed on the fairway, making it a clear and clean shot. She walked past Robert and chuckled. "Good luck."

"Yeah, yeah, I got this…" The other three watched with amusement as Robert set his ball on the tee. He raised his club and started to bring it down. Emily started to cough, causing Robert to narrow his eyes. He knew she was trying to get him. He wasn't going to let it affect him, though. He raised his club and swiftly brought it down, hitting the ball hard. The others all watched in awe as the ball flew through the air. Robert turned around and Emily winced, his golf ball was heading directly for the rough.

"Ooh, looks like your ball's not going on a good path." He raised his eyebrow and turned around, his jaw fell when he saw his ball flying right into a tree. Emily laughed and wiped her eye. "Oh that was a beautiful, _golden_ shot!"

"Hah, hah, very funny…" Spencer hit his golf ball next, it landed in the fairway and was a small bit behind Emily's ball. Freddie hit his and landed it a few yards ahead of Emily's. He would be hitting last, since he made it the furthest. The group walked toward their golf balls. Spencer crossed his arms and watched his father getting ready to try and hit his ball out of the trees. "Why me…"

"You know Freddie, do you ever wonder what would happen when Carly ever learns about all of everything?" Spencer asked as he closed his eyes. They knew Carly had to find out about it at some point of time. If anything, if Robert and Emily ever married, she'd have to learn about it by then. Freddie didn't really know the answer to that question. If anything, she might be upset about it, but what could she do about it, anyway? Freddie gave a small sigh and shrugged his shoulders.

"My guess is she'd have to get over it," Freddie replied. It was harder than it sounded, but something would have to happen. If anything, Freddie would probably give her an ultimatum. He didn't want Sam to lose a friend or be hurt, but if that was what was what had to happen, then it would happen that way. "If she wants to tell Tyrone everything, then she can, but I won't let him get close to Sam. If she can be trusted to _not_ tell him, then that's great…I don't want Sam to lose a friend in Carly."

"True, but if you think about it, she might be mad about all the lies…" It was true, but she'd have to understand why they needed to lie. However, there was probably no way for her to see it well without knowing what her grandfather was like. "Not only that, but she needs to know that she's your half sister. Think about it, if she knew this information…" Freddie rubbed his chin and smiled, that meant Carly would at least not have a crush on him anymore. Not only would that be a pain relief for Sam, but it also meant Tyrone would be pleased.

"Yeah, Tyrone would just _love_ knowing Carly didn't have a crush on me anymore…plus, it's been three years." Spencer nodded and rubbed his head. Carly would also now Sam's 'mom' wasn't her real mom by June. After all, Lisa wasn't going to miss her own daughter's wedding, and there was no way anyone was going to ask her to do that. "What are we going to do about Sam's _mom_, so to speak?" Spencer raised his eyebrows and frowned, he knew about Lisa posing as Sam's mother. "Aunt Lisa is not Sam's real mom…"

"Clearly…you might try talking to Sam about that. I'm sure there's a way to reveal that fact without revealing that you two are together." Freddie rubbed his chin as Spencer moved toward his golf ball. He looked over and snickered when he saw that Robert's ball had made it out of the trees but into the sand trap. "Man dad, are you _sure_ you've golfed before?" Emily covered her mouth and hid her grin, Robert merely narrowed his eyes and glared. "I guess as your son, it's my duty to…show you up!" Spencer hit the ball and watched as it flew into the sky.

"Not bad, make sure it doesn't hit any planes," Robert joked. Spencer smirked and watched his ball come down. His smirk turned to a frown when his golf ball hit the sand trap behind Robert's. Robert laughed and patted Spencer on the shoulder. "It's okay my son, you still haven't shown up your old man." Spencer's mouth was agape, so he pretty much had no mindset to respond to his father's joke. Freddie clicked his tongue and waited for his mom to strike her ball. Spencer walked over to Freddie and grumbled. Freddie smirked and leaned against his club.

"Bro, when you try to talk the talk, you absolutely _must_ walk the walk," Freddie said with a tone full of humor. Spencer rolled his eyes and sighed, he was sure to do better next time. He just couldn't believe he hit the sand, he thought he aimed so perfectly. Freddie watched as Emily's ball soared through the skies. She made it on the green, so she was in the clear. Freddie brought his club to his shoulder and walked toward his ball. "Okay Spence, let me show you how a _true_ golfer does it."

"Oh come on, I bet you've never golfed in your life!" Freddie chuckled and positioned himself next to the ball. He hadn't actually golfed on a real course like this before, but that was fine by him. Spencer crossed his arms and watched as Freddie aimed and brought his club up. Freddie swiftly lowered the club and hit the ball. He watched as the ball made it through the air and landed on the green. It began to roll downhill toward the hole, so Freddie began cheering it on. Spencer's mouth fell in shock and he quickly regained composure. "No! Stop rolling! Stop rolling!"

"It's not stopping, bro!" The ball hit the hole and begun spinning around, going inside at the end. Freddie cheered and Spencer let out a small sigh. He smiled and congratulated his brother, he made it in on three strokes. "Okay Spencer, it's your turn to get that ball over there. Try to get it on the green at least." Spencer nodded and moved toward the ball. He had to say, it was very fun to be with what seemed like _real_ family. He really wanted Carly to have this experience, but he knew it was risky to tell her.

"Hey guys, I was wondering about something," Robert said while crossing his arms over. Emily and Freddie glanced over and Spencer moved toward Robert after hitting his golf ball to the green. Robert closed his eyes and slowly inhaled. "Well, we're all family, and…" He looked over at Emily and smiled softly. He knew they weren't going to get married _soon_, because they still had to have more time with each other and build some things up again, but there was no reason why they couldn't share the same house. "I'm not sure if this would affect you or not, Spencer…but for Emily, Sam and Freddie…I was thinking that you could move in with me."

"You mean live in a bigger place?" Freddie asked with an obviously pleased and interested tone of voice. He wouldn't mind that at all. Emily rubbed her chin and thought about the suggestion, she wasn't quite sure. Moving took a lot of time, but it could be a good thing. Tyrone certainly wouldn't have people attack his son's home. If anything, he'd probably wonder why his son was letting her move in at all. Plus, if they moved in, it could give some things away.

"Well I'm also thinking that it'd be a place that Tyrone wouldn't know about…and if he did…well I live in a gated community, so to speak." His home was more upscale and expensive, so naturally it was in a guarded area. There were also ways that he could keep Tyrone _out_. "I can simply request the guards to keep Tyrone away. They check the ID of the people who enter. So, they can keep Tyrone out _and_ any gangs that may try to create trouble. It's just a thought, take time to think about it, though. I just thought now would be a good time to bring it up."

"Actually, I think it's a good idea," Emily said while rubbing her chin. She would have to think more on it, but just from what she heard, she liked it. Plus, people like the mayor or other important people generally lived in guarded communities. Sometimes even military people did, and Robert _was_ military. "Sam and Freddie need that protection, and the reason I moved to that apartment was because I had wanted to be close to Spencer…He is my son, after all…"

"Of course, do think on it." Robert smiled at Emily and gave her a hug. "Either way, I'm glad to have you back with me. You know, I don't know if I can ever truly express just how sorry I am for what happened…"

"Really, it's fine now." Emily chuckled and softly kissed Robert's cheek. "I never _really_ stopped loving you…" Spencer and Freddie smiled and crossed their arms, they weren't about to interrupt their parents' moment.

"They seem so right for each other," Spencer said in a quiet voice. Freddie nodded with agreement, he couldn't think of anything better for the two.

"I have to say, I am impressed," Freddie responded while leaning against his club. "I guess Carly would still live with you…" Spencer nodded and tapped his foot lightly on the ground. It would be best if she did, that way nothing became complicated for Sam and Freddie. The only problem was it gave her more access to Tyrone. Either case, she probably would still go and talk to him whenever she got the chance. "I always wondered why mom doesn't just arrest grandpa…I mean the things he's done…" Freddie raised his eyebrow and sighed, they had explained that case to him once before.

"She made a deal with Tyrone a while back. She wouldn't ever arrest him, he would have immunity, if he doesn't take Carly away." Spencer frowned and shook his head slowly. He was happy about that, but at the same time, it saddened him because he knew Tyrone would still be an issue. "I'm a lawyer, I could draft a restraining order, but…someone else would have to ask me to do that and hand it to a judge, I can't really do that myself." It was a true statement, Spencer couldn't automatically put a restraining order against Tyrone for anyone else unless they wanted him to do that. He also wasn't going to worry about himself, since it wasn't a problem to him.

"Yeah, that's tough…because Sam would file, but Tyrone doesn't think she's my wife. That also means that if she _did_ file for one, he'd immediately know her significance. Mom's too proud to file, I don't need to worry about filing for myself, and Carly's definitely not going to file for one." Spencer nodded once more and exhaled slowly. There wasn't a lot they could do at that given moment, but they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that chapter. You have to love the family bonding moments!


	103. Sam's Reveal

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

* * *

Chapter 103 (Sam's Reveal)

Valerie and Sam were walking from the store, they had to purchase some needed items. They were talking about Spencer and Sasha, and how Carly was going to know eventually that Lisa was not Sam's real mother. They couldn't help but to wonder if there was a way to tell Carly without revealing the secret. Surely there was a way, but they didn't really know any particular way to go about it.

"Well, maybe you could just tell her, but not tell her where you live," Valerie suggested. It was a good suggestion, but Sam didn't exactly know how well that would work. After all, Carly would want to know and feel bad if Sam didn't tell her. Not only that, would it not look suspicious? "I mean she might understand if you don't want to tell her, she'd have to respect that" Sam rubbed her chin and groaned, she was actually out of ideas herself, but surely she could think of something. She didn't even know if she should let Carly know, but the lies were numerous.

"Talk about having a best friend, but not knowing anything about them…" Valerie chuckled once and shrugged her shoulders. She knew that it would have been the same way with her, had she not found out by accident. Chances were, she probably would have felt bad if she knew she wasn't trusted, but she would have understood if the situation was explained to her. Sam looked to a puddle on the ground and smirked. Valerie raised her eyebrow with suspicion as Sam walked over. "Hey Valerie, guess what…" Valerie took a deep breath and chuckled slightly.

"Don't you even _dare_ splash that water on me…" Sam laughed and stomped her foot in the puddle, sending water onto Valerie's pants. "Oh that's it, it's on now, girl!" Valerie quickly moved over and splashed some of the water onto Sam. The girls continued this game until the puddle was too small that they couldn't finish. Instead, they just laughed with each other. Valerie looked to Sam and grinned. "I think you're wetter." Sam felt of her hair and then of Valerie's, she couldn't tell who was wetter.

"Nah, we're probably about equal. Man it's been a _long_ time since we played in a puddle…"

"Oh yeah, it really has…" Valerie chuckled as she and Sam sat against a building. They reminisced about the days when they were younger and so full of life. When they first met, they would _always_ go out in the rain and play, despite being told several times by their authority figures that they could catch a cold. Whenever the rain subsided, they'd go out and jump in puddles. Now at their age, Sam being sixteen and Valerie being seventeen, they didn't really get to do that very much anymore.

"Why are you all wet?" A voice asked. Valerie and Sam looked over with surprise and spotted Carly staring at them with a raised eyebrow. She knew Sam and Valerie were friendly with each other, but she didn't know just how friendly. Sam got up and helped Valerie to her feet. Carly's eyes drifted over Valerie's belly and then up to her face. "Um…Valerie, you're pregnant now? Also, you and Sam…how close are you two, really?" Sam and Valerie gave each other a sheepish look and sighed, it couldn't hurt to tell Carly the truth on how friendly they were.

"Yeah, my husband is the guy that got me pregnant." Valerie chuckled and Carly raised her eyebrows. It was surprising to see that Valerie was _married_.

"So wait…you're _married_ to someone now? Surely it's not Freddie, dealing with arranged marriage…" Sam frowned and looked away. Why? Why of all times did Carly have to ask that. Valerie slowly sighed and shook her head.

"No, I'm married to Jonah Brown. My full name is Valerie Christine Williams Brown…maiden name included." Carly's mouth fell open, she was shocked that Valerie and _Jonah_ were together. Valerie crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "Are you surprised?"

"H-He tried to cheat on Sam! What if…" Valerie smiled and shook her head. Sam rolled her eyes and stared at a nearby billboard.

"Don't worry, he's not going to cheat on me. He is a changed man." Sam couldn't help but to snicker at the statement. It was true, Valerie probably had that man whipped, just like she did Freddie. Carly blinked and rubbed the back of her head, she was feeling pretty stupid right now. After all, it was embarrassing for her. She just doubted the husband of someone when they probably loved each other very much, it wasn't her business to meddle with that.

"So, that's surprising…Sam's boyfriend and Freddie…no wait…"

"Yeah, he told you that was just a role play," Valerie said quietly. She looked to Sam and frowned, Carly didn't know anything about it being Sam's responsibility though. Carly rubbed her chin and frowned.

"What about you two, though…I saw you playing in the puddle, it just seems like you're friendlier than I thought." Sam's eyes darted back to Carly. This was it, Carly would have to know about Valerie, anyway. She slowly exhaled and closed her eyes.

"Valerie and I are best friends," Sam answered while crossing her arms over. Carly's eyebrows rose and she stared at Sam with a blank look on her face. She honestly did not know how to respond, so she decided to wait for her to continue. "We've been best friends for _years._ Everything we've done, we've done together, just about. In fact, I bet you didn't know that I still have a job."

"You have a job? It's not at the chili place, is it?" Carly felt her stomach begin to drop, Sam had lied to her about something? Why couldn't Sam tell her about Valerie? Or was this another secret from someone who had to keep secrets? Sam and Freddie hated each other, so that was probably unrelated.

"No, I work at _Sherry's Kitchen_ with Valerie, it's a great place."

"I see…and how long have you two been friends for?"

"We met when we were nine…well, I was nine and Valerie was ten." Jonah and Freddie met when Freddie was eight, so they'd been friends for a very long time. Carly couldn't believe her ears, why hadn't Sam ever told her about Valerie before! "I tried to introduce her to you several times in the past, but you were never interested…so when you finally _did_ meet her, well…"

"It was on bad terms," Valerie stated while raising her eyebrows and shifting her eyes to the side. Carly still didn't understand, Sam had acted like she didn't like Valerie whenever Freddie 'dated' the girl. Sam must have read her mind, because that was the very next thing she was going to talk about.

"I just want to say, that yes, Valerie dating Freddie was faked…she was role playing, we all were. I-"

"It was my idea!" Sam looked to Valerie and her mouth fell open. Valerie smiled at her and shook her head, not wanting Sam to worry. She felt that it'd be best if Carly didn't think Sam was behind it. "Freddie came to me with the suggestion, so I decided that it'd be fun to role play. I thought it'd be boring with only me and Freddie, so…I asked Sam to join in. Naturally, she didn't like it _because_ Freddie was there, but she did it anyway just for the hell of it." Sam spoke not a word, she didn't think she should say anything after hearing that.

"I see," Carly said with a frown. Maybe she had been jaded, she didn't know. She just felt that she'd been seriously lied to. She didn't know just how many lies really _were_ going on. "I-Is there anything else? Are there any _other_ lies?" Sam looked down and slowly closed her hands. There were quite a few, but she couldn't say them.

"There is one thing that I think you should know…" Valerie raised her eyebrow and looked toward Sam, wondering what it was she was going to say. Carly crossed her arms and tried to hide the fact that she hated being lied to. "My real mom…is dead."

"What?" The word was slow and drawn out, out of pure shock. If Sam's real mom was dead, then who was the woman parading around as her mom? "I…what do you mean she's _dead_?"

"Sarah Puckett, that was her name. She died from a disease a long time ago…" Valerie's eyes were slowly widening, she hoped, prayed that Sam wasn't going to tell her where she lived. She immediately began thinking of ways she could help Sam out if needed. "Come with me, Carly…"

"Okay…" The three girls walked toward Lisa and Sasha's house, it wasn't far at all. Sam knocked on the door and Sasha opened it. She stared at Sam with wide eyes, seeing Carly next to her. Carly's jaw dropped and she took a step back. How could this be? Sam lived with _Sasha_? Sasha quickly led them in and found Lisa in the other room. Lisa walked out with wide eyes as well, she was finding it hard to believe that Sam actually brought Carly over while Sasha was here. "Sam, what is Freddie's cousin doing at your house?" Valerie pressed her lips together and still spoke nothing, she trusted her friend to do and say the right words.

"I never wanted you to know where I really lived, it's…it was a dump, basically. I have no mother, my family never wanted to take me in, so I lived here temporarily…" Lisa and Sasha stood with silence, they didn't actually know what to say.

"If you had told me that, then I would have-"

"You would have what?" Sam turned and looked into Carly's eyes. Her eyes were filled with sadness, while Carly's were still filled with surprise and confusion. "Would you have wanted to take me in?"

"Yes. I would have offered, and Spencer would have as well…"

"I know, even Valerie offered once when she found out. I don't exactly live here anymore…in fact, it was recent, but Mrs. Benson found out about my living arrangements and…" Valerie looked up and swallowed, she hoped Sam could say the right things and not reveal the big picture. "Well that crazy woman…ugh! She forced me to move in with her. I hate it, because I have to live under the same roof as that Benson twit!" Valerie chuckled and closed her eyes, slowly shaking her head.

_"Nice save_," Valerie thought.

"You live with Freddie and Mrs. Benson?"

"Yeah, and I hate it. However, it's better than what I had…" Carly didn't know what to say, she didn't know how to respond. If Sam lived with Freddie, did that mean _she_ was Freddie's bride? No, it couldn't be. Mrs. Benson would _never_ choose Sam.

"So, do you know who Freddie's bride is?"

"Yeah, Mrs. Benson chose some dumb girl…I think her name was Amanda or something." Sasha and Lisa raised their eyebrows and glanced sideways at each other, everyone was wondering how this would turn out. "Frankly, I don't care. I _have_ met her, she is as much of a dork as he is, it's fitting for him, I think."

"Oh…are they already married?" Sam shrugged and crossed her arms.

"No, I don't think they're supposed to marry until they're twenty." Carly grinned and Sam raised her eyebrow, she knew what this meant. Carly was most likely thinking she could still get Freddie. "If you're thinking of competing with her for Freddie, I'm _sure_ she'll compete, but I think it'll be hard. From what I know of her, she seems rather defensive of him." Valerie chuckled and rolled her eyes, she found this situation funny. Sam was telling about her relationship with Freddie, without revealing who his _real_ wife was. "From what I know, those two are _very much_ in love."

"They…are?" Carly swallowed and Sam gave a smirk. A nearly dangerous look flashed in her eyes, Carly wasn't quick enough to catch it, but Valerie got it.

"Oh yes, they really are. They've met, they've fallen in love, and it would be _hard_ trying to pry him away from her. I think it's like…you'd have to pry him from her cold, dead arms." Sasha and Lisa were smiling now, they decided not to interrupt Sam. After all, Sam was telling the truth here. "From what I know, she will _never_ let you or any other girl steal him away."

"So I guess you've seen them together…"

"Yeah, they annoy me sometimes, but what the hell. You know, I think she was hurt when Freddie went on that date with Shannon, but I wouldn't know…I don't talk to her all that much. All I know is they succumbed to that desire that night, because they kept me up…I was right in the next room!" Valerie's eyebrows rose up, she hadn't been expecting that to come up.

"So you're telling me…they've even…"

"Made love? Yes, one time. I think Mrs. Benson told them they shouldn't do that anymore until they're older…She knows you have a crush on Freddie, she knows how much you want him, and I think she's willing to fight you if she has to." Valerie crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, it would appear Sam was now challenging Carly. Carly probably didn't even realize that Sam was really talking about herself. Carly clenched her fists and grinned with determination, taking Sam by surprise.

"Then four years to go, I'm sure I'll get Freddie to go out with me!" Sam's face fell slightly, but she wasn't going to let this bother her. She stood up straight and accepted Carly's challenge gracefully. She wouldn't make any statements about it, since she didn't want to give it away about who was _actually_ with him. Sam merely shrugged and smiled politely at Carly.

"Good luck. I still don't see what you see in Benson, but whatever. Your brother's the one dating his cousin."

"Not by blood, though."

"Yeah…whatever, I'll never understand what Shays see in Bensons or vice versa." Carly shrugged and looked to Lisa and Sasha. She felt good knowing Sam told her the truth about that. Especially since when her brother married Sasha, she would have found out about Lisa.

"Sam, thanks for telling me the truth." Sam raised her eyebrow and Carly gave a soft sigh. She appreciated Sam coming to her rather than finding out on her own. "You told me this before the wedding, I admire that you told me before I found out on my own…you know you can come to me about anything." Sam frowned and shifted her eyes to the side.

"Yeah, right…" She sighed and looked up at Carly. _"If only I _could _come to you about anything. You're likely to tell Tyrone and he'll take me away from Freddie…"_ Then it dawned on her, with Carly's determination to get Freddie, she would most likely tell Tyrone about the bride just so Tyrone could take her away and 'save' her. Therefore, it was a _good _thing that Sam didn't tell Carly that it was she who was with Freddie.

"By the way, what does Amanda look like?" Sam tapped her chin lightly and smiled, she could have fun with this.

"I believe she's got shoulder length, red hair…she stands at Freddie's height and is very thin. She's thinner than either one of us…but it's just her body makeup, I think." Carly tapped her chin in thought and her eyes widened with realization, she knew exactly who the girl was. Valerie winced and Sam raised her eyebrow. Upon thinking about her description, she realized she'd just described Amanda Becker, a girl who was a year behind them in school. She was always handing out snacks in the cafeteria at lunch, homemade goods. Valerie would help her out sometimes. _"Crap…I guess we'll have to see if Carly can be trusted not to tell Tyrone."_

"So, do you know where Freddie is?"

"Spending the day out with his family…" Carly raised her eyebrow and looked around the room. Family usually meant more than one, and his basic family was in this room in the first place. "I don't think Amanda is with him, actually…" She knew Amanda was on vacation with her family for a few months, at least that's what she heard. "I'm pretty sure she's on vacation for a while…"

"Yeah okay, I'm…I'm going to go now…" Carly quickly left the house and Sam fell into the couch. She let out a frustrated sigh as the others walked around her.

"Why did you do that?" Lisa asked in a cautious voice. "You didn't have to, and you could have dropped the secret."

"I know, but I just couldn't take it much more," Sam said while rubbing her forehead. She had grown increasingly tired of Carly's crush on Freddie, she wanted it to end. "Not only that, but why is it that the lies seem to be growing worse? _Now_, thanks to me, the lies are going to affect outside people!"

"They already do," Valerie said while crossing her arms. She smiled and sat next to Sam. "They affected me and Jonah, they affected Jake, they affect a lot of people…hell, even Gibby. I'm sure Rueben was affected by them as well. Think about it, so much has happened…"

"I just want to tell the truth for once! I mean, god…it's _Carly_, she's one of my best friends! I should at least be able to tell her…but I can't, because Tyrone will take me away from Freddie. Then, she's going to continue to want to go out with him, and…it hurts!"

"I know it does," Sasha said as she gave Sam a hug. "I wish, we all wish that we could do something to help…but none of us know what to do. Though, at some point of time…Spencer is going to have to tell Carly that she may one day be Freddie's stepsister." Carly may know it wouldn't be incest, but to her, it would still be creepy.

"If he did that, she wouldn't crush on Freddie anymore, probably…but I'm more worried about what will happen when she finds out it's _me_ that is dating him…"

"Freddie's looking out for you, he won't let anything bad happen," Lisa stated with a small smile. Valerie gave a nod and hugged her friend, hoping to give her some comfort. "Trust me, I'm sure things will all work out in the end."

"It's Carly…she probably won't believe what anyone says about Tyrone unless she saw for her own eyes the kind of person he is…but that's probably never going to happen…do you think Freddie's going to be mad at me?"

"Nah, what reason would he have to be angry?" Valerie asked while playfully nudging Sam. Freddie might be a bit upset or shocked that Sam told Carly all that she did, but surely he wouldn't be mad, because she didn't reveal the complete truth. Of course, everyone knew that Freddie could _never_ stay mad at Sam for long, if at all.

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There you go, I hope you liked the chapter! By the way, Amanda is going to be important, she'll be seen in a future chapter. Next chapter, we see Tyrone again. Well, review!


	104. Carly and Tyrone Talk

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

* * *

Chapter 104 (Carly and Tyrone Talk)

Carly entered her grandfather's home, he had since moved to Seattle, which wasn't bad at all. At least it wasn't bad for him, he was closer to his family. Tyrone was sitting at his kitchen table when Carly walked up to him and smiled. He sipped his coffee and looked over, smiling back at his granddaughter. He wondered what brought her here, but then, she did often enjoy visiting. "Carly, to what do I owe this visit from my lovely granddaughter?" Carly smiled at Tyrone and sat down.

"Guess what! I still have hope that I can date Freddie!" Tyrone frowned and rolled his eyes, he was personally disgusted with the fact that Carly liked Freddie. He knew if he wanted, he could force her not to date him. He wasn't abusive as he was years ago, but he still had a controlling complex.

"Really now, and what hope are you talking about?" Carly held her grin, her eyes danced around happily.

"Well, he's not married yet, so I can compete with his chosen bride for him!" Tyrone raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms, had Carly figured out who Freddie's bride was? If so, he needed her to tell him. That way, he could manage to separate the two from each other before the girl got into something she didn't know what she was involved in. "Although, it seems like they're really in love…but I bet I could win Freddie's heart!"

"That's a nice dream to have…"

"Well it's a dream that will become reality." After three years, and knowing that Freddie doesn't like her the same way, she knew it would be difficult to get him. However, that didn't mean she couldn't try. She wasn't planning on giving up. She wanted to date Freddie, and she would. After all, there wasn't anything keeping her from it. Although, she did want him to be happy, and if Sam was right about him being in love with that girl, then perhaps it was for the best that she leave it be. _"Nah, I still want him…"_

"So, you're that confident on dating him…" Tyrone sipped his coffee and closed his eyes, he had to think of something to tell her. He couldn't allow this. No Shay would ever be close to a Benson, not on his watch. As far as he was concerned, Spencer was no longer his grandson. It seemed like he still had Robert with him, in a way. At least Robert wasn't with that damned Benson woman. "Keep in mind, I don't think I can allow you to date him, Carly." Carly rolled her eyes and sighed, of course he'd be against that.

"Please, there is nothing you can say that will change my mind about that. I like him, I like him a lot." Tyrone narrowed his eyes and glared slightly at Carly, he didn't take kindly to disobedience. She swallowed and spoke up once more, her voice shaking. "I mean, what's not to like? I know you think he's bad because he practices arranged marriage, but I could probably change all that! I mean when I start dating him, I could persuade him against it…" Tyrone slowly shook his head and crossed his arms over, he wasn't having this.

"You know what I told you before, you can't believe what a Benson tells you. They're nothing but liars. In fact, I bet they've been lying to you this entire time, about everything." Carly already figured there was a string of lies going on, but it was just because no one really understood Tyrone, they feared him. They feared him, yet he wouldn't do anything to them. He promised, he always said he would never harm the Bensons in any way. That's why she never believed much when they said he was responsible for the attacks on Emily.

"I don't really care about the lies…" She did, but she also knew that they had a legitimate reason for lying to her. She just wish she could show them that Tyrone wasn't all bad and then they would see that they didn't have to lie. Sure, Tyrone may not like them, but what was the worst he could do? He only wanted to help, he was just confused. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Besides, it wasn't Freddie or anyone who even _likes_ the Bensons that told me…it was Sam." Tyrone's eyebrows rose at the mention of Sam. _That_ girl just kept popping up in his mind. Ever since the sandwich incident years ago, she just kept coming up at every turn.

"Okay, so she told you about Freddie's bride?" Carly nodded and Tyrone leaned back in his chair. He was surprised that the girl would know anything at all about his bride. _"I wonder how she knows…" _He sighed and slowly closed his eyes, thinking of the situation. "Okay Carly sweetie, how does your friend know anything about Freddie and his bride? I wonder, is she in on this as well? Do you suppose _she_ could be his bride? It's possible."

"Who, Sam, Freddie's wife?" Carly laughed at the absurdity of the statement. Sam hated Freddie, Sam was a threat to Freddie, there was no way in hell Emily would _ever_ choose Sam as Freddie's bride. Tyrone raised his eyebrow and took a sip of his coffee. He wasn't sure what Carly was laughing at, this was a serious matter. "_Please_ Grandpa, be serious. There's no way Mrs. Benson would choose Sam. Sam's a threat to Freddie, a threat! She hates him and he hates her…" What if that wasn't the case? What if she was missing something? She was right, wasn't she? There was no possible way, especially when Sam revealed Amanda Becker to be Freddie's chosen bride.

"Okay, so _how_ does she know about Freddie's wife?" Carly felt it was completely necessary to begin explaining, especially since it meant helping her grandfather to become less confused at the situation.

"Well, she said that her family all was horrible, so she was basically an orphan. Mrs. Benson found out and basically forced her to live with them, so she would take care of her…so Sam has met Freddie's wife before." Tyrone rubbed his chin and looked down at the table, it struck him as odd, but that wasn't a big issue.

"Okay, so she's living with them…"

"Best thing she could get, she doesn't have anywhere else to go." Tyrone frowned and pulled the corner of his lip back. It was a shame, that meant he couldn't do much for Sam at the moment. Besides, there wasn't a point to, especially considering that Sam apparently didn't have anything to do with arranged marriage so far. Since she also hated the Bensons, it made her a good proponent for him if he ever needed someone to help him in his campaign against them.

"Right…so tell me who Freddie's bride to be is?" Carly thought for a moment, pondering if she should tell him. She didn't think he'd do anything bad to the girl, but a part of her just wasn't sure. After all, she knew Tyrone wanted to save the girl because he felt she didn't know what she was getting herself into. He only wanted to protect her, however Sam may not have been lying when she said Freddie and his bride knew each other and were in love. Would Tyrone be saving the girl, or making her life miserable?

"I don't know Grandpa, what would you do with her?" Tyrone leaned back and closed his eyes. He breathed out of his nostrils and thought for a moment. He didn't want to make Carly think he would do something bad, but he also wanted her to tell him who the girl was.

"I will talk with the girl. I'm sure she's not really _in love_ as your friend says. I think the Bensons are brainwashing her, they do that a lot…" Carly tilted her head and frowned. If that was the case, then maybe it was a good idea for Tyrone to help her. "If she's brainwashed, I will get her away from them, thus saving her from danger. Also, I am willing to bet that if she is placed with another guy, she'll be able to realize someone better…"

"Are you saying Freddie's not good enough?"

"No woman can be selected and forced to be with Freddie and _honestly_ expect to love him and to be loved back." Tyrone gave a sad frown and slowly shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not possible. Perhaps if it were someone of his own choosing, then maybe…"

"He said that he and the girl basically chose each other…"

"He's lying, just tell me who she is." Carly bit her lip and sighed, she had no choice. Besides, she knew her grandfather would be aggressive if he didn't get what he wanted. She sighed and closed her eyes, perhaps he wouldn't do anything other than talk to her.

"Amanda…Amanda Becker, that sweet girl at school who is always handing out sweets and stuff during lunch." Tyrone gave a solemn nod, he knew who the girl was. He pitied her, how sad it must have been for a girl like her to be forced into such a thing.

"Then I will have a talk with her family first thing, I'll see what's really going on…then we'll discuss a better alternative for her." Carly nodded and smiled at her grandfather, she trusted him.

"Actually, I think she's on vacation for a few months, at least that's what Sam told me…"

"Okay then, I'll hold off until then." Carly smiled and looked over at the clock, she was growing very hungry and wanted to try out that restaurant Sam said she worked at.

"Grandpa, I have to go, okay…" Tyrone smiled and Carly slowly stood up. "I'm hungry and I want to go to the place Sam works at, _Sherry's Kitchen_." Tyrone heard of that restaurant, he liked it. It was a very nice and quaint place, not too pricy, but not extremely cheap either.

"All right, have fun dear."

"Love you grandpa!" Tyrone smiled as Carly kissed his cheek and hurried out the door. She needed to get food in her stomach, and fast.

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Well, doesn't this seem interesting. I hope you liked the chapter! You'll love the next, it involves a Fourth of July celebration, a new home and fireworks! Oh and something else that you'll love but I'm not going to say what it is ^_^. Review


	105. Perfect Fourth of July

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

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Chapter 105 (Perfect Fourth of July)

A couple months later, two major things were happening. Emily was moving in with Robert while Spencer and Sasha were relaxing after their wedding. It was currently the fourth of July, the couple had become wed on June twentieth. Freddie had been slightly troubled before when he learned Sam told Carly she lived with him, but it didn't bother him much after a while. He figured Sam was still in the safe area of things.

Carly was sad to hear that Freddie and his family were moving elsewhere, but at least it wasn't far. She was thrilled about her brother finally getting married, it meant so much to her because he was happy. Tyrone wasn't on the invitation list for the wedding. In fact, Spencer specifically asked that if Tyrone showed up, he'd immediately be shown the door. Nobody wanted to have Tyrone ruin things for them. They were going to have peace, that's what they all wanted. If Tyrone dared to show up, he would be escorted somewhere far from the area. Fortunately for everyone, Tyrone never showed up and never seemed to pose any trouble at all.

One of Sasha's college friends had been her matron of honor, while Sam was the bridesmaid. Spencer's college buddy had been the best man and Freddie was the groomsman. Carly actually smiled when she saw Sam and Freddie walk down the aisle arm in arm, for some reason it looked so serene to her. She figured it was probably because at that moment, Sam had to act like she didn't hate Freddie, and Carly always_ did_ think Sam was a good actress. Sam couldn't wait until the day she married Freddie, it was going to be so great!

Carly was, in a way, sad that Tyrone hadn't been at the wedding. It would have been great, but for some reason Spencer didn't want him there. Perhaps it was because Sasha was related to Freddie, Tyrone didn't like Freddie at all. Amanda Becker hadn't been at the wedding, but that was probably because she was still on vacation with her family. Carly wondered what Tyrone would do when she returned home, probably nothing at all to worry about. She had also noted Jonah never once looked her way at the wedding, it seemed clear, and odd, that he didn't like her.

Currently, Robert was with Freddie and Spencer at his new home. The trio was discussing certain important things that would be coming up, such as Robert wanting to propose to Emily. "Do you think it's the right time?" Spencer asked with a small smile. Robert rubbed his chin and nodded, he'd wanted to marry her for so long. Of course it was the right time, why wouldn't it be? He cleared his throat and shifted slightly in his chair.

"I've been waiting for thirty years to marry her. If it's not the right time now, then when will it be?" Freddie had to agree, it was definitely good logic as far as he was concerned. If he didn't ask her to marry him, then when was he going to do it? "I was hoping to do it when the fireworks go off, maybe right before…" Spencer chuckled lightly and tilted his head, he could make something out of that statement. Though it wasn't a big joke.

"So you get to see two fireworks tonight? The one where she accepts and kisses you after so long, then the ones that go off to celebrate independence day." Robert nodded and smiled lightly.

"Yeah, in a way it's kind of symbolic to me...and I'm sure it'd be symbolic for Emily as well." This was true, July fourth was Independence Day for the United States, and it could certainly be Independence Day for Robert and Emily. The proposal, the wedding, it could signal freedom from him, perhaps. Though for Freddie and Sam, the true freedom of it all would probably be on their wedding day. The day when Tyrone could do nothing more to them without hiring a lawyer, and what lawyer would _possibly_ tear Sam and Freddie apart only because of Tyrone's ignorance?

"I think it's a great idea," Freddie replied while placing his hands behind his head. "In fact, Jonah's hanging out with Valerie and Sam in the other room, you could ask him how married life is!" Robert chuckled and nodded his head, indeed he could do that. Robert placed his hands on his knees and took a deep breath, he was thinking of the perfect way to bring up the proposal. He honestly wanted Emily to marry him, and he believed very strongly that she would accept. He wasn't going to be nervous, not at all.

"I'm going to do it, tonight. Tonight I will ask her to marry me." Freddie and Spencer nodded their heads, they couldn't think of any better time than the very moment they had. The fireworks would start in an hour, everyone would go onto the upper balcony and watch from there. Sasha, Spencer, Valerie, Jonah, Freddie, Sam, Emily, and Robert were all hanging around to view the marvelous fireworks. Everyone had a feeling, a deep feeling that these fireworks were going to be some of the best in their lives.

"Then everyone better get ready. As for me, I'm going to head in and see how the cookies are going." Freddie got up from his seat and walked into the next room. Jonah was leaning against the counter and watching the girls, so Freddie decided to lean next to him. It was silent, the girls were focused intently on the cookies. Freddie could make a joke of the situation. "And here we have two primitive females engaging in the wondrous act of baking cookies. We'd best not disturb them, else we fall to their wrath and anger these timid and beautiful creatures." Jonah closed his eyes and snickered.

"Damn Freddie, if I thought you'd make a documentary of the girls making cookies…" Freddie laughed once as the girls turned to him and raised their eyebrows.

"Primitive?" Sam asked with a curious tone. She was wondering what Freddie meant by that. Freddie chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

"How goes the cookies?" Freddie asked while sniffing the air. He could smell the treats, it was almost like he could taste them at that moment. Sam smiled as Valerie opened the oven and took out a tray that was filled with rows of star shaped cookies.

"Well the stars are done…" Sam picked up a second metal tray and showed them to Freddie. They had rows of flag shaped cookies, they were unbaked at the moment. "These go in now." Sam pushed the cookies into the oven and closed the door. Normally, they would have put both batches in at the same time, but they chose to just do it one at a time. Some of the cookies were sugar, some had chocolate chips, some were peanut butter. The girls enjoyed mixing them together as well.

"Well, I've got the best cookie of them all." Freddie smirked and Sam raised her eyebrows up.

"Oh do you? And what cookie is this?" Freddie walked around the counter and placed his hands on Sam's waist. Jonah and Valerie smiled and watched their friends knowingly.

"You. You are the greatest delight of them all." Freddie gently kissed Sam's lips and slowly moved his arms around Sam's waist. "You are the one I can't get enough of. I love you more than anything."

"I love you too, Freddie." Valerie rubbed her chin and looked into the oven at the cookies. She blinked and glanced back to Freddie and Jonah.

"Hey, you boys said you were making hotdogs and hamburgers tonight, right?" Valerie asked. Jonah nodded and grinned. Freddie and Jonah were going to bring out the grill and grill the hotdogs and hamburgers. Everything was going to be perfect tonight. "Then don't you think you should go up and get everything ready?"

"Oh yeah!" Jonah said as he stood up straight. "Freddie, get the patties and hotdogs, I'll grab the buns. Let's get out onto that balcony and get the charcoal burning!" Freddie nodded and the two rushed to get everything they needed. Soon, they were up with the grill. Jonah sniffed and smiled. "The smell of a good fire…"

"Yeah, let's make these things perfect. We aim to please." Jonah chuckled and nodded his head as he and Freddie placed the hotdogs and patties on the grill. They had a table set up nearby with all the ingredients for the hotdogs and hamburgers. "You know, Jonah…I think mom and Robert have come a long way."

"Everyone has, Freddie…" Jonah glanced out over the balcony and toward the stars. He chuckled lightly and crossed his arms. "You know, after three years, you'd think Tyrone would have figured Sam out by now."

"I'm not sure, but I think maybe her mom's spirit is out there, keeping her safe. I don't think anything's going to happen to Sam." Freddie flipped a patty over and raised his eyebrow. "So, what should we do if these burn?"

"Take the burnt thing and throw it over the balcony of course." Freddie laughed and Jonah smiled, it was good to hang out with just the guys every now and then. After some amount of time, the girls came out and set two plates filled with cookies on the table. Jonah sniffed the air and grinned. "Those smell great!"

"Thank you, Jonah," Valerie said as she softly kissed Jonah's lips. Jonah blinked and gave a dazed smile.

"What was that for, honey?"

"The compliment you just gave me, of course." Valerie giggled once and Sam smiled. The four looked over as Robert, Spencer, Emily, and Sasha all moved out onto the balcony.

"What's that great smelling stuff?" Sasha asked with glee as her eyes shifted over to the food. "Hot dogs, hamburgers, cookies…you've got an American meal planned for us tonight."

"You know it, Cuz!" Freddie responded. Everyone laughed and moved toward the table. They grabbed some buns and plates. Jonah and Freddie were waiting to serve the hotdogs and hamburgers while Sam and Valerie simply stood behind them. Sam leaned up and whispered into Freddie's ear.

"Valerie and I baked a cake for Robert and Emily. He mentioned to us before he wanted to propose, and we were so sure she'd accept that we made them a 'yes' cake. It says, 'after thirty years, she finally says yes! Congratulations Robert and Emily.'" Freddie smiled and lifted his eyes skyward at that, he loved how thoughtful the girls were. "Valerie scolded me because I wanted to eat it…" He nearly laughed at that, but stifled himself.

"Hey, aren't you girls going to get something to eat?" Jonah asked while looking to Sam and Valerie.

"Cooks get the food last," Valerie answered while holding a finger up in the air. Jonah shrugged and turned off the grill, all the cooking was done. After time, everyone finished their meal and was standing at the edge of the balcony. The fireworks would be starting up at any moment. Each couple had their arms around their other's waists and were gazing up into the night sky. Sam and Freddie were on the right of Emily and Robert. Spencer and Sasha were on the left, and Jonah and Valerie were behind the two.

"You know what, Em," Robert said with a quiet voice. Emily's eyes drifted over and a smile formed at her lips. "It's a beautiful night tonight, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah Robert, I'd agree with that," Emily said as she looked back at the stars. "The whole day has been great, I couldn't imagine spending my day with anyone else or anywhere else."

"That's good to know. You don't know how much that means to me. After thirty years of being away from you, it feels so great to finally be with you again." Emily's smile deepened and she rested her head on Robert's shoulder. "Now that you're with me, I don't want to lose you again."

"I don't think that's something you'll have to worry about."

"Sure it is, as long as you're not mine, it's something I'll always have to fear…" Emily raised her eyebrow and Robert turned to gaze into her eyes. The other three couples each looked at each other and smiled, knowing exactly what was coming up. "This is why, after thirty years, I have a question for you…"

"Oh?" Emily's phone began to ring and she quickly went to check it. "Ah, I have to take this…"

"Call them back." It was from one of Emily's relatives, a man that was pretty important to her. It was someone she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Yeah, I could, but what if…"

"I bet I could make you not answer that." Emily raised her eyebrow and smirked, ready to take him up on that challenge.

"Oh? I never skip over a call if someone's calling me, though. Over the years, I've learned that it could always be important and I should never miss a call." Robert shrugged and smiled lightly, he had to agree with her. So, the moment she was going to answer, he spoke.

"Marry me, Emily. Be my wife like you should have been thirty years ago. Will you?" Emily paused and her eyes widened in surprise. The others all grinned as she dropped her phone. The phone beeped, alerting a missed call. She slowly turned her gaze to Robert and spoke in a slight stutter.

"Did you just…ask me…what I think you did?"

"I believe you're the one stuttering, or did I in fact stutter? Will you marry me, Emily? We've waited long enough, don't you think?"

"Y-Yeah we have…"

"So, do I take that as a yes?" Emily swallowed and looked at everyone else, they were all grinning brightly at her, each of them expecting and knowing full well what she was going to say. She looked back to Robert and smiled.

"Yes!" Robert laughed, relieving him of the nervous feeling inside of him. Emily wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips with passion as the others all cheered for them. It was only a second later that the fireworks began shooting into the night sky. The happy couple broke the kiss and gazed at the fireworks with the others.

"It's beautiful…" Emily nodded and wiped her eyes. Words could not express how much joy she felt over the current situation. For everyone, this was truly a perfect Fourth of July.

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Well, looks like they are now engaged. I hope you liked that chapter! Next chapter, a very important man shows up. You'll recognize him as the man that called Emily just now. Be ready, great things are coming your way as the Reunion Arc nears! If this chapter made you smile, then that's a great thing! Review and make me smile ^_^


	106. The Grandfather

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

A/N: Response to anon review: Seriously, why ask a question anonymously, I can't reply to it. Anyway, here's the answer. You ask why Carly wasn't there for the Fourth of July. It's not because her friends wouldn't have her there, it's because I didn't feel there was any need to include her in the chapter. I had no place to put her, and it would have gone against the plot for her to be there when Robert proposed to Emily. You can also always figure that she might have been convinced by Tyrone to spend the Fourth of July with him.

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Chapter 106 (The Grandfather)

The next week, Robert woke up early to the ringing of the doorbell. He yawned and left the bedroom, then hurried to the front door. He opened the front door and saw an old man smiling at him. This man had silvery hair combed back, and a grey mustache that somewhat resembled a comb. Robert's eyes widened when he realized who the person was. Pity, while this man was well dressed, Robert was in his nightwear.

"I was told Emily Benson moved to this residence," The man said while deepening his smile. He recognized Robert easily, and it was no question as to why the fact that Emily lived with Robert was so amusing to him. "I called about a week ago to let her know I was coming, but I think she missed that call and I was unable to call her again for some time." Robert stuttered and blushed slightly, knowing he was probably at fault for that. "So, you're sleeping at noon? Need I ask for what purpose?" Robert rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled sheepishly.

"Well, I wasn't doing what you think I was with your daughter, I can assure you of that…Mr. Davidson…" The man laughed and patted Robert on the shoulder, he didn't care what Robert was doing with Emily. After all, he trusted the guy. "I must say, though…this is…this is a surprise." The man smirked and rubbed his chin, of course it was a surprise. After all, Emily _had_ missed the call. "So, what brings you here, Arian?" Arian's eyes danced with amusement, he could tell just how embarrassed Robert seemed to be.

"Well I'm here to see my daughter, of course. I might suggest the idea of you getting yourself a better wardrobe though…" Robert's eyes widened and he glanced down at his clothes. He chuckled nervously and ran through the house and into his bedroom. Arian chuckled lightly and shook his head as he stepped in and closed the door. "Same old Robert Shay…When is he going to realize he doesn't have to fear me?" He moved to the couch and sat down. He could hear Emily shout out in surprise, possibly to Robert telling her that her father was here. He then heard Freddie's voice, and a final one. Only this voice was of a girl, one he did not recognize. "Hmm…Has she finally chosen a wife for Freddie?"

Arian waited about ten minutes and glanced over to see Robert, Emily, Freddie all hurry into the room. Sam didn't enter, she was a little nervous to be meeting Freddie's grandfather. Arian stood and smiled at Emily. He held his arms out and held his kindred smile. "What? No hug for your father?" Emily smiled back and quickly hugged him.

"Dad, this is…I honestly didn't expect you to come visit me," Emily said with a quiet voice.

"Yeah, I tried to call you last week." Emily's eye twitched slightly and she slowly turned her head toward Robert and glared. He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah…I must have _missed the call…_" Arian laughed lightly and looked toward Emily's hand. He spotted a sparkling ring and grinned.

"So, you've become engaged?" Emily drew a breath and grinned. She nodded and stepped back while holding her hand up.

"Yeah, Robert and I are _finally_ going to get married!" This news pleased Arian. After all, he was the one that made that choice thirty years ago.

"That's great, I'm very happy for you Marissa." He always called her by her first name. He never did understand why she didn't like the name, it was a beautiful one. Emily cringed at her name and smiled politely at her father.

"So, what is it that brings you here? Can I assume it's not just because you felt like paying a visit?" Arian gave Emily a mock offended look and rested his hand on his chest.

"Aw, I'm hurt deeply…Can't a father just visit his daughter every now and then?"

"Yeah, but not if it's overseas and costs you quite a bit of money to get here…" Emily and Arian laughed and moved to the couch. Robert wanted to find Sam and hide wherever she was hiding. He was going to be a nervous wreck for some time. Arian had moved to India some time ago, it was so that he could be closer to his brother. Of course, his brother's child moved to America recently, so there wasn't much left to do in India. Although, he figured he was too old to move around again. Freddie walked over and sat next to his grandfather, he was happy to see the guy.

"Hey grandpa, it's been a while!" Freddie said while hugging Arian.

"Yes it has! In fact, I think it's been about…six years?" Freddie chuckled and shook his head.

"Nah, we're talking _eight_ years."

"_Eight_?! I must be losing my memory! Which of my grandkids are you, again?" Freddie laughed and Emily smiled slightly at the sight. She shifted her eyes to Robert and smirked, she could tell he was looking around for an escape route.

"Don't even think about it Robert," Emily said as she crossed her arms. Robert froze and gave a sheepish chuckle. "I'm going to drag Sam in here in a moment…" She saw half of Sam's head peek around a doorway then shoot back into hiding, Sam was _way_ too nervous to come out. Normally she wasn't shy, but this was Freddie's _grandpa_. This was the man that would probably judge Emily's pick. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Arian might say about her. Arian patted Freddie's back and leaned back in the couch.

"So tell me, has your mom chosen your bride yet?" Emily looked over and nodded, deciding she'd answer for him.

"Yes I have. Sam, come out here!" Sam paled and leaned against the wall she was hiding on. She honestly did _not_ want to go. There was no way, not even _Freddie_ could drag her out there. Speaking of the devil, Freddie stepped into the room and smirked at her. She was shaking and her teeth were hitting each other slightly.

"No way Freddie," Sam said in a nervous and shaky voice. "That's your grandfather out there, that's _THE_ relative. He's probably the highest and most respected relative! I'm not ready!"

"What are you afraid of, Sam?" Sam shook her head and stared straight ahead at the opposite wall.

"There's no way…_no way. _What if I say something wrong? What if I do something to embarrass myself in front of him! What if he doesn't like me!" She wanted so much to be liked by Freddie's family. She knew Sasha accepted her, Lisa accepted her, Spencer and Robert accepted her, but that was mostly the extent of the family. She had met Emily's direct sister before, and the woman liked her well enough, it seemed. She hadn't actually met everyone in Freddie's family, not quite yet. Most of his relatives lived in other places, like India. In three years, she'd expressed nervousness and discontentment whenever it came to meeting them.

"We've talked about this before, eventually you _have_ to meet my family." She knew that, but it didn't change the fact that she was still scared as hell. She wanted everyone to accept her. She was in the same boat as Robert, he hadn't met all the relatives either. Not only that, but she thought they would be mad at the fact that she signaled Amanda Becker to Carly. Amanda Becker was the daughter of Emily's cousin. She was the daughter of Jasmine Jade Davidson Becker, wife of Allan Becker and the second daughter of Besim Davidson, younger brother of Arian Davidson.

"Yeah, but that's going to be one at a time, right?"

"Actually I wanted to talk about that," A voice said. Sam's eyes widened and she glanced over to see Arian with his hand on the door frame and a smile on his face. He was looking directly at her. Sam froze and held her breath for a moment, closing her eyes in the process. "There's no reason to be afraid, I'm not _that_ scary."

"Yeah, that's easy for _you_ to say…you're not the one that has to worry about being accepted and everything!" Sam's eyes flew open and she breathed slowly for a moment. She was contemplating his words. "And what do you _mean_ you wanted to talk about that!" Arian chuckled and slowly shook his head while Freddie took Sam's hand and tried to soothe her. He looked into her eyes and smiled softly.

"Sam, it's okay," Freddie said with a gentle voice. "My grandpa's nice. Hell, he's like the polar opposite of Tyrone!" Sam chuckled once and Arian snickered. He knew Tyrone well, and it was true, he was the polar opposite of the man. "Where Tyrone's a stubborn asshole and all around harsh bastard, my grandpa's a calm and very kind person. You shouldn't have a problem at all." Sam slowly exhaled and gave a tiny smile as she gazed into Freddie's soft eyes. Arian rubbed his chin and watched the two, even from first impressions, he really could see a good chemistry between the two. They had a good effect on each other, he had a knack for seeing things like that.

"Okay Freddie, I'll give meeting him a try if you say there's nothing to fear."

"There's nothing to fear, Sam." Sam smiled and Freddie gently squeezed her hand. He led her out into the main room and sat with her on the couch. Arian moved into the living room as Robert tried to flee the area. Emily grabbed the back of his shirt and laughed once, she couldn't believe Robert was still scared of her father.

"Come on Robert, I liked you before and I still like you right now," Arian said while patting his soon to be son in law on the back. Robert paused and raised his eyebrow, he wasn't sure how true that statement was.

"But I…I hurt Emily," Robert replied while looking to the ground. He felt Arian should hate him for turning away from Emily so long ago. He deserved Arian hating him. "You should want to shun me…"

"Why the hell would I do that? I know you're a good man, you were only afraid of what that father of yours would do." Robert looked up and into Arian's eyes, he saw how serious the older man was. It seemed that Arian's once jubilant face was now very stern and serious. "I don't want to hear any more talk of me not liking you because of what your father forced you to do. I chose you for Emily because I felt you were the best match for her. You were headstrong, you knew what you wanted in life and you weren't going to let anything get in the way of it, and you and Emily were so close."

"Yeah, but then I let dad get in the way…"

"Well is he stopping you now?" Robert shook his head and frowned.

"I would _never_ let him interfere." Arian smiled kindly at him and patted him on the back, he was proud to call Robert his son in law.

"Then, my son, my observations of you still stand firm. I always liked you better than that other man I selected for Emily." Robert blinked and chuckled nervously, now he felt like he'd just been put on a pedestal. Was this meeting really about him? He stepped behind the couch and placed his hands on Sam's shoulders, much to her surprise.

"I think you're really here about her, right?" Robert's face was red now, so he figured it'd be best to get the conversation off of him.

"Hey!" Sam cried out. She sighed and crossed her arms as the others laughed. Arian rubbed his chin and looked to Sam, she was smiling shyly and squeezing on Freddie's hand. She couldn't help but to be nervous about meeting this man.

"I trust my daughter's judgment," Arian said while giving a quick nod. "However, I would like to know how long you two have been together and why I was never informed of this…" Emily cleared her throat and stood up from her seat. She hadn't been able to tell him since it cost a lot for long distance, and telling him might start something up with Tyrone.

"I chose her for Freddie on September 27th 2008…We've had a few issues, though," Emily said while rubbing the back of her head. Arian raised his eyebrow as she stared into his eyes. "You remember Tyrone, of course…he wants to find Freddie's wife and take her away, hoping to 'save' her." At the mention of Tyrone's involvement, Arian's face grew hard. He couldn't say he liked Tyrone at all, especially not concerning the problems Tyrone caused his family. Sam saw this and raised her eyebrows up, she wondered just how bad the relationship was between Tyrone and Arian.

"I see…and how close is he to doing so?"

"I'd say there's nothing to worry about," Freddie said with a quick smile. "After all, Spencer finally learned who his real mom was…" This was pleasing for Arian to hear, he had always wanted Spencer and Emily to come back together. "So the only hold he's got on us is through Carly, his granddaughter…but we're trying to find ways to fix that…"

"Good. I suppose you should know about my youngest brother, Agim and his family…" The others all nodded and looked at Arian as he sat down in a reclining chair. He had four siblings, Zamira, Besim, Vera, and Agim. Agim was deceased. "Agim lost both his children to the hands of Tyrone's little gangs…in 1980, his daughter, Tricia would see her death only a week after her seventeenth birthday." Sam's jaw fell slightly and Arian crossed his arms. "One of Tyrone's gang members had killed her…of course, that gang member was never seen again…"

"Oh my god, he's responsible for _another_ death?!" Sam said in a quick voice. Arian raised his eyebrow and Sam looked toward the floor. She frowned and narrowed her eyes. "A little over a year ago, our friend Jake was shot and killed by a gang leader who wanted to please Tyrone…he was really aiming for our best friend, Jonah, but he never got him and killed Jake instead." Arian frowned and closed his eyes, he felt truly sorry for this loss. Jake most likely had nothing to do with any of the circumstances. How horrible it must have been to lose your life and not know the full reason behind it.

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss."

"It was hard on us all…but please, continue…" Arian nodded and took a slow sigh.

"In the year 2000, eleven years ago as you know, Agim's son was choosing a bride for _his _son. Tyrone learned of this and rounded up all of his family. Agim, his son Adam, daughter in law Helen, and grandson Jack were put aboard one of Tyrone's personal ships…this ship was led by some of his men…he promised them once they made it to India where they should be, some of his men would find them and help them out." Sam swallowed and Robert listened with widening eyes, no one was enjoying where this was going.

"W-What else happened?" Arian closed his eyes and exhaled sharply, it was a hard memory. They learned about it from the sole survivor of the ship, and that was Helen. Helen made it a few more months before taking her own life.

"Before reaching shore, the captain came to them and said they were all going to die. He said that Tyrone knew nothing about the plans, and he did not know that his men placed bombs inside the ship. It was mayhem after that…Adam's wife, Helen, was the only one to make it off of that ship alive."

"Oh my…" The men decided to send Helen off of the ship, and she swam to shore. It wasn't that far away. She had broke down into tears on the shore and cried for hours, the memory of watching her family blow up with the ship was just too hellish for her to bear.

"One of Tyrone's men found Helen and brought her to my brother's home. Besim still lives in India, and I lived there to take care of him. We were shocked when we saw Helen, and we were even more appalled by her grisly tale. It was only three months later…" Arian's body tensed up and his eyes narrowed. "She received a call from Tyrone, he wanted to apologize for the loss of her family…then he said that they probably deserved it. No wife or mother should ever have to hear that…the grief and the pain became too much for her, and she ended her life."

"That bastard," Freddie said while clenching his fists. He couldn't believe that Tyrone would be responsible for such a thing. He'd lost a whole side of his family that he probably never even met. An uncle, a cousin, a great uncle, they were all people that he might have loved to meet, and now he never would. "Whatever happened to Agim's wife?"

"She passed on in 97'. She was only fifty four. She developed pneumonia and chose not to go to the doctor for it…"

"I see…and what about your brother, he's still in India?"

"Yes…as is my sister, Vera."

"They never moved to America?"

"No, they moved from America to India. The problem was they were afraid of Tyrone and his family, so they moved over there. Vera lives with her son, Carlos…her husband died early on in a factory accident and Carlos never married. My sister chose not to arrange his marriage, since he had expressed desire to not marry. Besim actually moved back to America about a year ago, he moved in with his daughter Jasmine and her husband Allan. His older daughter, Tricia, had passed on a few years ago. Her husband Richard and son Quincy, live a few miles from here as well. Zamira lives somewhere in the states with all of her children…"

"So you live in India by yourself now?" Robert asked while raising his eyebrow. If it could be said how much he despised his father at that very moment, then he would have stated it. However, there were no words that could possibly explain the amount of rage and resentment held for his father.

"Yes, but I am considering the possibility of returning here. Besides, if I do, then I can easily scare off Tyrone."

"That may be a good thing," Sam said while sighing nervously. Arian looked over at her and saw that she was shaking once more. She felt guilty and was worried that Tyrone would make the same thing happen to Besim's family that he did for Agim's family. "Amanda Becker, isn't that one of Freddie's cousins?"

"Yeah," Freddie said with a quick nod. "As I told you before, she's my second cousin…the daughter of mom's cousin Jasmine."

"Okay, I kind of _accidently_ told my best friend Carly that Amanda was Freddie's bride." Arian raised his eyebrow and Sam slowly stood up, she was ready to defend herself. "Here's the thing, I was losing it. I was sick and tired of Carly always wanting to date Freddie, and so I thought telling her he had a bride who would never let him go, which is true, would be a good thing! In the process, I described Amanda to her, and we all know that she's the sweet girl at our school! I didn't mean to describe her and I didn't even know Amanda was possibly related to Freddie in any way, I barely ever talk to her! I mean-"

"It's okay, calm down," Emily said with a soft voice. She knew how upset Sam was, and she wanted to reassure her that it would be just fine. "Amanda's still on vacation with her family, anyway…plus, Tyrone won't do anything damaging to her…I don't think." Arian frowned and rubbed his chin, he had come because Jasmine and Allan had chosen Amanda's husband already.

"I came because the family wants a get together," Arian said while closing his eyes. Everyone looked over at him as he crossed his arms over. "They want to meet the chosen spouses and everyone else in the family, a reunion of sorts. There are a few people who want to announce chosen spouses, you're one that will have to do that, Emily…you need to announce Sam to the family." Emily nodded and Sam started to pale, she couldn't believe _that_ was going to happen. Freddie sighed and shook his head, he'd just have to tell her it'd be fine. "Jasmine and Allan are also going to announce the future husband of Amanda…that's something we won't want Tyrone finding out." Arian turned to Sam and gave her a reassuring smile. "You have nothing to worry about, you didn't know at the time, I'm sure…if Carly tells Tyrone, then we'll figure something out. For now, he probably doesn't know Amanda's true relation, and if he figures out, then…" Everyone thought for a moment and imagined the ship to India and the demise of Agim's family. They all frowned and remained in silence for a few moments.

"Crap."

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Well, Freddie's grandfather. I hope you liked this chapter. Next chapter begins the Reunion Arc!


	107. Valerie's Labor

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

A/N: IMPORTANT-I wrote this chapter up because I had forgotten that Valerie should have had her baby by the time of the reunion. She conceived in November, so nine months would be August. That is after the Grandfather chapter and before the reunion. Here you go. Please use the new chapter (which will be the chapter updated yesterday) to review this one.

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Chapter 107 (Valerie's Labor)

It was early August; Valerie was due any day now. She and Jonah were dining out at a nice Italian Restaurant. It wasn't much, they didn't dine out that often. They were discussing the upcoming reunion and the possibility of going. Valerie wanted to be there for Sam and Freddie, but was concerned about whether they should take the baby with them or not. They had until October to decide, but it really wasn't that far.

"You know, we can always leave the child with our parents, the reunion is only for part of the day," Jonah said with a subtle nod. Valerie smiled and began to unfold her napkin. Jonah glanced over as the waiter walked up to the table. It was a well dressed man who was probably in his early forties, his hair was combed back nicely and he wore what looked like an expensive suit. Valerie looked over at the man and smiled. He looked to her and gave her a polite smile. He noticed her pregnant belly and assumed the two to be married.

"Hello, I am your waiter tonight, you may call me Tony…" Tony didn't appear to know that Jonah and Valerie were underage, so he held out his wine menu to Jonah. "Would you like to look at our wine list?" Jonah smiled politely and held his hand up to refuse. He decided to give a little humor into the night by acting older than he really was, but it would still be polite enough.

"Thank you for the offer, sir. But as you can see, my wife is pregnant and it would be best for her not to drink alcohol. Of course my good man, even if she was not pregnant, we still could not partake in your wine of the day, for we are not old enough." The man blinked and smiled as he gracefully pulled the wine menu back. He appreciated Jonah's honesty and apparently polite refusal of the wine list. The waiter set two menus on the table and placed his hand over the other at his waist.

"Can I interest you and your lovely lady in anything to drink tonight?" Valerie blushed slightly at the comment and looked at the menu toward the drinks. Water would be good for her. She started to say something but stopped when she felt a sudden cramping. She clenched her teeth and strained, it felt like a contraction. The waiter and Jonah looked at her as she tried to relax, she wasn't sure if it would be time to go into labor or not, but she hoped it wouldn't be right now.

"I'll have….water," Valerie said as she took a slow deep breath. Jonah nodded and asked for the same. The waiter nodded and walked off to retrieve their drinks. Jonah looked at Valerie and raised his eyebrows, concerned with the slightly twisted expression Valerie had.

"Are you okay Valerie?" Jonah asked. Valerie took another breath and smiled, after about a minute the contraction had ended.

"I'm fine, it was just a contraction, I think…" Jonah's eyes widened and he began to tap his fingers on the table, he wasn't sure if her having a contraction right now was good or bad, but he felt that he should get ready just in case. He knew that Sam and Freddie had all the materials they would need, such as cameras and tools that would be used during the labor process.

"Do you think I should call Freddie?" Valerie slowly shook her head and leaned forward, she wasn't going to worry so much about the contraction. They were normal to have. Of course, if they started getting closer, then it would be best to get to the doctor.

"No, I'm fine…" Jonah smiled and picked up his menu. He took a deep breath and looked through for the food items. In a few more minutes, Tony came around with the drinks. He smiled at the couple and wondered if they were ready to order.

"Would you like a few more minutes?" Tony asked while smiling at the two. Jonah looked at Valerie and saw that she appeared intensely focused on the menu, he smiled politely and held up his hand.

"I think we'll wait a little longer before ordering," Jonah stated calmly. Tony nodded and walked off. Valerie felt like she was having another contraction, and oddly, it had only been four minutes from the last one. Could that mean she was going to go into labor? No, the doctor said something about it, when she would go into labor, the contractions would be more intense and painful.

"Jonah, I think I might like the lasagna and ravioli plate," Valerie said as she eyed the food. Jonah glanced at the food on his menu and nodded, it was inexpensive and looked very appetizing. He was tempted to order the same thing. Of course, the veal looked pretty appealing as well. "What do you think, Jonah?"

"Well I'm stuck between the veal and what you're looking at."

"Oh?" Valerie looked toward the veal and chuckled, it wasn't expensive, but it wasn't cheap either. Although she didn't have a problem with that, they did have money enough to eat a good meal at a fancy restaurant on special occasions. "Well if you want my opinion, I think you should ask the waiter for a recommendation." Jonah pressed his lips together and nodded, it seemed like a good idea.

"Yeah, I think I'll do just that." Valerie continued looking at the menu choices, then stopped. Her eyes widened as she felt another contraction, they were getting closer and they felt like they were growing stronger. Jonah's phone began to ring, so he checked it. "It's from Freddie…" He answered the phone as Valerie clenched her eyes shut. "Hey Freddie, what's going on?"

"Well Sam wanted me to call you guys up and ask how your dinner was going," Freddie replied with Sam holding her arms around his neck and standing behind him. Jonah could hear sounds such as Sam kissing Freddie on the neck. "I don't see why, but she likes to kiss me while I'm on the phone."

"Maybe that's because it's what you did to her when she was on the phone before, remember?" Freddie chuckled and smiled as he looked upwards. He could remember doing that to her so many times before, it never got old. The waiter walked up to the table and saw that Jonah was on the phone. As he was about to turn to leave, Valerie's eyes shot open. Her contractions were too strong now. This was it, she was going into labor.

"J-Jonah," Valerie said in a quiet, but strained voice. Jonah looked over at her and his eyes widened, she was pale and appeared to be in great pain. His hand began to shake and he nearly dropped the phone. "It's time!" Valerie screamed out and the waiter turned back to her. All the occupants of the restaurant were now turning her way. Jonah shot out of his seat and began stuttering. As many preparation classes as they took, it felt like he was _still_ ill prepared for this moment.

"Jonah? Jonah, what's going on?"

"I-It's Valerie…it's, she's, it's, I, hospital! Doctor! Labor!" Freddie started to respond to Jonah's stuttering, but Sam quickly took the phone from him and started to instruct Jonah. Sure, she hadn't been through this, but she knew well enough about pregnancy from having researched it and being around Valerie for the past nine months. She did know what Jonah should do in this moment.

"Jonah listen to me," Sam said in a calm yet quick voice. "Take a deep breath and help Valerie to breath." Jonah took a deep breath and quickly moved to his wife. The waiter and some other patrons and employees rushed over to help. "Freddie and I will meet you guys at the hospital with your things…ugh, everyone's over here, so they may be rushing with us, but whatever…just call the doctor!"

"Right." Jonah hung up the phone and knelt in front of Valerie. She was sitting in the chair with her hands on her stomach and her face twisted in pain. "Valerie, relax…take deep breaths." Valerie clenched her teeth sharply and nodded her head, still in extreme pain. Jonah stood up and looked at the waiter. "Can I get some help here? I need to get her to the car." Tony nodded and some people came to help Valerie to her feet while Jonah called up the doctor. As the phone rang, Jonah impatiently tapped his foot on the ground. They made their way out of the restaurant, the waiter wouldn't have a problem with letting them go free considering their circumstance.

"Doctor Thompson's office…"

"Yes, this is Jonah Brown, my wife's going into labor right now!"

"Okay sir, may I ask how far apart the contractions are?" Jonah looked at Valerie as she took a deep breath.

"Val? How far apart are they?" Valerie moaned and tried to think.

"Every four minutes…they last about forty to sixty seconds I think," Valerie said while breathing in. Jonah nodded as he fiddled to unlock the car doors. He took a deep breath to relax himself once more and spoke again into the phone.

"Four minutes, about forty to sixty seconds long."

"Okay sir, we'll send a nurse to meet you outside. Is there anyone that we should look out for?"

"Yes, our best friends should be there. Freddie Benson and Sam Puckett..." Everyone helped Valerie into the passenger side of the car while Jonah hurried to the driver's side. He had to admit, he was scared as hell at this moment, but he had to be strong. He was finally going to be a father, this had to be the best moment of their lives. Jonah quickly started the car and drove off, driving as fast as he could toward the hospital. At this moment, he didn't care if he got a ticket, his wife was in labor.

It wasn't a long drive at all to the hospital, only about ten minutes. Once they arrived, they saw Sam and Freddie hurrying to the car with a nurse and a wheelchair. Jonah opened the door and rushed to Valerie's side. They opened the door and helped her into the wheelchair. "Okay Valerie, just breathe," Sam said as she took her friend's hand. Jonah wiped his brow as the group hurried into the hospital.

"I thought you said someone else was going to be here," Jonah said in a quick voice. He didn't really care, since it wasn't important. When they entered the hospital, they saw Emily and Robert, next to them was Spencer and Carly. Jonah's eyebrows rose as everyone followed them towards the delivery room. "What are they doing here?!"

"Spencer and Carly were ringing the doorbell just as you told us Valerie was going into labor," Freddie replied. The two decided to tag along for any kind of support that might have been necessary. Freddie and Sam went into the delivery room with Jonah and Valerie, as according to what their wishes were. Everyone else had to wait outside the waiting room. "Would you like us to call your parents up?"

"Yes, that would be a great idea," Jonah said as he and the nurse helped Valerie onto the table. Freddie nodded and dialed up Jonah's parents as Sam dialed Valerie's. It would seem that the parents were going to be thrilled that the baby was finally being born. After they called the parents up, Freddie decided to pull out the camera. It was requested that Freddie be the one to record everything while Jonah was helping Valerie to deliver. Of course, that wasn't going to say that Freddie wouldn't get queasy. "You know you guys won't have to be in here the entire time, right?"

"Yeah, we know…" Of course Jonah would, that's just the way he was with Valerie. No matter how long the delivery took, he was staying by Valerie's side the entire time. Freddie and Sam intended to stay in the hospital. No one really cared whether Carly stayed or not, but she probably was going to leave whenever Spencer did.

Hours went by, each feeling like eternity. Jonah kept true to his promise to stay with Valerie the entire way. Freddie and Sam left the room every now and then to eat or to just simply get out of the room. Valerie was screaming the entire time, and once even cussed Jonah out for not using a condom and causing her this amount of pain. The funny thing was, the guy seemed to take all that she threw at him, which was pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. After a total of nineteen and a half hours, Valerie and Jonah were the proud parents of a baby boy which they would name Aaron.

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	108. Reunion: Puckett Family Gathering

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

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Chapter 108 (Reunion: Puckett Family Gathering)

The day had come, October 6th, the day when Sam was going to meet the _entire_ Davidson/Benson clan. She would be required to memorize all of their names. It wasn't so much that she _had _to memorize them, she _wanted _ to do it. She wanted to impress the family by looking into the family history and learning all she could. It was stressful, and to top it off, her family _had_ to be there. This was enough to make Sam want to die of so many things. Not only did she have to worry about being accepted into the Davidson/Benson family, she now had to worry about the impression her relatives would leave on them.

"Dear god!" Sam exclaimed as she ran around her room and started throwing her clothes around at a frantic pace. Freddie leaned against the doorway and raised his eyebrows as he watched Sam. "I can't do this! I can't do this!" Jonah and Valerie were outside the room as well, they were going to join Sam and Freddie at the reunion. Emily and Robert were watching from a nearby room, they were quite concerned as well as all the others that Sam _might_ just be having a meltdown. "What will I wear? How will I act! Will they like me!!!"

"Girl relax!" Valerie said in a quick voice. She pushed Freddie aside, much to his displeasure. Jonah patted Freddie and chuckled as Valerie took a dress out of Sam's hand. Sam was jumpy and very nervous, Valerie knew there was no way Sam would do well if she was so nervous. The best thing to do in this situation was to remain calm. They knew Tyrone wouldn't show up, there was absolutely no chance of that happening. If he _did_, however, he'd be quickly sent away.

"I can't relax! My family's going to be here soon, even!" Sam had sent out all the invites, she wanted to talk to her family before they went. The only problem was that the majority of her family was uncouth. She couldn't help but to wonder how the hell her crazy and insane family would mix in with Freddie's calm and regal-like family. She hoped, no, _prayed_ that her family wouldn't screw this up. Did she have any faith? Who knew. All she knew was her only grandfather still living basically burped all the time, one of her grandmothers had a reason for being in a nursing home, and at least her other grandmother was normal.

"It's going to be fine."

"I'm pulling out my hairs here!" It was times like these that Freddie was glad Sam's best friend knew their secret. That way _Valerie_ could take care of certain things while Freddie just relaxed. He knew his family would love Sam, no matter what her family was like. Hell, he even loved her family. Sure, most of them were an odd bunch, and Sarah never trusted any of them to take care of her daughter, but they still weren't _horrible_ people. "I can't even decide what dress to wear!"

"I thought that beautiful sea blue dress with the red lace on the collar and ends of the sleeve, along with the bottom was beautiful," Freddie said while crossing his arms over. Sam blinked and looked over at the dress lying on the bed. Freddie was right, the dress was gorgeous. She smiled and nodded her head, she could wear that one. She looked over at Valerie, Jonah and Freddie, smiled, and walked over to hug her fiancé. Freddie gently kissed her forehead and looked into her eyes. "Hey Sam, are you going to be all right?"

"Yeah…"

"Remember, my family is usually very accepting. They're not hard to please, trust me. You have nothing to worry about…_nothing_. It doesn't matter who or what in your family is a troublemaker, my family will typically work around that. They might not like _some_ people, but it's not going to be pure hell." Sam gave a slow nod and heard the doorbell ring. Her eyes widened and Robert glanced at the door, it seemed that Sam's relatives were here. She wasn't even ready, she still had a lot to do!

"Oh no, entertain them or something, I'm not ready!"

"Can do, can do…" Sam quickly hurried into her room and slammed the door shut. Freddie sighed, dusted his pants off and walked over to the front door. He had met all of Sam's relatives over time, and he thought they were all great people. Sure, they had done some bad things in the past and were oddballs, but they didn't seem like horrible, virulent people in any way. If anything, the family on Sam's mom's side was easier to handle than the family on her dad's side. Also on her dad's side, Greg and Annie were probably the greatest and calmest of the relatives.

"Doesn't Sam have like a hundred year old grandfather?" Jonah asked while walking with Freddie. That was the truth, the father of Alice, Sam's grandmother, had been born in 1910, it was now 2011, exactly three years after the choosing of his bride. Carl Fields had managed to live long enough to see his great granddaughter find her husband.

"Isn't it amazing what medicine can do for ya?" Freddie smirked and opened the curtain to glance out the window. It looked like Sam's family was starting to gather up. It was sad, Sam's grandma, Alice had died the prior year. At least she'd met up with her best friend before her death. He could see an old man in a wheel chair, that had to be Carl. Annie Puckett was pushing him and her brother Greg was apparently holding a flute in his hand and staring at it. Annie glanced back at two people stepping out of a car, it was Sam's Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie. They were the parents of Greg and Annie. Freddie's eyes shifted over to another car that was parking. A few seconds later and Sam's Uncle Buzz and his son Garth stepped out of the vehicle.

"Let me guess, they're all showing up at once?" Freddie nodded and chuckled lightly. Garth was wearing a cowboy hat, that wasn't too bad.

"Hey Jonah, Valerie, did you know that Sam's ancestor, Lucas Michaels lived to see even Sam's birth? He died in 1999, but was born in 1888."

"_Damn_ that's old…"

"The longest living of any of her relatives so far, and on her mother's side. He saw his daughter's birth, his son's birth, his granddaughter and finally Sam."

"Sam once told me her great grandfather, Branton, died fighting a bull," Jonah said with a quick nod. The man lived to be sixty four, he lived off of bullfighting. Freddie chuckled and placed his hand on the doorknob, he figured it was about time to let the relatives in. It was a shock though that none of the relatives on Sam's mom's side showed up yet. They'd probably be there soon. Freddie opened the door and Annie grinned.

"Hey Freddie!" Annie said with a quick smile.

"Come on in, guys. Sam's just getting ready," Freddie said while holding his arm out. Annie nodded and pushed Carl into the room. Greg followed closely and gave Freddie a high five. Buzz, Morris, Maggie and Garth all entered and looked around the place with large eyes.

"Wow, is it okay if we rob this place?" Buzz asked with a large grin, clearly joking. Freddie rolled his eyes and chuckled as he shook his head.

"No, it's not. Now listen up you guys…" All the relatives looked to Freddie and waited for him to speak. "Sam's _really_ nervous about all of this, you understand, right?"

"I would think so," Carl said in a quiet voice. The other relatives nodded and continued to look toward Freddie's eyes. They all understood how nervous she must be. She had to memorize all of Freddie's relatives, get ready, and deal with a family like them. The uncles sighed and Maggie turned her head down, Freddie raised his eyebrow and frowned.

"What's the matter you guys?"

"We know your family has to meet us, but…you know how we are," Morris stated while pushing his hands into his pockets. "I'm sure your family will be great, but we're all…"

"Oh just say it Morris, we're a disgrace to Sam!" Maggie said while crossing her arms. Annie and Greg frowned as their family all exchanged guilty and forlorn looks. Freddie rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

"Look you guys, it's going to be fine," Freddie said while giving them a reassuring smile. He felt people were getting too worked up, his family _really_ wasn't all that high up or filled with any _great_ people. "There's nothing you can do that could make my family look down on you. Unless Buzz over here decides to try and rob all my relatives' blind." Morris, Maggie and Garth turned their glares to Buzz and caused the man to chuckle nervously.

"Okay, so maybe I'll ogle whatever jewelry they have, but I _promise_ not to take anything!"

"Uncle Buzz, remember that this is important to Sam," Annie said as she turned to her uncle. "I think it's best especially for you to keep on your _best_ behavior."

"I have a feeling if you do anything wrong, you're going to get kicked out of there," Greg said as he pushed his flute into his pocket. He had practiced hard, he was going to play a few songs for Freddie's family. He hoped they were going to enjoy them. Annie wasn't just good with body art, she was good at paintings. She'd painted several images for the family, all of the images were in her car at the moment. Garth was going to sing a couple songs, mostly country. Everyone wanted to do something for the family and provide entertainment. Valerie was going to be busy helping the cooks with lunch at two. Then she had also made a big cake for everyone.

"Yeah and if I do anything wrong, then I'll make Sam look bad," Buzz said while falling back into a couch. He placed his hand to his face and groaned. "Maybe it's best that I don't go, for fear of screwing everything up for my niece."

"No, she wants you to go," Freddie said with a soft smile. It was true. While she was scared as hell of how Freddie's family would react to hers, she still wanted all her relatives to be there. "It's important to her. Plus, they want to meet everyone in her family. Give or take the few that can't make it. Just be there for her, okay? I know you'll do fine."

"I'm just so nervous, and you know how I get when I'm nervous. I can't help myself! It's like I'm attracted to shiny and pretty things when I get nervous!"

"I think I'll help you out there, Dad," Garth said with a tired sigh.

"It's no wonder Sarah didn't trust any of us! When David died, she didn't even stay in touch with us very much…"

"Maybe she just didn't know how to face you," Jonah said while leaning against the wall. The relatives looked over and raised their eyebrows. Jonah sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I mean when her husband was murdered, I would think she was grieving too much herself and was too proud to let his family see her grieve."

"Yeah, we all grieved when that happened," Maggie said with a quiet voice. Carl closed his eyes and slowly shook his head, it had been hard on him to have to live through both his daughter's death and his grandson's death. It had been harder with David. David had been murdered, Alice died of natural causes. Maggie crossed her arms and stared at the ground. "Anyway, I've decided to leave all my cigarettes at home…I don't want to be seen smoking in front of your family. I'm afraid it'll look bad if I do that."

"Okay, that's thoughtful of you," Freddie said with a nod. From what he knew, nobody in his family smoked. Plus, they had a small child there. He admired how much Sam's family was _trying_ their hardest to be better than how they usually were. Hell, they were even wearing suits and dresses, rather than casual clothing they always wore, even to formal churches. "I just want to say that I'm really happy that you guys all feel Sam is important enough to look, act, and do your best for her."

"We want her to look good, nobody wants to drag her down," Carl said as he placed his elbow on his armrest and his hand to his cheek. "Got any relatives in a wheelchair?"

"From what I know…no…"

"I see, any war veterans?" Freddie chuckled and nodded his head. Carl snapped his fingers and sighed. "Well then, I guess I'm not alone in that department. Did you know I fought in World War II?"

"I think Sam mentioned that." Carl smiled and his eyes brightened, he enjoyed when people seemed to think his tales were important enough. "You were fighting on the ground, right?"

"That's correct! Why I was with my very best friends…It broke my heart seeing almost every one of them gunned down, but unlike the other soldiers…I didn't let that bring me down. For them, I fought harder. For America, I fought harder. For the Jewish culture, I fought, with pride. I also helped to free a concentration camp! One of my best friends for the longest time was a survivor from there."

"That's amazing, you _must_ tell my family about your time in war. They would love hearing about it." Carl grinned and Freddie checked his watch. "Hey Morris, Buzz, do you know if your cousin is supposed to show up?" Reggie had a sister who gave birth to a man named Todd Bryant. He had a wife named Blanche and a son named Danny. Danny was one of Sam's youngest cousins. Her youngest cousin was still older than she was, though. Venus Parker was her name, she was eighteen years old while Danny was twenty one. Venus was actually on Sam's mom's side.

"No, unfortunately Blanche is ill, so Todd has to stay home," Morris answered. Freddie frowned and looked to the side. It was a pity, his family would have liked meeting them. "Danny was looking forward to coming, but he's helping to take care of his mom _and_ is having some issues in college."

"Sarah's relatives are coming, aren't they?" Maggie asked as she nudged her husband. Morris nodded and checked his watch.

"Yeah, they should be here soon, actually-" The doorbell rang and Morris glanced over. "That must be them."

"I'll get it," Jonah said as he pushed himself from the wall and moved to the door. Freddie smiled and looked over. Jonah opened the door and saw two people standing. A young girl around his age and her mother.

"Oh, it's Venus and Aunt Violet," Freddie said while stepping forward. He gestured for them to come in, and they obliged. "Violet, your brother and parents are coming, right?"

"Yes, they're in their own cars," Violet said with a subtle nod. "In fact, Mom and Dad were right behind me." Her brother was Brian Daniels, his wife was Madeline, and his son was Leon. Leon was twenty five. Sam's grandparents were Hugh and Susie 'Maw Maw' Daniels. Susie was probably the only truly normal relative. Hugh didn't do much, he just burped. In a few seconds, the grandparents hurried inside.

"Okay Hugh, remember…_socialize_," Susie scolded while shaking her finger in the air. Hugh rolled his eyes and sighed. Susie placed her hands to her hips and narrowed her eyes. "This is for _Sam_. This is the one of the biggest moment of her life and I _won't_ have you ruining it for her!"

"I'm not going to," Hugh said as he crossed his arms. He wanted to come along and he was going to try his best to actually not be antisocial. After all, he didn't want to cause Freddie's family to look down on his granddaughter. Hugh blinked with realization and looked over to Freddie. "By the way, Leon called up and told us that his parents won't be able to make it. He'll be here soon, though."

"Bummer, but at least Leon can be here," Freddie responded. He smiled and crossed his arms. He couldn't be prouder of Sam's relatives. _"If only she could see how much they want to make her happy right now. She's so stressed out…she's been stressed for months because of this…"_

"We are going to make our Sammy proud of us," Maggie said while giving a determined smile. "All of us are trying our best to cast aside all our problems and focus solely on making Sam look good in front of your family." Freddie chuckled and pushed his hands through the air, he didn't know how many times he had to tell them it wasn't that big of an issue.

"It's really not that big of a problem…I mean, they're not going to shun Sam if you mess up…I mean hey, none of you are like Tyrone, he's not even allowed to step foot near the place!" The relatives all looked at Freddie with narrow eyes. They understood what he was saying, but they felt that he probably didn't realize how important, regardless of the family's status, it was in order to impress the family and make Sam look good. As everyone gathered around, they heard a door open. Everyone looked over toward a hallway and saw Sam starting to walk out. She looked beautiful. Her hair was up, her dress sparkled, and a brilliant golden necklace rested gently on her neck.

"Sam, you look amazing," Susie said with a smile. "Your mother would be proud." Sam smiled slightly and eyed all of her relatives. She looked over as her cousin Leon entered the house. This was it, everyone was here. From here, they had to make their way to the Benson family reunion. It was such a small gathering at the house, chances were they'd lose sight of each other, but no matter what, they were going to do their best for Sam. Everyone took a deep breath and glanced over as Robert and Emily entered the room.

"Wow, nice seeing everyone," Emily said with a smile. "Spencer and Sasha are already on their way to the building. I suggest if anyone has to make any pit stops, do it now. We have an hour drive…also there are about four bathrooms in this house and we need to leave in the next thirty minutes…" The group all nodded and began either resting up or going to the restroom. Sam merely stood near the door with Freddie, he had his arm around her waist and was smiling softly at her.

"You know, they're really trying," Freddie said quietly. Sam nodded, she realized that. Normally her family was often negligent or forgetful, but when the time came, they did show how much they really cared. Whatever they did, they vowed to try their best _not_ to embarrass Sam.

* * *

I hope you liked that chapter. Her family's all banding together to try and leave a good impression for her. No, Carly isn't going to the reunion, and before you say anything, I have no place to put her there. There will be too many family secrets, and one of which involves her, which she can't hear right away for the plot. Plus, October 6th 2011 is a Thursday, she'll be in school while Freddie, Sam, Jonah and Valerie are not. Each of which will have a reason for not being in school. Just face the facts that Carly has no purpose being at the reunion (Plus Robert's probably the only Shay allowed) Review.


	109. Reunion: The Pucketts

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

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Chapter 109 (Reunion: The Pucketts' Plan)

It was early in the morning and the trip to the reunion area was going to be an hour drive. Everyone selected their cars and moved on their way. The Puckett family had a radio to talk to each other while on the drive, they felt it was necessary to keep a good contact with each other and discuss important things that had to happen while at the large family gathering.

In the blue Dodge eight seat van was Hugh, Susie, Buzz, Morris, Maggie, Garth, Annie, and Greg. Following them in a red mercury, four door car was Carl, Leon, Violet and Venus. The family was following the large van being driven by Emily. In the car with her was Robert, Freddie, Sam, Jonah, and Valerie. They weren't on radio communication with the Puckett family, it hadn't been suggested. Besides, Sam didn't exactly feel like talking to her family. It wasn't anything bad, she was just afraid that if she talked to them, they might say or do things that rub off on her and change her attitude to a bad one during the meeting.

Currently, everybody was silent and watching the car in front of them. They didn't want to lose each other on the major highways. Everyone knew where the place was and they were fortunate that it would be in a place that the group could drive to without worry about other cars. They just needed to get off the freeways. About half of the trip was freeway and the rest was country road. Maggie looked to the radio in the middle of the seats and flipped it on. Morris looked over and smiled at her.

"We can do this, right Maggie?" Maggie gave a nod and took a few rasinets from the bowl in her lap. She loved rasinets; they were so delicious and great for curbing her cravings for a cigarette. Thankfully, her smoke cravings wouldn't be too hard to avoid. The family was mostly going off of plans made by the cousins, since Annie, Greg, and Venus seemed to be the better thinkers in the group. It was just saying that they were the most normal relatives that didn't really have any problems. Garth didn't have much either, but he had been in trouble for school vandalism at one point of time. Maggie swallowed the rasinets and smiled, for once her mouth didn't taste like smoke. After all, she had brushed her teeth several times in preparation for this event.

"We'd better be able to do this." Maggie pressed the radio's talk button and made sure to leave it on so that they didn't have to press a button every time they wanted to say something. "Leon, is your radio working over there?" Leon was driving, so he really didn't want to bother paying much attention to the radio at the time. That was what Venus, Violet, and Carl were for.

"We're on," Carl's voice responded. "On and connected, how are things in your car?" Maggie smiled and leaned back in her seat. She closed her eyes and munched on another rasinets.

"Not bad at all. These rasinets are _delish,_ Carl." Carl chuckled and gave a quick nod. He had eaten rasinets several times in his lifetime, and every time he did, he enjoyed them pretty well. In fact, he had been the one to suggest Maggie start eating them to take away from her smoke cravings.

"Well I'm glad they seem to be doing the job for you, Maggie. You know, we've all got to do our part today." The relatives all nodded and murmured their agreements. If anything went wrong, anything at all, they weren't going to be happy. "Whatever happens today, we have to cause as _little_ drama as we can." Carl leaned back and glanced in the rearview mirror. He frowned when he spotted the white four door pickup truck behind them. The truck had been there for the last twenty minutes of the drive. "Damn, what is with them? Those girls have been following us all this time."

"Let me see," Violet said as she turned to look back. She could see a young woman, around the same age as Robert driving the car. Beside her was as slightly older woman with blonde hair going to her shoulders. Sitting in the back seat was an even older woman with grey hair. Narrowing her eyes, she recognized the oldest woman as someone she'd seen once before in the far distant past. "What…I think that's John's mother. You know, John Benson…I remember meeting her at my sister's wedding!" Susie blinked and rubbed her chin, trying to remember.

"Yeah, when Sarah married David, John showed up with Emily," Susie said as she lowered her hand. Emily had been married to John at the time Sarah was married. "They brought his mother, Victoria with them…why is she following us?"

"Maybe she's not trying to follow us and she's just been back there for the past fifteen minutes," Morris said while shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't really worrying about them at the moment. "Let's talk about what we're going to do at the reunion and how we're going to create as little stress for Sam as we can." The members of the family all nodded and began thinking about their plan.

"Well we know mom's going to eat those rasinets whenever she starts having a craving," Annie said as she reached forward and grabbed some of the candy. Maggie playfully slapped at Annie's hand as her daughter pulled back.

"Get your own!" Maggie joked. Annie chuckled and pushed a raisin into her mouth. Maggie ate some more and smiled as she closed her eyes, she really did like that plan. The small candy was definitely addicting. "Mm, so good…" Greg rested his elbow out of the open window and glanced over at his mom.

"If Dad starts getting upset over anything, we could always take him into another room and I could play some of my music to calm him down," Greg stated. Morris smiled and Maggie gave a quick nod, Greg's music always helped soothe the man. Morris needed to work on his anger issues and the best way to do that was to find ways to calm him down. "Only, what do we do when we can't simply take him into another room?" The group frowned and tried to think, that could be a tough one. They knew they didn't want Morris getting mad and starting any fights, that would embarrass the hell out of Sam for sure.

"I guess I really am worse than Buzz in that sense," Morris stated while frowning. "Damn it…" He tried to think of what worked, but it was hard to do since not much really got to him. He once started a fight with someone over a football game, someone said they didn't like his team and he got upset. Things just went worse after that. Maggie smiled softly and placed her hand on Morris, he looked over and smiled.

"Don't say that, I don't think either of you are bad at all. You just have some trouble sometimes, but we'll think of something." Morris sighed and glanced ahead, Maggie always did have a calming effect on him. "I'll be with you the entire time, so if someone says anything, I can think of a way to distract your attention. Do you think that'll work?" Morris thought for a moment and nodded, it was probably the best thing they could do for him. Maggie nodded and looked back. "So it's agreed, I'll stay with Morris."

"Everyone should stay with someone," Garth said with a thoughtful glance. He knew that no one should be left alone, or the worse members of the family might be tempted to mess up. "Team effort requires teams…"

"Right…so let's think of our set ups."

"Well you two can stick together, I don't think there would be a problem. As for me, I'll stay with dad. If he gets nervous and starts wanting to take things, I can keep him at bay." Buzz chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. Garth was actually pretty good at making sure he didn't swipe anything.

"Can you handle that job by yourself?" Annie asked with concern. She wasn't sure if Garth could keep Buzz from taking things or not. Of course, she had seen him stop Buzz before, he was pretty harsh when needed, so it was possible that he could handle it on his own. Garth gave a nod and Annie turned her attention to her parents. "Mom, Dad, do you think you need someone with you? Perhaps Greg, just in case…"

"No, I think it'll be fine," Morris replied with full confidence. With Maggie by his side and the strong desire for everything to go perfect for Sam sitting with him, he was positive he wouldn't let his problems get in the way.

"Okay. Greg and I can then handle other things…Besides, Greg has to practice his music." Annie rubbed her chin and looked over at Garth, he needed to practice as well. "Garth, what about you? Will you be able to find time to practice your singing?"

"Yeah, I'll manage," Garth answered. He figured he could pull his dad aside if he had to. "So, we have Aunt Maggie and Uncle Morris together…Dad's with me and you two are together…"

"I'll stick with Carl," Leon said as he shifted his eyes to the rearview mirror. They had moved off of the freeway and started into the country roads, there was only thirty minutes left before they arrived at their destination. The women in the truck was still following them. _"Who the hell are those people? Surely they're not going to the reunion…they're not part of the Davidson family or with us…"_ He shrugged and shifted his eyes back to the road. "I think Carl will be fine on his own, but I'll stay with him. I actually enjoy hearing the stories he's got to tell."

"Oh yeah, I'm planning to tell them some fascinating tales," Carl said with a quick smile. "Here's hoping there are some military men and women there!"

"I'm sure there is, Grandpa," Morris replied. They had a feeling there were probably a lot of military people in the family. Carl would fit right in. "So, Leon's with granddad…Who else?"

"I'll hang out with them," Violet said with a quick smile. She really enjoyed hearing the war stories he had. Not only that, Carl was a treasure trove of experience. Even without the war stories, he had a lot to give in the way of experiences. "Mom, Dad, what are you two going to do?"

"Well if I know Hugh, he'll slip into another room and fall asleep," Susie said while narrowing her eyes slightly. Hugh rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, she really did nag him a lot about that.

"I won't sleep, how about that?" Hugh retorted. Susie sighed and shook her head disbelievingly. She knew him too well. He slept, and was way too lazy for his own good.

"You look like you're starting to fall asleep now," Morris stated while glancing into the rearview mirror. Venus smirked evilly and Morris raised his eyebrows. "She's got an evil smirk on her face..."

"I've got _just_ the thing!" Venus called out. Hugh knew without having to see her, it was the same look she loved to give him. Even in the other car, he could feel her evil grin.

"Why do you scare me every time you look at me like that?"

"Because she's planning something, Dad," Violet answered with a slight snicker. Hugh sighed and closed his eyes.

"Every time you close your eyes for more than five seconds…I'll do something like this!" Venus moved her hands in front of the radio and clapped loudly. Hugh jumped up and his eyes flew open.

"Damn it!" Everyone else laughed as Hugh grumbled and crossed his arms over. It seemed clear who would be pairing up with him. "Great, I got my nagging wife and loud granddaughter…" He rolled his eyes while the others snickered.

"You know you love us, Grandpa!" Venus smiled sweetly at her grandfather. Hugh couldn't help but to smile in response, he did love his family. "So, our teams are all chosen."

"Yes, everyone sticks together," Annie said with a quick nod. She was more of the plan maker in the family. Everyone basically listened to what she had to say, since she was often right most of the time. The moment of truth had come, today the Pucketts planned to shine for the youngest member of the Puckett clan. _Nothing_ could go wrong with their plan.

* * *

Yeah, I had to bump this chapter down because I needed to add in a last minute chapter


	110. Reunion: Meeting the Elders

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

A/N: IMPORTANT: I HAD TO MOVE THIS CHAPTER DOWN IN ORDER TO ADD SOMETHING I HAD STUPIDLY FORGOTTEN, THE BIRTH OF VALERIE'S BABY. GO READ CHAPTER 107, "VALERIE'S LABOR" AND USE CHAPTER 110 (THIS ONE) TO REVIEW IT, SINCE THIS CHAPTER IS THE SAME CHAPTER I UPDATED YESTERDAY. I WILL UPDATE THE NEXT CHAPTER SHORTLY.

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Chapter 109 (Reunion: Meeting the Elders)

Emily glanced into her rearview mirror and smiled as she spotted Sam resting her head on Freddie's shoulder. It may have been an hour drive, but Sam must have been so stressed out that she fell asleep. She'd be awake soon, that much could be said. Robert smiled at her as she turned into a large parking lot. There were several cars there, so that meant all the members had to be there.

"Sam's really been stressed out, I think she'll be glad once this is over," Emily said quietly. Robert nodded as Emily parked in a nearby parking lot. The Pucketts parked their vehicles next to them and watched as the white truck drove to a further off area of the parking lot. Freddie gently nudged Sam and Emily twisted to look back. Sam moaned lightly and slowly opened her eyes. She rubbed her eyes as Emily smiled at her. "Wake up Sam, we're here." Sam smiled and nodded her head, she was ready. "Well, are you ready for this, dear?"

"I'm about as ready as I'm ever going to be," Sam stated as she undid her seatbelt. That small car nap had paid off, she was really relaxed and calm now. "What could possibly happen? I think I'm really going to make a good impression…at least I'm _hoping_ to." Jonah and Valerie smiled at their friends as everyone left the car. They glanced over as the Puckett's exited their vehicles. Morris and Buzz took Carl's wheelchair from the trunk and rolled it around the car. It wasn't his usual motor wheelchair, that one simply wouldn't fit in the trunk. Sam looked at her uncles and leaned against the car. _"Yeah, there shouldn't be a lot of trouble…"_

"This is going to be a great day Sam," Valerie said as she exited the vehicle and patted Sam's shoulder. Jonah exited and smiled as he stepped next to Freddie and Sam. He glanced over at the building and made a small hum noise. It was a large church, it seemed fitting for a large family. Buzz and Morris helped Carl into the wheelchair and looked over at Sam. They were glad to see their niece looking happy and ready, it seemed she was ready to take on anything.

"Let's go in! I'm getting more anxious the longer I stand out here!"

"You're not the only one," Buzz said with a quiet voice. Garth raised his eyebrow and shifted his eyes over to his father.

"Dad," Garth warned. Buzz chuckled nervously and lifted his hands up.

"Hey, it's true. Everyone here is nervous." Garth nodded and glanced over as Violet took the handles of Carl's chair and began pushing him toward the church. Everybody else gathered and began following them. Annie hugged Sam and gave a small squeal of happiness.

"We're all excited, today's the day you're accepted into Freddie's family," Annie stated in a quiet tone. "We're all proud of you, by the way." Sam smiled and nodded her head, she was happy to hear that. She glanced over at Emily and saw that she had a folder and some larger rolls of paper in her hand. They were the papers Sam would need for her presentation. Annie was going to get the portraits she needed later. She had one painting per family group. She actually painted a large portrait of Arian for the man, she felt it was necessary to do as she thought he was a _very_ important and influential member of the family.

As they made their way to the door, they saw an elderly woman standing in front of the doorway. She had the kindest smile and the softest look in her eyes. Her hair was wavy and short. Emily was the first to go up to her, this was her grandfather's sister, Era. She always called her Auntie throughout life, she was one of her favorite relatives. "Auntie!" Emily said as she gently hugged Era. She had to keep in mind, Era was one hundred years old.

"Emily, how are you?" Era asked in a joyous tone. Naturally, she was happy to see her family. Emily stepped back and held her smile.

"I'm doing well." Emily turned around and pointed her hand to Freddie. "This is my son. Next to him is his future wife, Sam. The two standing next to them are their best friends, Jonah and Valerie." Jonah and Valerie smiled and waved, they decided to remain silent. "All of these people are Sam's relatives." Era nodded and looked to Sam, you could see the smile in her eyes.

"I see Freddie has such a beautiful wife."

"That's true," Freddie said as he placed his arm around Sam's waist. She blushed slightly and glanced up at the lady.

"So, you must be the young lady I spoke with over the phone." Sam nodded and stepped forward. She had received help on the family tree from both Era and Arian, as they seemed the most knowledgeable about the family's history. Era shook her hand and pulled back.

"It's great to meet you, I know everyone's looking forward to getting to know you."

"Thank you Miss Era," Sam said while giving a subtle smile. "And thank you for all of your help with the family history."

"You're welcome sweetie, I'm glad to have been of use to you." Era placed her hands together and looked at everyone. "Arian said you called in a little while ago, he was busy so I chose to come out and greet you. Please, come inside!" The large group nodded and followed Era into the church doors. They came upon an older woman with light brown hair, she was in her eighties. She looked over and smiled slightly, but still frowned. She looked like someone who had been through a lot in life. "This is my niece, Zamira."

"Hello," Zamira said while turning toward the large group. "It's good of you to come." She looked over at Robert and smiled slightly. "Emily, is this the man Arian was telling us about? The man who he chose for you thirty years ago?"

"Yes, this is Robert," Emily replied. She put her arms around his arm and smiled. He smiled and waved slightly.

"Hey," Robert stated. "Arian's told us about you." Zamira chuckled and crossed her arms. She was surprised he'd talk about her. Eighty years old and she didn't bother much with her family.

"I'm surprised he says anything at all about me, to be honest," Zamira said while shifting her eyes to the side of the room. She spotted your younger sister, Vera entering.

"Hey Zamira, don't look so down," Vera said while smiling gently. "It's been a long time, you act like you don't want to be around family. I think it's great you're here!"

"You would." Zamira smiled and rolled her eyes. She looked to Sam and patted her shoulder. "Welcome to the family."

"Oh wow, Emily said Freddie had a bride, but she didn't say she was so cute!" Sam blushed and looked away slightly.

"Thanks," Sam responded.

"Oh! Arian's just in the other room, he's waiting for you guys!" Vera glanced over at Zamira and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Hey, April's been looking for you, come on." Zamira nodded and followed Vera out of the room.

"Who is April?" Robert asked while raising his eyebrow. Sam thought to the names and history she memorized, she knew this one!

"April is the daughter of Megan Wilson, the daughter of Zamira," Sam responded. Freddie chuckled lightly and crossed his arms over.

"Impressive," Freddie stated. Sam smiled and followed the group into the next room over. They found Arian talking with a man who was around his age. Arian looked over and smiled.

"Hey, you made it safely I see. This is my brother, Besim." Besim waved in the air and Sam suddenly remembered Besim's granddaughter, Amanda.

"Besim, sir…where is Amanda, do you know?" Sam asked in a quick voice. Besim raised his eyebrow and Sam took a step forward. "I have to talk to her, it's important!"

"I believe Amanda is in the kitchen," Besim replied.

"Thank you!" Sam quickly hurried out of the room. Valerie knew the kitchen was where she needed to go, since she was helping out there, so she followed after. The Puckett family decided to split into their teams and start meeting the family. Sam entered the kitchen area and glanced around. There were two people sitting down at a table, Sam easily recognized the girl as Amanda Becker. She slowly walked forward and stopped when the two glanced over at her. "H-Hi, I'm Sam Puckett…you're Amanda, right?"

"Yeah, that's me," Amanda said while slowly standing up. She smiled and shook Sam's hand. "You seem in a hurry, what's up?"

"I need to apologize for something…but first off, I'm Freddie's bride."

"Oh! Well congratulations, I'm sure you'll be very happy together!" Sam smiled and gave a nod.

"He makes me happy whenever I'm with him. I love him more and more each day."

"Awesome…that's how I feel with Kyle."

"Kyle?"

"My fiancé." Amanda pointed to the boy sitting down. Kyle smiled and stood up from his seat, he was glad to meet Sam. Of course, he was glad to meet anyone in Amanda's family, and soon to be family.

"Hi, it's good to meet you," Kyle stated. "Amanda and I were just stepping out from the large crowd. It can get hectic out there." Valerie walked into the kitchen and glanced around, she had to find the cooks somewhere. Kyle looked over and raised his eyebrow. "Amanda, who is that?"

"No one in my family." Sam looked over at Valerie and laughed once. Valerie walked over and smiled at the group.

"Hey, I'm Sam's best friend, Valerie. Nice to meet you."

"It's good meeting you. Kyle's brother and brother's girlfriend came with us. You should meet them, you'd like them!" Sam wouldn't mind meeting them, after all, they would probably be considered family too.

"Oh, I wanted to apologize for something…I told my friend Carly that Freddie had a wife and I described you…without knowing," Sam said as she turned her head shamefully toward the ground. Amanda blinked and tilted her head to the side, she didn't see what the big deal was. Sam didn't have to be sad about that. "She might have told Tyrone."

"She did." Sam raised her head up and stared at Amanda, her jaw fell with confusion. Amanda sounded so calm and nonchalant about it. "Actually I understand what happened…Tyrone _did_ come visit my family."

"What happened?"

"Uncle Arian was there, he managed to…convince Tyrone to leave us alone." Sam's eyebrows rose and thoughts about how exactly Arian got Tyrone away swirled around in her mind. She figured the how wasn't important, as long as Tyrone left Amanda's family alone.

"So, Tyrone didn't do anything at all?"

"No, we simply told him I wasn't Freddie's bride. I figured his real bride might have said something…"

"I did, and I'm _so_ sorry! It's just my friend has this crush on him and-"

"You don't need to explain." Amanda held her hand up and smiled, she really wasn't bothered by this in the slightest. "I might have done the same basic thing in your situation. Plus, you didn't realize who you were describing, most likely…"

"No, I didn't. So, everything's okay?"

"Yeah, no worries." Amanda gave Sam a hug and stepped back. Sam smiled at the gesture and closed her eyes, she was thankful that Amanda was so accepting. Just then, she heard a familiar voice call out to Kyle. Her eyes shot open and her lips parted slightly. Valerie raised her eyebrow as Sam took a step back.

"No…" Sam turned her head toward one of the doors leading into the kitchen and frowned. Rueben entered the kitchen and was wiping his hands with a towel.

"Hey Kyle, have you seen-" Rueben stopped short when he spotted Sam. His jaw fell and his eyes grew wide. "SAM?!"

"RUEBEN?!" Amanda and Kyle stared on with confusion, had Sam and Ruben met before? Sam was freaking out now, how could Rueben be there? How could he be at the reunion when this wasn't his family at all? Surely he wasn't stalking her, she wasn't about to stick around and find out either.

"Rueben, did I hear you say Sam?" Another familiar voice asked. Sam paled and her eyes widened more. "If it's Sam Puckett, why would she be here? She couldn't possibly-" Just then, Shannon entered the room. She stopped and stared at Sam with wide eyes, shocked and surprised to see that Sam was actually here. "Sam!"

"Not you too! I can't deal with this right now…" Sam quickly turned around and fled the room. She ignored Rueben shouting out for her to wait. This was just too creepy for her. Why was Rueben there? Why was Shannon there? There was no explanation. Sure, if she stayed longer she might have learned, but she needed some time to get over the shock of seeing them at the family gathering.

* * *

Surprise number one, I bet you never expected to see those two again. We'll see what significance they are in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review and make me happy


	111. Reunion: Surprises Begin

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

* * *

Chapter 111 (Reunion: Surprises Begin)

"Sam! Wait!" Rueben shouted out. Shannon winced as Kyle and Amanda glanced over with confusion etched on their face. Rueben sighed and shook his head. "It's a long story, we need to catch up with her before she thinks I'm a creepy stalker or something." Shannon gave a quick nod and ran with Rueben. Amanda and Kyle followed close behind. "Sam, hold up! It's not what you're thinking!"

"I don't want to talk to you right now!" Sam called out as she looked behind her. She was running to find Freddie, that's who she wanted to talk to. She wanted to get away from where Rueben was. On any normal day, she would have shoved him against the wall and demanded to know why he was there and what he was doing, but today was a _really_ bad day for that. If anyone saw her doing something like that, then Freddie's family would look down on her. She ran past a few people and made sure not to push them. "Excuse me, sorry, coming through! I'm looking for Freddie…"

"Did she just say Freddie?" Shannon asked while panting. They weren't running very fast, but it was still enough to cause her breath to shorten. Rueben nodded in response to her question, he was confused as well. He didn't know any of the Davidson relatives, so he couldn't tell if Freddie was related to them or not. He surely didn't think that was the case. If he was, what exactly was Sam doing here? Both he and Shannon still had their suspicions that Freddie and Sam were together, but they had never figured it out. Rueben turned his head to Kyle and Amanda, looking for an explanation.

"From what I remember," Kyle said while huffing slightly. He had done like Sam and learned all of the relative names, but he wasn't exactly presenting the family history. There was no reason to do that when Sam was doing it. "I believe Freddie is the grandson of Besim's brother, Arian." Rueben raised his eyebrows and stared ahead, making sure to keep pace with Sam. "In any case, like Amanda, he too has to announce his spouse today." Shannon's jaw fell and she quickly glanced over at Rueben.

"Rueben, do you think that means-"

"I don't know, but we'll see eventually," Rueben stated. As they rounded the corner, they spotted Jonah leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Standing in front of him was Freddie, and in Freddie's arms was Sam. Reuben and Shannon stopped in their tracks and stared on with wide eyes. What they were seeing was possibly the confirmation of what they had suspected ever since before that triple date. "Sam, Freddie, you two are…together?" Kyle and Amanda were still feeling a bit out of the loop, so they were pretty close to demanding to know what was going on.

"Yeah, Sam's been my chosen wife since I was thirteen," Freddie answered as he held Sam close in his arms. "September 27th, 2008 was the day of selection…" He sighed softly and turned his head to Sam. "I'm sure they have a valid reason for being here, Sam. I doubt they're stalking us." Sam chuckled nervously and stepped back slightly, Freddie did have a point. It still didn't take away from the creep out factor. Freddie looked back to Rueben and smiled. "She was a bit creeped out by the fact that you were here…I'm sure you've got a good reason. After all, only family or friends of family know about this reunion…"

"Yeah, I had a feeling she might be creeped out about that." Rueben chuckled and crossed his arms over, he turned his head toward Kyle and smiled. "By the way, we'll let you in. A little over a year ago, almost two years, Shannon and I had some crushes on these two. We even went on some triple date with them…when Gibby actually liked Shannon and wanted to date her." Rueben scoffed and slowly closed his eyes. "Yeah, I wouldn't have been happy with that."

"Well now we know," Amanda said with a slight chuckle. She had been worried about Sam, wondering why she was running from Rueben. She stepped toward Sam and gave her a kind smile. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal," Sam replied. "Although, I still wonder what they're doing here." Rueben rolled his eyes and smirked as he pointed his thumb to Kyle.

"Kyle is my brother," Rueben stated as if it were obvious. Sam paled and then her cheeks turned bright red from embarrassment. It was no wonder that Rueben and Shannon were here, the sibling relation explained everything.

"Why the hell…didn't you just say that…_before_ I embarrassed myself by running off to find Freddie!"

"Well, I thought it might have been obvious."

"No it's not obvious you douche bag!" Rueben laughed and Freddie slowly shook his head. Sam crossed her arms and frowned, she was trying to get over the major embarrassment. "And why the hell are you talking normally now!" Rueben raised his eyebrows up and Shannon gave a small laugh as she walked over to her boyfriend.

"He only talked like that because he was nervous," Shannon said as she placed her head onto Rueben's shoulder.

"If there's anything to thank you for, Sam, it's what you said to me that night," Rueben said with a small smirk. Sam wished she wasn't held accountable for the things said and done on that night, she hadn't exactly been in the right frame of mind.

"I was in a _bad_ mood that night, Rueben. Don't hold me accountable for whatever I told you…" She blinked and thought for a moment, trying to figure out just _what_ she told him. She didn't even think she had said any real words. "I just made up words and you got upset…so _what_ did I say to you, anyway?"

"You don't want to know." Sam's eyebrows rose in surprise, she wouldn't be pursuing that anymore.

"You know, we had been contemplating setting you two up back then," Freddie stated. He rubbed his chin and a smile formed at his lips. "It seems we didn't have to do that, since you two got together on your own."

"Well it was sort of because of you two that we got together," Shannon replied as she tangled her arm with Rueben's. "After I left, I saw Rueben sitting against the wall. He seemed to be cursing himself, so I went over to talk to him about what had happened…we talked for a while, then he asked me out, and he didn't say one odd word the entire time."

"After what you said to me, I felt it was about time to stop being so strange when I was talking. I figured it wasn't helping me in any way, so I just sucked up my nerves and asked Shannon out…ignoring the fact that I had a friend who liked her." It hadn't been too hard after that, Gibby basically got over Shannon that night, figuring he'd never get her then. "Back then, I had a massive crush on Shannon…more so than you, Sam." That news pleased Sam greatly, she didn't want him liking her as anything more than a simple friend. "Ever since we started dating, it's like nothing else even matters anymore."

"I know what you mean by that," Freddie said as he took Sam's hand in his. She smiled as he gently kissed her cheek. Shannon gave a small squeal that sounded like a squeal of triumph. Freddie and Sam raised their eyebrows as Shannon smirked toward them.

"We knew you two were together, you had to be!" Shannon quickly stated. Freddie and Sam gave each other quick glances, they were unsure of how Shannon and Rueben could have figured it out. If they figured it out, then who else could have figured it out? Carly still hadn't, she was clueless. Tyrone hadn't figured it out either, or else he would have attacked them by now. "I mean, it wasn't like it was obvious or anything, we just sort of suspected it from how you two looked at each other once…"

"Oh, I guess you can see some small hints here and there," Sam replied as she shifted her eyes to the left. She really did hope it wasn't dead obvious to anyone else, that would be a major problem if it was.

"Then I remember seeing Freddie walk out with some lipstick on his face." Freddie's face grew red as he remembered the moment. He had forgotten to wipe off Sam's lipstick for a brief moment. That meant anyone could have seen that he was with _someone_. "Then how you were acting at the date…we put two and two together then figured that you must have been dating!"

"They came and asked us about it," Kyle said as he leaned against the wall. When they asked them about it, Amanda suggested the possibility that they were keeping the relationship secret, as she had been doing with Kyle. They didn't want Tyrone figuring them out, either. "We told them to just keep quiet about it, we didn't want Tyrone bothering you." Kyle smiled lightly and pointed his thumb to Amanda. "She knew Freddie was her cousin in a way, so that's why she felt you two were possibly keeping your relationship secret…you didn't want Tyrone discovering."

"Yeah, well he won't be discovering anything at all," Freddie replied. "I would sooner die than let him threaten Sam." Kyle nodded in agreement, that was pretty much how he felt about Amanda.

"Though we were surprised to be the first Davidson relatives learning about you two," Amanda said with a soft chuckle. When her mom selected Kyle as her future husband, they immediately told their relatives. Amanda had asked her mom if anyone said anything about Freddie's spouse being chosen, but nobody said a word. "When I asked, everybody kept saying they never heard from Emily…"

"Yeah, we had some things keeping us from being able to tell anybody. I think it will change soon…maybe. Here's hoping that something happens and Tyrone manages to leave us the hell alone." Amanda gave a quick nod and Jonah pushed himself from the wall, he wanted to go see Valerie.

"Val's in the kitchen, right?" Jonah asked as he glanced over at Sam. Sam nodded and Jonah gave a smile. "Thanks!"

"She might not want to be bothered right now," Sam warned. Jonah chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

"I always bother her when she's cooking…" Sam laughed as Jonah walked away. She knew very well that it wouldn't be long before Jonah returned and tells them how Valerie got annoyed with him.

"He'll be back soon." Sam crossed her arms and smiled politely. "So, what do you say we all go and get to know each other? I mean no major events are going to happen just yet…" Just then, Arian's voice rang out on the speakers.

"Everyone meet in the church's main foyer, it's time to get this family gathering started."

"Aw man, well I guess we'll talk more after this first announcement." Sam knew she had some time before she needed to worry about giving her presentation, this first meeting was just going to be the welcoming. Everybody walked into the auditorium of the church and sat in the various seats. On the stage stood the elder members of the family, Arian, Zamira, Besim, Vera, and Era. After a few minutes, people had stopped entering and it was then that Sam saw just how large the family really was. She knew from all the names that they were extensive, but she hadn't actually _seen_ them all. The nervous feeling inside of her began to creep up once more, so she tried with all her effort to keep it down.

"Welcome to the Davidson reunion of 2011, I believe that's basically been said…we've got some great events all planned out for you today, but all of them will be after noon. At noon will be when we have lunch, we have some fantastic chefs that will be cooking the meals. After lunch, we will announce new family members, and we do have a good handful." As Arian and his siblings all welcomed the relatives one by one, Sam's nervous feeling seemed to dissipate. The more the 'pillars' of the family, as she called them spoke, the more it seemed to her that everything was going to be fine. She was eagerly awaiting the rest of the day.

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I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Seems Rueben is the brother of the man marrying Amanda. Well stick around for the next chapter! If you thought Rueben and Shannon was a big shock, just wait till you see the REAL shockers


	112. Reunion: On the Hunt

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

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Chapter 111 (Reunion: On the Hunt)

After the welcome announcement, the three women that had been in the truck were standing around and discussing some important topics. The youngest woman was the same age as Robert Shay, born in 1967. She had brown hair that went down slightly past her shoulders and she looked much younger than her actual age. The eldest woman, Veronica Benson, had grey hair that was up in curls. The woman next to them was around the same age as Veronica, but had blonde hair going slightly past her chin.

These girls weren't dangerous in the slightest bit, they were just looking around for something important. "So, somewhere in this large crowd, we're going to find him," The blonde woman said in a quiet and slightly disbelieving tone of voice. There had to be nearly one hundred people in the building. If anything, it wasn't going to be easy sifting through the masses. "Not only that, how do you expect to find him? I haven't seen him in years, I don't even know all that much on what he looks like…"

"He looks like Elaine," Veronica stated while pointing toward the younger woman. "It's not that hard to figure out. Though I do see your point about finding one person among the many, Angeline…" Elaine was searching the room with her eyes, trying to sift through every person she could find. She shifted her eyes over to Angeline and Veronica then back among the crowd. They saw the person they were looking for once before, during the welcoming speech, but then they lost him. "Either way, we'll find him around here somewhere."

"Let's try in this room," Elaine said while walking toward another room. The trio entered and spotted Carl talking to some people about his days in the war. They would have stayed to listen, but they were too busy to waste any time. Besides, it wasn't all that interesting to Elaine. "One hundred year old man telling war stories…how appropriate." She sighed and glanced over at the other women. "He's not in this room, let's look elsewhere!" Angeline and Veronica nodded their heads and followed Elaine out. The young woman seemed real determined to find the person she was looking for, her eyes were even watering. "This is the closest I've ever gotten to him, and after three years of searching…I don't want to lose him again."

"We'll find him Elaine, don't worry." They spotted Era walking with her great granddaughter, Kendal Ford. Kendal was living with Era since both of her parents and grandparents were deceased. Her parents died early and she moved in with Era when she was only eight years old, she was now twenty one, born in 1990. She chose to go about finding a spouse the usual way, not through arranged marriage. Era was just fine with that. "In fact, why don't we ask those two if they've seen him anywhere? Could it hurt?"

"Nah, it couldn't hurt." Elaine moved over to Era and smiled. The two women looked at Elaine and returned her smile. "Hey, I'm wondering if you've seen Robert er…_Shay_ around here anywhere?"

"He's here, but I'm not sure what room he's in, exactly," Era responded while rubbing her chin. She had just seen him a few minutes ago, so he could still be in the art room. It wasn't really an _art_ room so much as it was where Annie was opening her portrait stand. "I know he was just helping Annie Puckett set up her painting booth…she has paintings for members of the family."

"Yeah, it's going to be down that hall and to the right," Kendal said as she pointed to a hallway. "Once you turn right, it'll be the first door you see, you can't miss it."

"Thank you!" Elaine smiled and her eyes brightened, she was going to find him! She was finally going to meet him, after all these years. She rushed over to Veronica and Angeline, smiling brightly. "He's probably in the room with one of Sam's relatives! Come on, let's hurry!" The three women hurried down the hall and opened the door, they spotted only Annie and Greg, setting the paintings carefully along the wall. The two stopped and glanced over at the three older women.

"Hello, is there something we can help you with?" Annie asked in a kind voice. She wasn't sure who these people were. She had photos of all the Davidson relatives, but she hadn't seen any of these ladies. "I'm Annie Puckett and this is my brother, Greg." Greg smiled and waved his hand in the air.

"I'm Elaine Hudson…or you could get my birth name if you wanted." Elaine sighed and closed her eyes, she wasn't going to give up on finding Robert. If it took any longer though, she might get upset. "I'm looking for Robert Shay, have you seen him _anywhere_? We were just told he was in here."

"He was here a little while ago," Greg said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Right now, we're not entirely sure where he is. I thought he said he was going to talk to the kids of Zamira Davidson. They're a nice bunch. You know, I think there are a _lot_ of Davidson family secrets roaming around, it's great for Sam!"

"Yeah, thanks…do you know where they are at?"

"Sure, they're probably in the main foyer," Annie said with a nod of her head.

"Thanks!" The three women once more rushed out of the room and headed into the foyer. They spotted five people, but not Robert. Angeline and Veronica both sighed in frustration, but they weren't about to give up. They were equally determined to find Robert as Elaine. "Zamira's children, they all look nice…" Elaine pointed and counted the children off. "That's the oldest, Megan. The one next to her is her twin brother, George. The talking to them is the next child in line, Dennis…and the two women talking over there to the right are Terry and Amy."

"You've researched them?" Veronica asked as she raised a surprised eyebrow. Elaine nodded and smiled briefly.

"Yeah, and I've always wanted to know why Terry chose to never have a child…" Elaine walked over to Terry and Amy, smiled and waved. "Hi, how are you?" The women looked over and smiled politely.

"Hello, I'm Terry Adams, Wilson's my maiden name. This is my baby sister, Amy." Amy smiled and shook Elaine's hand.

"Can we help you with something?" Amy asked.

"Yes, but first…I've always wanted to know, if it's not rude to ask, but…how come you decided to never have a child, Terry?" Terry frowned and shrugged her shoulders.

"My husband is a mean person, I decided to never have a child that had to suffer his anger." Elaine frowned and slowly shook her head, that was truly a pity. Why would someone be so cruel? It just wasn't right, or _fair._ "Nobody except my sister knows, though…I fear they'd try to intervene. I do still love my husband."

"Yeah, but you really should get rid of him, he's responsible for my son's death and you know that…" Terry sighed and nodded her head. In a way, her husband had been responsible.

"I know, and I'm sorry Amy…" Brian Andrews was eighteen years old when he died, nobody in the family knew the circumstances of his death, but Amy and Terry did. Brian and Ryan Adams had gotten into a fight. Angered, Ryan went to Tyrone and said that Brian was going to get married to his arranged spouse. Then one of Tyrone's men came along and murdered Brian. Both Terry and Amy had figured it out, and when they confronted Brian about it, he said he'd been drunk at the time.

"I don't believe he was drunk at all." Elaine blinked and rubbed the back of her neck, she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the story or not. Apparently, they were hiding something. Amy and Terry smiled and looked to Elaine with friendly looks. "There are a _lot_ of secrets that mom's family has."

"I bet, aren't there usually a lot of family secrets?" Elaine replied. Terry and Amy chuckled and nodded their heads. "Do you know how Dennis's wife and son died?" Terry and Amy stared at Elaine with cold faces, it wasn't a subject they enjoyed talking about. Elaine swallowed and chuckled nervously, it scared her a bit to see two very friendly women with such frightful appearances.

"It was a car accident, but we don't like talking too much about it," Amy replied coldly. The truth of the matter was that Amy didn't like Dennis's wife very well at all. Long ago, in the year 2001, both the man's wife and daughter were mysteriously run off the road and into a nearby lake. Terry found out, but Amy told her to keep quiet about it.

"They drove off the side of a road and hit a lake," Terry said as she crossed her arms. Elaine blinked and chuckled once, that was a shock to her. "Is there anything else we can help you with?"

"Yeah…do you know where Robert Shay is?" Terry and Amy smiled their friendly faces once more and nodded their heads. They didn't know exactly, but they knew where he had told them he was going.

"Well not exactly, but we think he said he was going into the room where Agim's family is remembered. The room is just to the left and straight down the hall. It'd be good to be silent, since that is actually respectful."

"Right, we'll keep that in mind, and thank you!" The two women nodded their heads as the others left the room. Elaine swallowed and shuddered. "Is it just me, or was that situation very nerve wracking?"

"I felt a little odd," Angeline said as she rubbed her hand. "I mean once you mentioned Dennis's family, their faces just went…ouch…" Veronica nodded and looked toward the foyer doors.

"I wonder what other secrets are hidden in the Davidson family," Veronica said in a quiet voice. "Probably not many…" No one could really tell, but they had their ideas. The three women just figured Terry and Amy grew cold because nobody ever likes having to talk about deceased relatives, especially ones who died early and mysteriously.

"I think the majority of the secrets lie with Zamira's family." Elaine wasn't paying much attention, since she had other things on her mind. They reached a door that seemed a bit fancier than most other doors, it was good for a memorial room.

"I hope he's in here…but also, let's take some time to remember Agim's family," Elaine said as she placed her hand on the doorknob. They knew what had happened to Agim, and they cursed Tyrone for it. "And if you're so interested in Zamira's family, did you know that her son George lost his wife…she died at the age of twenty eight or twenty nine. Except, I think she drowned in a pool."

"Oh, that's horrible!" Elaine nodded and opened the door. As they entered, they made note of the pictures and the soft music being played. There were pictures and paintings of Agim, his wife, his son and daughter in law, and his grandson. All except the wife died in 2000, Agim's wife died in 1997.

"It's horrible what happened to them," Angeline said in a quiet voice. The three women moved about the room in silence, taking in the warm but sad atmosphere of the room. How could_ anyone_ be so cruel as to eradicate a whole branch of a family? The idea of the notion was too absurd to think about. Veronica and Angeline had tears in their eyes as they read a small memorial on a podium in front of Agim's portrait.

"This is telling the story of Agim's life and of his family," Veronica stated. Elaine looked over and slowly walked toward the two women. She read the memorial and frowned. Agim had lived a great life. He was the only one in the family to not have been able to go to college, but still he had a good life. He made something for himself and had started his own successful business in the late 1960's. That business was now thriving and was being run by Besim's eldest daughter's husband. It spoke of the tragedy of Agim's daughter's death at only seventeen years of age.

"Such tragedy befell a great man," Elaine said as she wiped her eyes. "It makes me angry to think that someone would kill this man…kill his family…only because they didn't like his culture."

"I know, it's so wrong…I mean, god…" The three women stayed for a little longer, then decided it was time to leave and continue their search for Robert. Just as they stepped outside, they saw Robert heading in their direction. Emily, Sam, Freddie, and Jonah were with him. He had been at the room by himself before, he left to go get Emily and bring her over. Both groups stopped and stared at each other with wide eyes.

"Robert…"

"Whoa, I think I just saw Robert as a female," Freddie said while rubbing his eyes. Robert's jaw fell and his eyes remained focused on Elaine. Emily was staring at Veronica and wondering why John's mother was here. Freddie recognized his grandmother, but that was about it. "Grandma Benson…what are you doing here?"

"This is your grandmother?" Sam asked while glancing over at Freddie. Veronica smiled and nodded her head.

"Yes, I'm his grandmother," Veronica said in a quiet voice. Angeline smiled and waved her hand in the air.

"I'm Angeline Shay." The eyes of Robert and Emily seemed to grow even more, they had always thought Angeline was _dead._ Angeline and Veronica placed their hands on Elaine's shoulders and sighed. "And this is Elaine Hudson…"

"Robert," Elaine began. Everyone looked to her as she took a step forward, her eyes brimming with fresh tears and her lips curling into a small smile. "I am your sister."

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Well this is a shock. Stick around for the next chapter. Hope you liked this one, review ^_^


	113. Reunion: Robert's True Family

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

* * *

Chapter 112 (Reunion: Robert's True Family)

"Wait, what?!" Robert exclaimed in shock. The others with him didn't know what to say, they were struck with confusion as well. Maybe they heard wrong, but they were sure they just heard Elaine say that she was Robert's sister. "I mean, you _look_ like me, but…your name is even different!" Elaine let out a small sigh and crossed her arms, they needed a quiet place to discuss this.

"Is there any room quiet enough to talk about this?" Elaine asked as a frown graced her face. Basically every room was filled with people, so the only room quiet enough was actually Agim's room. It seemed odd to do it in, but that was the room they would have to enter. "Here, let's go into the memorial room…it's quiet, we just need to be quiet while talking." The group nodded and everyone moved into the silent room. There was a three seat couch, two chairs propped up against each of the side walls, and one chair on either side of the couch. Jonah and Freddie leaned against the walls as the rest sat down in the seats.

"Okay, I don't understand this…_how_ can you be my sister? I never even knew I had one. Not only that, but…" Robert looked over at Angeline and paused, unsure of what to say to her. "You say you're my mother, but…I am pretty sure dad always told me you were dead." Emily nodded in agreement. Angeline being dead was what she had always heard. It seemed pretty odd that the woman was still among the _living_. Sam, Freddie, and Jonah decided it was best to remain silent, as nobody really felt they had the right words to say.

"First of all," Angeline started. She closed her eyes and crossed her arms. "You shouldn't refer to that bastard as your father." Robert raised his eyebrow as both Veronica and Elaine shifted their eyes downward. "He was the _furthest_ thing from a father that you ever had. I'm sorry you were subjected to him all your life." Robert was dumbfounded, his mother was speaking as if Tyrone wasn't ever his father to begin with. "Secondly, I never _died_. I divorced your father and tried to win custody of you…but it didn't work out as planned." She exhaled slowly and her face tightened. "Your father had loyal people to him in that court…he won custody."

"And he told me you were dead…it doesn't explain _why_ you never visited!" Angeline's hands clenched on her legs and her face grew angry. It had been Tyrone again. Tyrone had made it so she could never see her son. It was horrible. Every time she wanted to see him, she wasn't allowed. Tears welled up in her eyes and she quickly wiped them away, not wanting anyone to see her crying.

"That bastard filed a restraining order and hired several of his thugs to keep me away from you. He was a violent and vicious man, he didn't want me anywhere near you for fear of 'tainting' you or something. And for god sake, _you weren't even his son!"_ Robert's eyes widened and Emily's jaw fell. Everyone else in the room, except for Veronica and Elaine, were now staring at Angeline as if some great event had just happened and they missed it. Nobody could speak, they were far too shocked. _Tyrone wasn't his father_, but how could that be? Robert always thought he _was_ his father.

"Did you just say…Tyrone's not my…not my…" Robert shook his head and wondered what he should think. He knew he'd be jumping for joy if Tyrone wasn't actually his father, but this was just too confusing. He took a moment to breathe, but how could you calm yourself if something you knew to be true for forty four years just became _false_? Not only that, but if Tyrone wasn't his father, then _who_ was his father? What was his last name? Where was his real father? "Tyrone isn't my father?" Angeline slowly nodded her head and sighed.

"Neither am I your birth mother." Robert was struck silent once more. This didn't make any sense. Who were his real parents? Where were they now? Why did they give him away? Could he find them? These thoughts and so much more were running rampant through his mind. Emily took his hand in hers, hoping it would provide some comfort, if any. It helped, he was glad to have her next to him. "You see, Tyrone...is the product of rape, and I was barren all my life. Tyrone didn't think that he, a child of rape, should _ever_ help produce a child of his own…so our only option was adoption."

"Tyrone is the…" Robert chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, still unsure of what to say. "I'm sorry, you said Tyrone is the product of _rape_?" Angeline slowly nodded her head and continued looking into Robert's eyes. Tyrone had never coped with his origins, he never even met his real mother. Of course, it was because his father took him from her. "So, has he ever actually met his father?" Angeline nodded her head and crossed her legs over.

"It was his mother he never met. His father took him from her."

"What kind of bastard…"

"I don't know. I do know that I've been trying to find you for years, as has your sister Elaine." Now it was Elaine's turn to speak. Everyone looked over at her as she lifted her head off of the hand it had been resting on. She smiled softly and placed her hands in her lap. This was probably the greatest moment of her life, finally being able to meet her brother. Not only that, but he was her twin brother.

"I knew I had been adopted, but I never knew I had a brother," Elaine said with a quiet tone of voice. "In fact, we're twins…" Robert blinked in surprise and opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He had a twin sister. This was very shocking for him. "All my life, my adopted parents never told me…my adopted father passed away in 1998 and his wife passed on in 2008. Her final words to me were all about you." She had told Elaine that she had been unable to care for two children, therefore Robert was adopted a second time. She wanted Elaine to find him. "I've been searching for you since then…and it led me directly to your third mom and your birth mom."

"My birth mother?" Robert asked with a small smile. That must have meant his real mom was alive somewhere, she had to be! He could find her, he could ask her why she didn't keep him. Not only that, but he had a twin sister, which was amazing as well. "My birth mother is alive somewhere…I can find her." Elaine laughed and Veronica gave a smile. It wouldn't be hard for him to find her, not at all.

"Yeah well…I'll let you ask _mom,_ our real mother about that yourself. I just want to tell you that the reason you were adopted again, adopted away from me…it was because our second family thought they were prepared, but they were not financially able to take care of both of us. They gave you to Tyrone and Angeline…I wish they hadn't." Angeline nodded in agreement. While she loved to care for Robert in the years that she had, she hated that he had to be under the care of Tyrone. "I think had she had her desire, she might have brought us together again."

"I would have," Angeline replied. "I would have done everything in my power to do that. I'm sorry Robert…sorry that I never was able to stay in your life." Robert shook his head and smiled, he couldn't possibly be angry with her. Emily wouldn't ask that he be angry, either. After all, she knew what it was like to have a son taken away from its mother.

"It's okay, you weren't at fault," Robert said with a small smile. "I'm just glad to have found you again! Not only that, but the fact that Tyrone's not my dad…is actually sort of a pleasant surprise." Just then, the door opened and Spencer walked in with Sasha and Lisa. They stopped and spotted the family, they hadn't expected to see them.

"Mom?" Lisa asked while raising her eyebrows. She hadn't seen her mother in a long time, so this was definitely a nice moment. "Mom, what are you doing here?" Veronica looked over and smiled as she stood up. She quickly hugged Lisa and looked into her eyes.

"Well, we were just searching for Robert over here, I think Spencer's going to want to hear this," Veronica said with a subtle nod. "You also."

"Why me?"

"You'll see…" Spencer raised his eyebrow and looked over at Robert. It seemed that Robert was pretty shaken, but it didn't seem that anything _bad_ was going on. Robert looked over at Spencer and gave a very subtle smile.

"Hey Son," Robert said in a quiet tone. "I have something to tell you…" Spencer nodded and crossed his arms, eager to hear. They had really come to pay respects to Agim and his family, but now their mind seemed to be on something else. "Tyrone…isn't your grandfather…" Spencer's eyes widened and he looked as though he had just been gutted. This was a big surprise to him, though he _had_ always wondered why he was nothing like Tyrone.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No…I was adopted by him…He's not even my father. Oh, and this woman here…" Robert pointed to Elaine and smiled briskly. "Is your aunt, my twin sister. Elaine."

"Wow dad this is…um…a _lot_ to take in." Robert nodded and took a deep breath.

"It's tough to just find out, isn't it?" Sasha asked with a soft chuckle. The group looked over as Sasha crossed her arms. "I was adopted, right mom?" Lisa nodded and smiled only slightly. "Lisa was unable to have children, so she adopted me. I've met both my birth parents, they're really nice people."

"That's great," Robert said with a smile. "Now if only I knew mine…"

"I'm right here," Veronica said. Robert's eyes widened considerably and Marissa did a double take. Everyone looked over at Veronica and stared on with shocked expressions.

"Wha…what do you mean?" Lisa asked while taking a slight step forward. "Mom, you've never told us about having other children…I thought it was just John and I…" Veronica bit her lip and looked toward the ground.

"I know, but Henry and I had been far too embarrassed to tell you."

"Embarrassed?! We had a sibling…_two_ siblings and you never told us!" Robert didn't know what to say, and apparently, neither did anyone else. Even Freddie was stunned into silence. Sam swallowed hard, figuring that this was a lot more drama than she even thought was going to happen at this reunion. "I don't get it mom, how could you never tell us? Why would you? Not only that, but…why did you put them Elaine and Robert up for adoption!" Veronica shifted her eyes to the side and slowly exhaled, preparing herself.

"I wanted to tell you after time. We never found the right opportunity though…when John died, it was too devastating…I never knew the right time, until Angeline and Elaine showed up at my door. Then I knew, I _knew_ I needed to tell you." Veronica looked up and her body began to shake. No one dared to speak a word, only listen as she spoke and let the tears escape her eyes. "We had two children already, and then when we had Robert and Elaine…we wanted to keep them, we loved them. But financially, and several other issues that were going on…we were unable to take care of them. We were going to adopt them back into the family, but by the time we could…we had no way of knowing where they were or how to find them."

"I don't understand," Spencer said with a quiet voice. He was shocked, this meant that Robert was John's brother. Not only that, but Lisa too. That wasn't the odd thing, the odd thing was that it made Sasha his cousin. "Sasha is…Sasha…my wife is my…" Spencer swallowed and Sasha rolled her eyes. She smiled lightly and took his hand in hers.

"Spencer, I was _adopted_," Sasha said with a reassuring voice. "I'm _not_ your cousin. Not by blood at all. You met my real parents at the wedding, they thought you were great. I'm your wife, I'm your lover, and I'm related to you _only_ by marriage to you." Spencer took a moment to take that in, but he got the gist of it. He smiled and briskly kissed Sasha, he could live with that. "Okay, you feel better sweetie?"

"Yeah, I do…" Lisa and Roger both took deep breaths and attempted to take everything in on their own. It was hard, but they would get used to it. Roger shook his head and smiled.

"I don't know about you, but I for one am glad for what I've just learned," Robert said as he glanced to Veronica and Elaine. "I mean, I've got two sisters apparently…a great fiancé, and I know who my real mother is. I'm happy. I don't see how any of this could be a bad thing. I mean hell, Tyrone isn't even my real father! Now just one thing, how did you guys know that I'd be here?"

"I knew the Davidson family was having a reunion since someone invited me," Veronica replied as she crossed her arms. She had been invited because of John's relation. It was actually Arian that invited her to come. "I also was informed about each spousal announcement…that included your name." She smiled and Robert gave a quick nod. She remembered being extremely happy to see his name on that sheet. She immediately rushed over to Elaine and Angeline, then they made their way to the reunion. "Angeline and Elaine were with me at the time, we had been searching for you…so this was great news."

"Well I'm glad we're all together then." Veronica chuckled lightly and tilted her head, a smirk formed at her lips.

"You know, I hear that in arranged marriage…when the man dies, his brother is often required to marry that man's wife. It looks like that'll be happening." Robert blushed and Emily chuckled. It was true, that was happening for her. "Now I just want to say that I'm sorry I never got to see my other grandson!" Spencer smiled as Veronica walked over and hugged him. Angeline had told her the circumstances of Spencer's birth. It was Tyrone that informed _her_ about it.

"You know what?" Sam asked as she heaved a heavy sigh. She was growing weary of all that was going on, she wasn't sure just how many more surprises she could handle. Here she, and even her family expected the Pucketts to be the ones stirring up all the drama, not every other person! The group looked to her as she slowly stood up. "I can't believe how many secrets there are in the Davidson family…too many…" And she would know, she had to research the family history. There were some parts that were not going to be said by her, some things that she just couldn't say because it was too much to reveal. "I need to prepare for my presentation…my family is so getting an award today if they don't add any extra stress." Everyone laughed and Sam made her way out of the room. "Are there any _other_ surprises?!"

"Not that I know of," Elaine said with a slight chuckle. Veronica and Angeline shook her head and smiled. Everyone exited the room and made their way through the church. Sure, there wouldn't be anything else for that little group. Yet some of the biggest shockers hadn't been revealed at all. Sam had been told by Era that she would be revealing something huge later on. Not only that, but Zamira did say she would reveal who her second husband was. Even some of Zamira's kids would be revealing secrets and surprises of their own. Carlos would probably be revealing the reason why he had never married. Surely, there would be a lot of shock to go around on this day. The Pucketts were in for the biggest shock of their lives, that _they_ were not the cause of any drama for once. Especially with the major shock of all, the one that Era would be revealing about her sister, Drita.

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter


	114. Reunion: Relaxing break

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

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Chapter 114 (Reunion: Relaxing Break)

Finally lunch had come along, it seemed things were calming down for Sam. She didn't know how much she could take before the presentation and food was just what she needed to calm her nerves down. She was about to sit down when Freddie grabbed her plate and smirked. "Freddie, what are you doing?" Sam asked with narrow eyes. Freddie laughed and moved his head to the side, gesturing for her to follow him.

Sam sighed and followed Freddie out of the lunch room and out of the church. He walked with Sam over to the side of the building and sat against the wall. "I figure if we're gone for a little bit then they won't miss us," Freddie stated as Sam sat next to him. He had a point, everyone was basically just eating and talking amongst themselves at the moment. Sam needed a moment to catch her breath since so much had been going on. Freddie could tell just how nervous she was, so that's why he chose to bring her outside and get away from it all.

"Thanks Freddie." Sam took her plate and picked up a small piece of celery. She bit into it and leaned her head against the wall. It felt good to get away from all the insanity inside. Freddie's family was great, but the mysteries and the secrets were just so much for her to bear. She didn't want to have to deal with it all right now. She slowly chewed her food and breathed in, it was definitely a good moment to relax. "It's so stressed right now." Freddie looked over and nodded. He knew how much Sam wanted things to go well, all the extra drama wasn't going to be helping her nerves any.

"Well maybe I can help out with that." Sam smiled and closed her eyes as Freddie leaned over and gently kissed her. "You know, Jonah and Valerie snuck out too…" Sam laughed once and shook her head, she had to figure they might. After all, they were getting some stressful bits as well. "I think they went for a little hike." Sam raised her eyebrows and opened her eyes, a hike sounded pretty fun for the moment.

"Where might that hike be?" Freddie rubbed his chin and glanced over to the right, there was a large rocky mountain like hill in the distance.

"Over there, would you like to go?" Sam smiled and nodded her head. Freddie stood up and held his hand out so he could help Sam up. She grabbed her plate and then grabbed his hand. He carefully pulled her up and snuck a piece of food off of her plate. She rolled her eyes and smiled, she figured she'd let Freddie get away with taking her food that one time. "Well, follow me."

"Lead the way _Captain_!" Freddie laughed and started walking. Sam followed after him and took a bite of her food. "Mm, this is _so_ good! Valerie helping out in the kitchen was worth it." Freddie chuckled and took a bite of his food. He had to agree, the food was delicious. The more they walked, the less the food became. By the time they reached the large hill, their plates were empty. "Okay, is there a trashcan nearby?" Freddie pointed to a small bin and Sam quickly tossed the plates into it. "There, all good…now let's climb!"

"Heh, sounds fun." Freddie looked up and grinned, he was pretty sure there might be a great view at the top. "Well, let's get moving." Freddie rubbed his chin and looked at Sam's legs. It wasn't perverted, he was just concerned because Sam was wearing shorts. He knew Sam didn't mind getting scrapes, if she did, but he thought she might not want to at this particular time. "You know, perhaps it's best if we don't climb…chances are you'll get some scrapes and then go up there in front of everybody during your presentation…" Sam looked down and shrugged her shoulders.

"Please, with all they're worrying about in there…I think me scraping my legs would be the least of all the concerns." Freddie smirked and walked over to her side. He knelt down and quickly patted her leg, causing her to squeal out. "What was that for!"

"Well I'm just checking for softness. They seem pretty tender…" He stood up and smirked as he gazed into her eyes. "I'm not sure I'd want those soft little lady legs of yours to get all scratched up." Sam rolled her eyes and smiled, Freddie was such a dork sometimes. Sam placed her hand onto Freddie's cheek and softly kissed his lips.

"I think my legs are going to be fine. Now let's get moving, shall we?" Freddie laughed once and started up the hill. Sam followed close behind. They would have to watch for things like cactus plants and other things that would be a problem for them. As they made their way up, Sam kept nearly slipping on the tiny rocks and pebbles. She knew one thing was certain, she would be thrilled upon reaching the top of the climb. Until then, she just had to continue on, she wasn't complaining in any way.

"Are you doing all right back there?" Sam looked up to see Freddie smirking at her, she smiled and grabbed his hand.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine. I'm not too sure about you, though." Freddie grabbed a rock as Sam pulled on his arm. She sighed when he didn't move. "Damn it Freddie, you just _had_ to grab that."

"I know you too well my love." Sam laughed and continued the rocky climb. Freddie made his way up and found himself staring at her butt every now and then. Sam knew he was looking that way, but she didn't mind. "Is there some reason you've moved in front of me?"

"Yes, so I can torment you with something that no man can resist, and that's watching my hips shake." Freddie sighed and shook his head. He then had a devious thought. He lifted his hand and curled his fingers forward, smirking slightly. Sam was wondering why he didn't make some joke or response, but she soon figured that out. Freddie grabbed her left butt cheek, causing her to yelp and jump up slightly. "Damn it Freddie!" Freddie laughed and Sam's face grew red. "One day Freddie, one day."

"Whatever you say. Just know that as long as we're together, your buttocks will forever be cute, adorable, and grabbable, or slapable, whichever you prefer." Freddie smirked and climbed past Sam. She couldn't help but to smile at her lover, he was just so adorable, in his own way. She continued climbing and bit her lip as a sneaky thought entered her mind. She lifted her hand and quickly slapped Freddie's butt. "HEY!"

"You do it to me, I can do it to you." Freddie laughed and slowly shook his head. Sam gave him a tight hug and kissed his cheek. "We're almost to the top, I bet I can beat you there!"

"Good luck babe." Sam smirked and quickly took off. Freddie broke into a run after her. Eventually they reached the top. It was all soft grass above. Sam turned around just in time to be tackled to the ground by Freddie. She laughed and felt herself being rolled onto the grass as Freddie flipped himself over her. She stopped laughing and gazed up into his eyes, they were soft and filled with nothing but love for her. "You look so beautiful right here…I'm almost tempted to kiss you."

"You can, there's nothing that's stopping you from doing so." Sam sighed softly and smiled. "I'm kind of happy about what happened earlier. I mean, what a relief…Carly's related to you, so that means she can never have you." Freddie had to admit, he actually liked that fact as well. It was probably the biggest relief to him.

"Yeah, I'm all yours, Sam." Freddie brushed some of Sam's hair back and felt her drape her arms around his neck. She closed her eyes as he carefully lowered himself on top of her. He didn't want to crush her small body beneath him.

His lips met with her soft lips, providing him with the taste of her strawberry chap stick. She deepened the kiss and tightened her grip around Freddie. She slowly untangled her fingers and moved them smoothly across Freddie's back and down his arms. He traced his kisses from her lips and down to her jaw line, then to her neck. She placed her palms on the ground and breathed in sharply. A moan escaped her lips as she exhaled slowly. Freddie moved further down her neck and started playing with the collar of her shirt with the tips of his teeth.

Freddie lifted his head up and looked into Sam's eyes as she opened them. She breathed in and slowly exhaled, not wanting this moment to end. She lifted her hands to the bottom of Freddie's shirt and began to carefully pull it off. Freddie lifted his hands up one at a time, letting his sleeve fall off of his arms. He tossed his shirt aside and continued to gaze into Sam's eyes. She swallowed hard as she gazed at Freddie's shirtless body. The sun hit his skin and caused it to appear as if it were glowing. "Sam? Are you…"

"This is the best I've felt all day, Freddie…I don't want it to end."

"Yeah but…" It was hard for him to resist her, but he knew they should probably start heading back to the reunion. Sam knew it as well, but she couldn't stop herself. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around Freddie's body. She lifted her head up and began to kiss Freddie's lips. As they continued to kiss, they grew less and less aware of their surroundings. They weren't sure how long they were kissing for, but it ended when Freddie's shirt landed right on his face. Both Freddie and Sam stood up quickly and looked over to see Jonah and Valerie staring at them.

"Hey guys…" Sam blushed hard and saw Jonah shaking his head disapprovingly.

"We came up here to get a nice view, walk around a bit and return to this area to find you two making out," Jonah said as he crossed his arms. "I have to say…I'm only a bit disappointed."

"Oh leave them alone," Valerie said with a slight laugh. She wasn't bothered at all. "However you two, we _probably_ should be getting back to the reunion. If not, they're probably going to start looking for us and getting concerned."

"Yeah, let's get moving," Freddie responded. He put his shirt back on and placed his hand on the small of Sam's back. He gently kissed her forehead and smiled. "Well anyway, are you relaxed enough for the rest of the day?" Jonah laughed and Sam kept her blush.

"I think she's about as relaxed as she's going to get, dude," Jonah replied. Sam shot Jonah a look and Valerie gave a quick laugh. It was most likely the wrong time for a joke, but it didn't really matter. The group began walking back down the mountain, each of them believing it had been a very pleasant and nice escape away from the nerve wracking reunion.

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Well, I hope you enjoyed that chapter. They definitely were a bit perverted, haha...leave it to their best friends to stop them before they did anything too much, huh. You'll enjoy the next chapter! Review.


	115. Reunion: Puckett Performers

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

A/N: This chapter has a song in it, I don't own the song. No, Josh Turner does. There are also two monologues, neither of which I own!

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Chapter 114 (Reunion: Puckett Performers)

The four made their way into the cafeteria and found everyone finishing up. Emily walked over to them and raised her eyebrow, she had wondered where they went to, but figured they probably just wanted to escape all the drama for a little bit. "So, did you four have fun?" Emily asked. "What were you up to?" Jonah and Valerie looked to their friends and smirked. Sam blushed like mad and Freddie simply shrugged his shoulders.

"We were on a walk," Freddie replied. "It got a little hot out, so we decided to come back inside." Emily's eyebrows rose and Jonah snickered. Sam narrowed her eyes and stared at him, debating whether or not she should hit him. Jonah must have read her mind, because he stopped snickering and looked away. "We just needed to relax and get away from the family for a bit. Did we miss anything important?" Emily rubbed her chin and looked over at the front of the room, nothing had really happened except for a few games.

"Nah, games were played and prizes given away…but that was about it. You're in time though, the Pucketts are going to do some performing…I believe Greg and Garth." Sam's eyebrows rose and a smile formed on her lips, it would be nice to see what her cousins were going to do. "Come on, come sit with us." The group followed Emily to her table and sat down. Robert, Spencer, Sasha, Lisa, Elaine, Veronica, and Angeline were all there as well. Sam looked over to see Greg and Garth talking to a little four year old girl. It was Stephanie, the same baby that Freddie couldn't get to laugh so long ago. Nowadays, he could get her to laugh whenever. It seemed that Greg and Garth were having some trouble with it, though.

"Hey Freddie, I think my cousins are trying to get Stephanie to laugh, and they're failing miserably," Sam joked. Freddie looked over at the three and chuckled. Sam was right, they _were_ failing miserably. Greg was making some sort of joke or telling some kind of story while Garth flailed his arms and performed other movements. Stephanie merely stared at the two with a blank expression on her face.

"Yeah, they seem to need some help," Freddie said while standing up. He took a pie and walked over. "Hey Greg, Garth, Stephanie, how are you three?"

"This girl won't laugh!" Garth said with a quick voice. "We're doing everything in our power, but she just doesn't laugh." Freddie chuckled and rubbed his chin, wondering which one was going on first.

"Okay, so which of you two will be performing first and which second?"

"Actually I'm going up second," Garth said while raising his hand.

"Okay, and you want Stephanie to laugh?" Garth nodded and Freddie turned to Stephanie. "Stephanie, watch this." The little girl blinked and smiled as Freddie splat Garth in the face with the pie. Sam quickly brought her hand to her mouth and hid a smile as Stephanie began laughing. Garth frowned and sighed as Greg started to laugh.

"Well, I'd better wash this off…" Greg looked over and grinned, it was time for him to go up and perform. Garth walked to the bathroom as Greg hurried to the front. Freddie sat next to Sam and felt her nudge him in the side.

"Why did you do that?" Sam asked with a small smirk.

"I just wanted to help." Sam smiled and slowly shook her head. Greg tapped the microphone to see if it was working. It boomed with his tap, so that meant he was good to go. Everyone looked over and Greg smiled happily.

"Hello, I am Greg Puckett, cousin to Sam Puckett. My cousin Garth will sing for you after I'm done, but right now he's in the process of wiping pie off his face…but hey! He got Stephanie laughing!" Some of the relatives laughed at the statement, others chuckled. "Anyway, I'm going to play the flute for you. The first song is Hava Netze Bamochol, which hails from the Spirit Flute songs…Hava Netze Bamochol means Let us go to the dance. After that is Cantos de Floresta, meaning songs from the Brazilian rainforest. Then I'll perform One night in Hilo. These three songs are on the Spirit Flutes CD which my sister's selling alongside her paintings for everyone. Please enjoy!" Sam smiled and leaned back as her cousin began to play the flute. He did rather well, hitting each note perfectly. He must have practiced quite a bit. It was commendable, really. His songs were so relaxing and so perfect.

It seemed everyone with any tension on their shoulders was just eased into calmness and relaxation when he played his music. He was doing splendid, everyone would want to buy the CD he spoke of. When he finished with his song, the room erupted into a large applause. He thanked them and then waited as Garth walked up to the microphone.

"Hi, I'm Garth…I'd like to thank Freddie for slamming pie into my face…" Garth narrowed his eyes and stared at the wide grinning Freddie. Greg laughed and walked off to his seat. "Anyway, I'm going to sing some songs that I think you'll enjoy. I'd like to start off with a personal request from…the pie thrower." Freddie smirked and held up a thumb. Sam couldn't help but to laugh, yet Garth only rolled his eyes. This is a request for his beautiful and wonderful love…my cousin, Sam!" Sam gasped softly, she _had_ to hear this now. "The song is called Firecracker, sung by Josh Turner."

The music began to play and Freddie draped his arm around Sam's waist. She smiled and started to tap her foot with the music. "When I look into her eyes, it ain't no surprise. Sparks start a flying like the 4th of July! She gets me so hot my heart starts a pumping. When we get to Kissing, there ain't no stopping." Sam blushed and Freddie smirked, that was pretty much the truth. Already, the song seemed to work. Sam playfully smacked Freddie, but it only caused him to kiss her on the cheek. "When it comes to love, she ain't no slacker. My little darling is a _firecracker!_"

"When I light the fuse, I gotta get back quick. You gotta be careful with a dynamite stick. Son of a gun, she's fun to handle and she packs a punch like a roman candle!" Sam was amazed, Freddie picked a song that she happened to love and her cousin was singing it so well. As her eyes drifted to Freddie's family, she found they all seemed to be enjoying it themselves. "She's a pack of black cats in a red paper wrapper. My little darling is a firecracker."

Garth ran through the chorus the second time and started on the second verse. "We might not ought to take a roll in the hay, because we'll burn the barn down one of these days! We're a match made in heaven and it ain't no joke, but I'd sure hate to see it go up in smoke!" Sam giggled at that line because it was probably true. When she and Freddie got to kissing, things got heated. "We got a good thing going and it feels so right! She's a firecracker, she's the light of my life!" Sam kissed Freddie on the cheek and rested her head on his shoulder, she was so happy that Freddie requested a song, even though she hadn't wanted anyone to request Garth to sing something, just that he'd sing what he wanted.

"She goes off with a great big bang! Boy I tell ya, it's a beautiful thing. When she takes off you better hang on tight, she's a blonde bottle rocket in the middle of the night! When she makes love, she's a heart attacker, my little darling is a firecracker!" Leave it to Freddie to choose a song that will make her remember their first night making love. She blushed and playfully shoved Freddie. He on the other hand was _loving_ her reactions to the song.

When Garth finished that song, he decided to run through some other songs. He sang patriotic, he sang rock, he sang country and so much more. Everyone in the reunion was having a blast. This was the third relative of Sam's to make her feel proud and extremely glad that they came along. When Garth finished, it was Sam's cousin Venus and aunt Violet that came up next. "Hello, I'm Sam Puckett's aunt Violet and this is my daughter Venus. We've memorized two monologues that we wish to share with you. My monologue is called from the play by Alice Gerstenburg, it is called Fourteen. I will begin…" Violet walked over to an empty table and started muttering as Venus walked over to her.

"Mom, I want to marry this man, Oliver. I am in love with him," Venus said with a determined nod. Violet appeared to become even more greatly annoyed as she turned to her daughter and put her hands to her hips. The rag in her hand dangled against her thigh.

"I don't have the time to deal with this my dear…"

"Why mom? What's going on? You seemed to have so much fun entertaining the people with the games tonight…you were in such a good mood." Violet scoffed and threw her hands into the air.

"Please! I shall go mad!" Venus raised her eyebrow as Violet threw her rag to the ground. "I'll never entertain again. Never, never…people ought to know whether they're coming or not, but they accept and regret and regret and accept, they drive me wild!" Venus stepped back as Violet began stomping on the rag now lying on the ground. "This is my last dinner party, my _very _last. A fiasco, an utter fiasco! A haphazard crowd-hurried together-when I had planned _everything_ so beautifully! And how shall I seat them? How shall I seat them?" Violet positioned her hands in the air and pointed her fingers forward. "If I put Mr. Tupper here and Mrs. Conley there, then Mrs. Tupper has to sit next to her husband and if I want Mr. Morgan there…Oh! It's impossible! I might as well put their names in a hat and draw them out at random! Never again! I'm through!" Venus chuckled and put up her hand to say something, but she couldn't get a word in edgewise.

"Through with society, with parties, with friends, I wipe my slate clean! They'll miss my entertainments! They'll wish they had been more considerate!" Venus gave a sigh and held her arms out as her mother crossed her arms. "After this, I'm going to live for myself! I'm going to be selfish and hard! And unsociable and drink my liquor myself instead of offering it gratis to the whole town!" Venus sighed once more and watched as Violet picked up the rag and walked to a sink. "I'm through, and through with men like _Oliver Farnsworth!_" Venus's face fell and she held up a finger to try and interrupt, once more, she failed.

"I don't care how rich they are! How influential they are, how _important_ they are! They're _nothing _without courtesy and consideration. 'Business' 'off on train' 'didn't want to come'" Venus rolled her eyes and Violet stared at her daughter. "he didn't want to meet a sweet and pretty girl, didn't want to marry her." She poked her finger into the air at Venus, causing her to jump back. She then began shaking her finger. "Well he's not good enough for you! Don't you marry him! Don't you dare marry him! I won't let you marry him! Do you hear? If you tried to elope or anything like that, I'd break it off. Yes, I would! Oliver Farnsworth will _never_ get recognition from me! He is beneath my notice! I HATE Oliver Farnsworth!"

"But MOM!"

"No buts! End of conversation!" Venus sighed and the two moved over to the microphone. The family applauded and Venus stepped forward.

"Now my monologue is Martha's monologue in the play Charge by Eric Kaiser." Venus cleared her throat and stepped forward. She sighed in a slight dramatic tone and began. "In the beginning, I am mean and greedy and selfish. This is symbolized by three things." Venus held up three fingers and brought one down. "A: There is a half-finished sculpture of an angel in my garage." She brought down a second finger. "B: There is a hungry little boy that sleeps on my doorstep _every_ night that I call the police on!" Sam chuckled and Venus brought down her third finger. "And C: I have a dying father that I haven't talked to in _years!_ Then one day, I see the error of my ways!" Venus shot her hands in an arc form in the air. "I don't know how, I don't know! But I see it! Then…" Venus paused for a moment and gave a tiny smile as she clasped her hands together in front of her chest.

"The song comes on!" She held out her arms and opened her mouth. "And in the three minute duration of this song, I make all of the changes I need to in my life! They are symbolized by…" Once more she held up her fist as though she were shaking it. She brought up one finger. "A: I _finish_ the angel sculpture in my garage, and incidentally it is a masterpiece." She brought up her second finger. "B: I feed the little hungry boy on the porch, I bring him in the home and incidentally he becomes a senator and loves me. And finally!" She brought up her third finger. "C: I call my father and tears stream from our eyes as we tell each other we love one another, and incidentally moments later he dies…but I tell him in time." She nodded and brought her hands on. "And them moments later all is right with the world and this is symbolized by the ambient light that my soul generates…" She clasped her hands together and then began to dramatically act as if she were choking up. She wiped her eyes and shook her head. "Excuse me, excuse me. It's just so dramatic! I do _all that _in the duration of a _three minute song!_ It frustrates me so that I can't change like that. It is amazing how the people whose stories are told by movies, during the duration of one song, can switch their whole life around. I want a dramatic life like that!"

Venus and Violet both bowed as their audience stopped laughing and began to applaud. As time went on, more monologues and plays were performed for the entertainment of the Davidson family. Hugh and Susie performed a short skit for seniors. Buzz, Maggie and Morris did a play that caused everyone to erupt with laughter. Leon actually recited a monologue, it was awesome. In the end, Sam was very proud of her family, they hadn't done one thing wrong yet. They were, as Freddie said, honestly trying to make sure everything ran smoothly for Sam.

Not long after, all of the spouses were being introduced to the family. Sasha was accepted, Robert had been accepted, Ryan had been accepted, and Sam had been accepted. Each spouse had done something. Robert gave a military salute, basically. Sasha had reviewed certain games and gave jokes and commentary. Ryan had learned some sort of dance and danced with Amanda. Now, it was Sam's turn. She was nervous, but she felt she could give her presentation perfectly. She swallowed hard and left her seat, taking all her papers and items with her.

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know I had fun writing it. Took me forever to find two good monologues, and I'm still not sure Violet's was all that good. Next chapter is Sam's presentation, I'm sure you're going to enjoy it.


	116. Reunion: Sam's Presentation

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

* * *

Chapter 115 (Reunion: Sam's Presentation)

Sam stepped up to the stage and set up all her papers, which consisted mostly of the family tree and the report she'd be reading off. Her breathing slowed as she began to try and calm herself down. She could feel everyone's eyes upon her, burning a hole into her body. Never had she had stage fright, especially not when she had done iCarly for nearly three years. Only now, it seemed like the whole world could be made or broken. "Hello…I'm Sam Puckett-Benson. Well not quite Benson, but I will be!" When there was no response, Sam chuckled nervously and ran her hand through her hair.

"Okay, on to my report…" She swallowed and pressed her well typed out report onto the podium. She wanted to make sure _everything_ was done well. She wouldn't allow for any slipups or any mistakes whatsoever, everything needed to be perfect. She could see both Era and Arian in the front row, they had helped mostly. She could see their calm smiles, it was as if they were telling her that she could do it. "I'd like to first off thank Mr. Arian Davidson and his Aunt Era Davidson for helping me on this."

She closed her eyes and slowly exhaled, she couldn't let nervousness get the best of her. She _would_ do this. "This is the Davidson family history, full of mystery and intrigue. Together with Arian and Era, I was able to trace everything as far back to 1789, the birth of Arbor Elira. He lived in the country of India, a beautiful country filled with fantastic culture!" Sam saw that currently the relatives were all smiling, eager to hear. That they accepted her, that was the thing that calmed her. She knew they welcomed her with open arms, no matter what.

"The plan to get married at twenty was there all the way back then, however Arbor didn't want to marry the woman that was chosen for him." Sam frowned and her eyes briskly ran over the words on the page. "He met a sparkling beauty, her name was Besa." Sam described how beautiful she was. The girl was stunning, golden hair flowed down past her waist and how her brilliant opal colored eyes seemed to lull Arbor into a trance. "When they met, it was like _nothing_ could tear them apart…they eloped and waited ten years before having their first child." Sam spoke a little more before she reached the really important aspect. The beginning of life in the US.

"In 1894, under the desire to see more of the world outside of India, Dirdan 'Dan' Davidson took his wife and immigrated to the United States." Sam spoke of how Dirdan wanted to travel more, but his wife wanted to settle down and have a family. He had no choice, and their first child, Birim Davidson was born in 1897.

"Sadly, Dirdan's family had encountered trouble with a vile, disgraceful, deceitful, vicious man named Brandon Shay. This man was so foul and so ignorant…he hated Dirdan for coming to America. He hated Dirdan for the culture he had…at only three years old…Dirdan's first child Birim had been murdered by Brandon Shay." Sam spoke of the death as she remembered hearing it. She felt so much pain for the family at that moment. What kind of man would kill an innocent child the way Brandon had? Birim's body had been found with a wire tightly wrapped around his neck, arms, and legs. His torso was separated from his body and his upper body hung on a pole. There were words etched above him. "Leave the country Davidson, or this will be you."

Sam spoke of the bravery Dirdan had, the ability and strength he had to not succumb to that threat. He wasn't afraid of Brandon, not one bit. He refused to leave the country. He had several bouts with Brandon after that, and had come close to death several times, but still, he pressed on. Brandon was the first and possibly vilest of the Shay family. _"Thank god Tyrone didn't produce children and have someone like him come out…"_

"His second son, born in 1901 was Dalmat Davidson. He married a woman named Ciara Ellison. They wed at twenty, as that custom was still going strong. They never had a child though…" A tear fell from Sam's eye as her hands gripped the podium tightly. She spoke of how Dalmat died of an assumed illness at twenty nine, leaving his pregnant wife behind. Only, a year later, Brandon had returned with his son Devlin. Together, they murdered Ciara. The baby had come from the womb, but was dead.

"Next was Drita Davidson, born in the year 1906. She lived until 1980, but never married nor had children." Sam saw Era's face tighten slightly and frowned, she wondered what the trouble was. She swallowed and let out a small sigh. "Nobody knows why. Era told me that Drita had a great tragedy happen to her, one which nobody in the family knows about." The events surrounding Drita were a mystery indeed. Only Era knew the events that happened, but the question was whether or not she would ever reveal those events. "Next was Edon, but I'd like to get to him in a moment and talk about the woman you all know and love."

Era smiled as Sam began to speak about her, there were nothing but pleasant things to say regarding the woman. There was one tragedy that befell her family, but the Shay's were not behind this one. The eldest of Era's grandchildren had passed on at the age of ten. She had been pedaling on her bicycle when she'd been hit by a speeding vehicle. Sam decided not to touch on too much of that unfortunate event. She didn't want to talk much about the tragedies that befell the family, because she didn't want to anger anyone. "And at 100 years of age, she can still do more than some seventy year olds can! She's a spry lady!" Sam did speak mostly of Era's second granddaughter, and she spoke of all the achievements made by that section of the family. "Currently, Kendal, Era's great granddaughter, lives with Era and takes care of her from day to day. Although, I'm not sure how much she needs that." The relatives laughed and murmured their agreements. While true, Era could use all the help she could get, she could probably still take better care of her than most can.

"Now, on to Edon Davidson. He's the man that's directly linked to my soon to be husband, Freddie Benson. He is Freddie's great grandfather. He was born in 1907 and he died in 1980." Sam spoke of all the positive achievements of Edon and them moved onto his eldest child, Zamira. Upon speaking of Zamira and her family, she couldn't help but notice some tension coming from Zamira's children. When she spoke of Zamira's second and unknown husband, she saw that Zamira had a very distant and saddened expression on her face. "To this day, only she knows anything about the man…"

Since Arian had requested Sam talk about him later on, she immediately moved to Besim. She spoke of all his trials and tests that he'd been through throughout life and how he'd personally stood up to a Shay and won. "When he was only twenty three, he'd squared off with Devlin Shay. The man wanted to take his wife away from him, but Besim wouldn't hear it." Sam smiled as she spoke of his courageous act, she knew Freddie would be the same way for her when it came to Tyrone. "He fought Devlin and fought him hard, he didn't really care that the man was fifty eight at the time. Eventually, Devlin lost the fight and starting from 1961, Devlin always had a little trouble with his back." Sam went on to talk about how Devlin's son in law and grandson owned a thriving business and then how Arian saved Amanda, Besim's other grandchild, from Tyrone Shay's grasp.

"Vera Davidson, she'd lost her husband in 1966 and her son, Carlos had specified no desire to be married." Carlos never explained why he didn't want to marry, and Vera never questioned it.

"Now I wish to discuss Agim Davidson…" Sam spoke of the great tragedy that befell the youngest of Arian's siblings. Sam couldn't help but to shed tears for him. It was sad, horrible the crime that befell Agim and his family. After explaining some on him, she moved to talk about Arian. "Now I'll discuss the current patriarch of the Davidson family, Arian." Sam went on to discuss several positive aspects of Arian's life. He'd done much and been a model brother to his other siblings.

As she went on, she eventually came to Emily. She spoke of how Emily met Robert and then spoke of the news she learned about Robert, how he was not a Shay by blood, which meant he was accepted more. She spoke of how Tyrone tore Spencer away, but after thirty years, Spencer finally met Emily. After that, she spoke of her days with Freddie, how she had to face Carly from day to day and pray that Carly would not steal Freddie away. When she mentioned Carly's mother, Linda, Zamira's face paled considerably. Sam hadn't noticed, nobody really noticed. When she finished, all of the 'pillars' of the family walked up. Era, Arian, Zamira, Vera, and Besim all thanked her and sent her back to their seats. Sam couldn't help but notice some of Zamira's children on the phone and that Vera's son Carlos was missing.

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I hope you liked that chapter, it seems we learned a _little_ more about the Shay family. Next chapter is going to be BIG, you will learn a lot of secrets, so hold on tight. You're going to find things out that you never even imagined possible, even things about Tyrone...and a _very very_ exclusive, dangerous, and not very well known Shay relative. That's all I can reveal, stick around. Review as well ^_^


	117. Reunion: Family Secrets

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

A/N IMPORTANT-Okay, as you all know, I've recently moved my ongoing stories over to my King Nate account, minus GS. I'm only doing one story at a time, so as not to get over 3 ongoing stories at once and risk suffering a burnout from the writing. Please PLEASE if you have not gone over to that account, do so now. Oh, and now enjoy one of the biggest chapters of GREATEST SECRET.

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Chapter 116 (Reunion: Family Secrets)

"Thank you Sam," Arian said with a gentle smile. His siblings nodded and all agreed that Sam impressed them with her knowledge of the family history. Indeed she gave it her best, she even impressed her family with how much work she got through. She sat next to Freddie and felt him lean over and kiss her on the cheek. She'd impressed him as well. "It's not every day someone cares enough to research family history."

"That's true," Zamira said with a subtle nod. "However, she's right about one thing…There are a lot of mysteries, a lot of secrets." Zamira's eyes grew saddened and her siblings glanced over at her. She felt compelled to reveal who her second husband was. And why shouldn't she? After all, it was about time. The man never stuck around long enough for her relatives to even learn about him. Not only that, she never really spoke to her relatives that much, so they didn't really even know she had been married a_ third_ time.

Era started to say something, but Zamira cut her off by holding her hand up. "Aunt Era, I wish to say something that I feel…is very important." Era nodded and Zamira's siblings glanced over as the aged woman stepped forward. She seemed deeply saddened about something, and when that happened, her wrinkles seemed to enhance and she appeared much older than an eighty one year old woman. "I just wanted to say that I am truly sorry that I didn't keep in contact with my relatives as I should have. I've lived in Florida for nearly thirty years. Only my children know that I had married a third time…"

"Zamira, it is fine," Arian said with a slight frown. He didn't care if Zamira had stayed away from family or not, the important thing was that she was there today. He hoped that in the future, she'd be around more, but really it was all up to her. "We've all got some regrets, that's true, but you don't need to feel bad about not being near family. We're not upset about that, you live where you want to. So in turn, everything is just fine." She sighed and shook her head. Slowly she drifted her sad eyes over to Arian.

"It is not fine."

"Okay…continue with what you were going to say, then." Zamira nodded and took a deep breath, preparing herself for the worst. What she had to say wasn't exactly that big of a deal, but the fact that she'd kept it a secret meant so much more could have gone wrong. After what she had heard from Sam's presentation, she realized it was time to wipe her slate clean, clean of so many things. "Just realize that you're family and family never turns down family." The statement was true enough, and enough to comfort her somewhat.

"Yes, well…I want to inform you that I have been married a total of three times…my last husband was a man named Jim Taylor, he died several years ago…" Arian blinked and stepped back, it shocked him to hear that she'd been married again. Everyone remained quiet so that they could listen. Zamira closed her eyes and frowned. "After the death of my first husband, thanks to a problem at the plant he worked at, I married a man named Mark. I kept it hidden from everyone because that man gave me a daughter…then left me, taking our child with her." Arian frowned and couldn't think for a second why he should be angry with his sister.

"I'm terribly sorry for that, but it's not enough to make us have any sort of distaste for you…" Zamira smiled slightly and gave her brother a hung. Arian was a good man and a good brother to her. All her other siblings were as well, but she had always favored Arian personally.

"Yes well…after hearing Sam's presentation…" Sam raised her eyebrows and Zamira slowly crossed her arms. "I can say I have an idea of where to find my daughter now…if I choose to search for her."

"You should! If you want to find her, that is…" Zamira chuckled slightly and closed her eyes. The big issue was to whom her daughter had a child with. Sam was wondering what she said that gave Zamira any clues as to where her child was. She didn't recall ever mentioning the relative.

"Here's the thing. My daughter's name is Linda, Linda Peeloff. Her father was Mark Peeloff." Sam gasped and her eyes widened. Freddie had his arm around Sam's shoulders, so it actually looked almost humorous when he slowly looked over as Zamira spoke those words and his jaw fell. Zamira's granddaughter was Carly Shay. Even more so now, Carly was related to Freddie, but no one had ever suspected news of such gravity. Even Emily and Robert were surprised by the news. "Tyrone Shay must not have realized who he was forcing to marry his adopted son. I'm not surprised though, Mark left me when Linda was just a baby." Emily frowned and turned her guilty eyes toward the ground. Linda never knew how it felt to have a mother. No wonder she had always been so uptight.

Era frowned and stepped next to Zamira. She placed her hand on Zamira's shoulder and gave a small, reassuring smile. "Zamira, there is nothing wrong with that. As you know, Carly is not _technically_ a Shay. She is, however, under Tyrone's influence and control. While we're busy revealing secrets that this family never knew, I think it's about time I reveal mine…" Everyone glanced over at Era with surprise and interest, they were wondering what _she_ had to say. Zamira gave a brief nod and stepped back. Her eyes were already wet from remembering her second husband. She wished that she never met the man. Era sighed softly and closed her eyes, her body shook once and she breathed out in order to calm down.

"Sam dear, you said in your presentation that the vilest Shay was Brandon Shay…that is very possible…" Sam shifted uncomfortably in her seat, naturally she didn't feel very comfortable with the current situation. "I wish to inform this story about who _I_ feel was the worst Shay…the biggest scumbag of them all." Era's fists clenched and her face grew hard. "Devlin Shay is and was the worst, in my book." Sam blinked and rubbed her neck, she didn't really recall him doing anything that horrible. He had actually had a small hand in helping his father to kill of the wife of Dalmat Davidson, but that was about as far as she knew.

"This is about Drita and the reason she never married." This interested everyone in the room. After all, Drita never being married had been one of the greatest mysteries in the family. "Her reason, she hated men. She hated them with a passion…for only I knew that reason. She swore that one day she would like her family to know, but I've never revealed her reason until today…In 1936, Devlin Shay had jumped her while she was on her way to the supermarket…"

Era's eyes clenched shut as the age old memory came to her mind. She hated to have to remember, as she had been the one to pull Drita to safety. "I was walking toward the supermarket, since it had been some time and I didn't know where Drita was." The entire room was silent, as though listening to a horror movie. Sam drew in a breath and waited as Era wiped a tear from her face. "I heard my sister screaming for help…and I ran. I ran toward her…That's when I found Devlin had…" Era took another deep breath and slowly exhaled. She didn't need to say what Devlin had done, everybody seemed to understand. This was based on the fact that everyone's eyes were wide. Sam clenched her fists and grit her teeth, she seemed to hate Tyrone's family even more now. "In 1937, Tyrone Shay was born…My sister didn't even get to hold him, as Devlin returned and spoke his immortal words, the words that would haunt my poor sister for the rest of her life. 'A Davidson isn't worthy to hold a Shay child.'" By now, everyone had eyes the size of saucers. _Tyrone_ was a Davidson.

"You can't be serious," Besim said in a quiet voice. "Tyrone is…one of us…and that Shay bastard had the _nerve_ to harm Aunt Drita like that?!" Besim had always been closest to Drita. All of his siblings had someone they were closest to. Arian was closest to his aunt, Era, and still was to this very day. None of Besim's siblings could think of anything to say, for they were all too shocked for words. Even Sam, Freddie, Spencer, Robert and Emily couldn't think of anything at all to say. Robert was very thankful Tyrone had simply adopted him now, since Tyrone was supposedly related to Emily.

"Do you think Tyrone has any clue?" Vera asked while rubbing her fingers together. She wasn't sure how she'd be getting over the shock of this situation. She was one of the ones closest to Drita. She always thought Drita had been perfectly happy, that was the way she acted most of her life. Era slowly shook her head and gave a soft and sorrowful sigh.

"Devlin told Drita the moment he took her baby…Tyrone would never know about his relation to the Davidson family. He would know about his birth, but never about his mother." Vera's son, Carlos was now visibly pale. Freddie shifted his eyes over and spotted him, he was concerned for the man. He, as well as Zamira's children had been acting very strange lately. "Hell, Devlin had another son, but I'm pretty sure Tyrone wouldn't know anything about that."

"It's true," Angeline whispered. The small group looked toward her and she spoke once more. "Tyrone never mentioned having a sibling…he never even knew about this relative of his. I can say that since one time we spoke of what he'd do if he had a sibling. He laughed and said if he did, things would have been much different than they were for him at the time."

Sam had to say, she was shocked by all of the things that she was learning today. Even Zamira's children, Terry, Dennis, and Amy had been talking about secrets before. She overheard them talking about the deaths of Dennis's wife and son, and how Amy was going to turn herself in for that. Terry had also agreed to have her husband arrested for the murder of Amy's son. That man had more anger problems than Sam's uncle Morris!

She watched as Vera's son Carlos moved to the stage, he was sweating and his hands were shaking. Vera looked concerned for him, but then who wouldn't be? The man looked like he had an illness or something. Though that wasn't the case, he still looked like he was in bad shape.

"I have something that needs to be said now," Carlos said in a quiet voice. After what he had heard, it was definitely important. "Aunt Zamira, how do you feel toward…apparently Carly Shay…do you know?" Zamira frowned and shifted her eyes to the side. She would love to meet her granddaughter, but she also felt that wouldn't ever happen.

"She's not a Shay by heart, I have no grievances with her," Zamira replied. Sam nodded her head and smiled, she liked Carly, even if Carly was trying to steal Freddie away from her. At least she knew now, that would never happen. Carlos crossed his arms and slowly closed his eyes.

"I see…Then you'll want to know that she's in danger." Sam's mouth fell and Freddie merely raised his eyebrow. What did the man mean by that? How could Carly be in danger? "Either she is…or Tyrone is…" Now they were even more confused, everyone was. While no one liked Tyrone, they certainly didn't want him to be in any major danger.

"Please, explain what you are talking about," Vera stated while raising her eyebrow. Arian nodded and crossed his arms. Carlos merely sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He was nervous, but any man in his situation would be.

"You see, Tyrone had a sibling born over ten years prior to his birth. A half sibling…the name was Keyton Shay. He didn't really care much about the Davidson family, so he minded his own business…" Carlos took a deep breath and turned to his mother. "Do you want to know the reason I never married?"

"Of course…" He closed his eyes and slowly clenched his fists.

"I was always ashamed to admit it…when I was sixteen, I met and fell in love with Connie Shay…the daughter of Keyton." Vera's mouth dropped and Carlos slowly opened his eyes, his eyes held a look of pure guilt. "I still despised the Shay's, but Connie was so…so perfect." Sam swallowed for fear of where this was heading. She didn't know exactly where, but judging by Carlos's look and tone of voice, it _couldn't_ be good.

"You had a child with…a Shay? I might not have been against that…I mean Arian's the one that paired his daughter with one." Robert sank slightly in his chair and Emily smiled at him, while taking his hand in hers.

"Yeah but that man is not really a Shay, and neither is his son, Spencer. But still, if I may continue…"

"Yes, please continue what you were saying…"

"Keyton had a son, Lionel Shay, born several years prior. This man…he apparently hates his own family…" Sam moved her head back somewhat and her eyebrows rose slightly. Freddie grunted uncomfortably and listened as Carlos continued. "He told me one time…I was to never reveal this, but I can't hold this in anymore…" Vera crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow, she wished Carlos would just hurry up with his talk. "Every ten years…in a month with Friday the 13th…Lionel kills one Shay." Sam gasped and everyone else in the room stared with total shock. Even Vera didn't know how to respond to that. "First was his own father, Keyton, he killed…April 13th, 1973." Sam's pulse seemed to quicken at that, she hoped that the man only killed one or two Shays.

"Then his grandfather, Devlin Shay, murdered May 13th, 1983." Sam swallowed hard. Freddie could tell she was bothered by this. After all, this meant Carly could very well be in extreme danger. "Connie's daughter, killed August 13th, 1993." Sam soon found herself wishing that Carlos would stop, that he would quit saying anything more. Freddie gently squeezed her hand, hoping to bring her some comfort. "Connie was also killed on June 13th, 2003…" Sam couldn't believe this, she refused to accept it. The longer Carlos spoke, the more she hated what she was hearing. She didn't want Carly, or even Tyrone to have to be murdered. It was just wrong. Even Vera was staring with wide eyes and a shocked expression. Nobody in the room could believe it, for they were all too far shocked. If this kept up, either Tyrone or Carly was going to die in 2013, which wasn't that far away. "Lionel doesn't know where Tyrone or Carly lives right now…but with the news I heard today, I needed to tell you all. I don't think it's right…and Carly had that webshow..." Sam paled at the mention of the show, anyone with a computer might know _exactly_ where Carly lived.

"You could get in a lot of trouble for never coming out with this," Arian stated, clearly angered. Carlos turned his head down shamefully as Arian crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "I know that none of us like the Shays all that much, but there is _no_ _excuse_ for keeping this a secret!"

"I realize that…but Lionel said if I ever told anyone, he'd come for me. He'd come for my family."

"How will he know that you told anyone at all?"

"He won't…" Carlos then walked off of the stage and left the room. Still, no one spoke a word. They waited a few minutes before Arian spoke up once more. He spoke of how it would be necessary to inform Tyrone of the impending danger, if it was at all possible. Emily was thinking of how she'd have to put on a manhunt for Lionel Shay, hopefully they could catch him before he did anything criminal. Sam couldn't take it anymore, she immediately got up, excused herself, and ran toward the bathroom. All of the Puckett relatives were speechless and watched as their Sam ran off. Each of them were thinking about how shocking it was that for once, _they_ didn't do something wrong. They were about to go after her, but Freddie stood up and signaled for them to stay seated. He'd go talk to Sam.

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I hope you enjoyed that chapter, go to my other account _King Nate_. Well, big secrets, it seems Tyrone is one of them, and he or Carly is in danger of being killed by a serial killer. Chances are it'll be Carly, because Tyrone never did anything to let anyone know where he lived. Carly's the one with the webshow that basically told the whole world the exact building she lived in and the exact city of the exact state. The dangers of putting out personal information. Tsk Tsk, review!


	118. Reunion: Comfort

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

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Chapter 118 (Reunion: Comfort)

Sam made her way to the restroom and stopped short of the door, thoughts about all that Carlos and Zamira said were running through her mind. It was painful and hard, she didn't think that anything could be so mixed up in the world. Carly and Tyrone were both in danger, Carly was related to Freddie, Tyrone was related to Emily. Everything was just too confusing for her, she had no clue what to do.

She couldn't help but to fear that she was going to lose one of her good friends to a murderer, because if anyone was in more danger of being murdered by a serial killer, it was Carly. After all, anyone could have found her through iCarly. She sank to her knees and brought her hands to her face, she hated having to deal with all that was going on. Why couldn't it have been easier? Why did there have to be anyone against anyone? Should she really have been surprised? With any big family comes many secrets.

Sam felt someone place their hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Freddie smiling down at her, he was always going to be there for her, no matter what. She stood up and fell into his chest. Right now, his embrace was all she really needed. She felt so scared, so bad. She wanted to impress the family, and she just ran out in tears and shock. Freddie wrapped his arms around Sam and held her tightly, refusing to let her go. He rubbed her back and gently kissed her forehead. "Freddie, I'm sorry for running out like that," Sam said in a quiet voice. Freddie shrugged and ran his hand through her hair.

"Don't be sorry," Freddie whispered into her ear. He continued to rub her back and shifted his eyes around to look for somewhere they could sit. He thought Sam might want to sit down, but it seemed they were fine right where they were. "I know how confused you must be right now, I am too." He had to admit, he had not suspected any of what he'd heard. There was another Shay out there who was killing Shays because he thought it was _justice_?

"I just don't understand it all that much…sorry if I seem so out of sorts today, you know." Really it wasn't her fault for that, and Freddie understood it. She took a deep breath and slowly shook her head. "I just wanted to impress your family…"

"I think you did. I mean everyone seemed to like you." Freddie spotted a small bench-like chair to the left, it would be perfect to sit down on with Sam and still hold on to her. "Sam, do you want to sit down, or are you fine standing up?"

"I think I'll sit down…" Freddie nodded and led Sam over to the bench, they sat down and Freddie held his arm around her. They sat in silence, taking in the moment and cherishing every breath. No one wanted to be too high strung given the circumstances. Sam was mostly concerned that she opened a Pandora's box, since it was after her presentation that the secrets started gushing out like wildfire. "Freddie, I don't want Carly to die…" Neither did he, but he was wondering what or how they could do anything about it. No one really knew where Lionel was. They had a whole year and a few months till Carly even had a risk of being killed. "Even Tyrone, I don't want him to die either…"

"I know Sam, I know." She had a big heart, that's something that he loved about her. Despite the cruel ways of Tyrone, or the thoughts and fears of Carly, she still cared enough to not want any harm to come to them. Of course, Freddie didn't want that either. However, it was Sam's heart that made him so caring. If not for her, he probably wouldn't bother worrying about this. _"Of course, Mitch showed me that…I hate that asshole."_

Sam wondered if now would be a good time to tell Carly that they were together, she didn't know. She did know that it was about time to tell her that her father was getting married to Emily. They needed not keep something like that from Carly. Sure, Tyrone would figure it out, but it wasn't like Robert was going to let the man do anything at all to the group. "Carly's like…your sister or something, Tyrone's related to you too. It's kind of funny, but at the same time…I'm not sure what to make of it."

"Well, they're family I guess. They'll probably still give us some trouble…but I'm sure we'll find something…" The question for them now was how would they handle the news? Meaning, when would anyone talk to Tyrone or Carly? How would the two handle it all? News like this would be a shock, no doubt about that. Tyrone probably wouldn't believe it for a minute, and Carly probably wouldn't have a clue as to what to say. "Though Sam, you don't need to cry…"

"I'm just so stressed right now, I mean I wanted everything to go perfect!" She was being too hard on herself, that much was true, but what could she do? It wasn't her fault that a bunch of history was spilled out, it was just the time that people felt it was necessary to talk about the secrets of the family. "I don't like secrets, Freddie. I don't want to hear another family secret for a long, long time…"

"Heh, don't worry about it too much." Freddie smirked and placed his finger beneath her chin, he gently tilted her head upwards and gazed into her eyes. "Can't have my beautiful wife feeling down about something out of her control, now can we?" Sam blushed and looked to the side, she smiled softly and slowly shook her head. He had a point, she was worrying too much. She lifted her eyes up to the door and spotted Morris and Maggie walking toward them, smiling.

"You know, I think the reunion has been wonderful so far," Maggie said while sitting next to Sam. The two wanted to check on their niece, they felt it was necessary to see if they could do anything to comfort her. Sam smiled at Maggie and let her aunt pull her into a hug. "You know, everyone's tried so hard to impress you, and we hope we did a good job…" Sam looked over at the door and saw some other of her relatives watching from the main room. She closed her eyes and smiled softly.

"Yeah Aunt Maggie, you guys did," Sam responded. This was good for the elder woman to hear. Morris was pretty happy to hear it as well. Freddie smiled at the scene, it was pleasant because Sam never seemed to have a good relationship with her family. Now, she was holding onto her aunt and letting the woman care for her.

"You know Sam, you gave a great presentation up there," Morris added with a smile. He had to admit, he was very proud to see his niece on the stage. In his opinion, she was perfect. He would have loved to see her tell a little of her family history, he knew she knew all about that. "You know what? Sometime you ought to present a little history of our family, that'd be nice." Sam chuckled and shrugged her shoulders, she didn't really know how great of an idea that would be.

"I don't know Uncle Morris, I mean…"

"I think it's a good idea," A voice said from behind. Sam glanced over once more and spotted Arian smiling at her. He wanted to see if she was okay, since the news definitely hit him pretty hard. She was completely stressed out about the reunion, so the news that was just spilled definitely would be very hard for her to handle. He walked over to Sam and patted her on the shoulder. "You did well out there, your voice was pretty soothing too. I think if you go up there again, it would probably be relaxing for you and everyone else. Plus, it's always nice to hear the spouse's family history."

"Well…" Sam rubbed her chin and looked to Freddie for guidance. He smiled and nodded her way, meaning he had absolutely no problem with her going back up there. He would love to hear more about her family history. He would support her no matter what she wanted to do. She smiled and nodded her head. "Okay, I'll do it."

"Good. If you want some time to take a moment and breath, then you can." Sam nodded as Arian turned and walked back to the room. She wasn't sure what she'd say about her family, but she knew it would be a breeze, since she did know quite a bit about them.

"Can't wait to hear what you have to say," Morris chuckled. Sam hugged him, surprising him. She wanted to let her aunt and uncle know that she loved them very much. "Well, maybe it won't be _too_ dark and bad." He was joking, and everyone knew it. After all, there was a lot of stuff that happened in their past that they needed to filter out. Sam had a feeling that Freddie's family would accept her no matter what her family was like.

"Well, let's go on in," Freddie said as he and Sam stood up. He placed his hand on the small of her back and gently kissed her on the cheek. "You're going to do great."

"Thanks Freddie," she replied. The group moved toward the room, Sam smiled at her relatives that were watching and they smiled back at her. Everything was going to be fine. Sam did wonder where Carlos went, he probably left to turn himself in. She didn't know, but she did see Vera talking on the phone in a quick voice. Vera moved over to Arian and began speaking with him.

"Arian, that was Carlos…he said he's left the reunion and wants to turn himself in to the police," Vera said with a quiet voice. Arian closed his eyes and nodded, he felt it was best that Carlos do that. After all, it would help the police out quite a bit, and they could begin searching for Lionel.

"I understand, are you going to leave as well?" He asked. Vera frowned and nodded her head, she had to leave and be there with her son. "Then I'll give you a call after the reunion."

"Thanks." Arian frowned and watched as Vera left. It seemed the reunion just took a sharp turn from pleasant to nearly tragic.

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Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm sure you'll like the next


	119. Reunion: Arian's Approval

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

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Chapter 119 (Reunion: Arian's Approval)

Arian walked up to the stage and cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. The room had been filled with talking, everyone wondering about the secrets that had been revealed. No one seemed to be able to hold a calm presence. Everyone looked to Arian and waited for what he was going to say to them. "Okay, it seems we've had some unexpected announcements," Arian said in a calm and gentle voice. "Vera has gone off with her son, be sure to let them rest easy. I thought you might appreciate another relaxing presentation from Freddie's bride-to-be, Sam Puckett."

_"Let's hope this doesn't cause any riots,"_ Sam thought as she slowly stood from the seat she had taken. She looked over at her family and saw them all staring at her with supportive faces. It was great that they were so supportive of her, she couldn't say she ever expected any of it. _"They do sure know how to surprise me…"_ She swallowed her nervous feeling and moved to the stage. She wasn't bothered with everyone watching her, she knew there was nothing to worry about.

She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, she was preparing herself for the presentation. She then opened her eyes and connected with the ones watching and waiting. She looked at her family, smiled, then looked back toward the audience. "Hey, I guess you liked my last presentation…Grandpa Davidson wanted me to give another and tell you about my roots, so that's what I'm going to do. I'm kind of winging this, so bear with me…" She felt like she wasn't going to have much trouble, she did research her family while learning about Freddie's.

"Well, where to begin…" She did worry a bit about how their family would react to some of the history, but for the most part, she was confident that absolutely nothing bad could happen. "I can trace both my mom and dad's side to men and women born in the late eighteen hundreds. These men and women, they're not anything special like your family, they didn't come from another land…they were in this country the whole time. I'm kind of envious now that I think about it." Sam chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck, humor seemed to do the job when wanting to lighten things up.

Sue stood up from her seat and called out to Sam, she smiled and crossed her arms over. "Actually your great, great grandmother…my grandmother, Lilly Isley immigrated to this country from Ireland." Sam's eyebrows rose at her grandmother's words, she didn't actually know that. "I just thought I should contribute some information for you." Sam smiled and nodded, thankful for her grandma's contribution to the presentation.

"Thanks grandma, I love you."

"Love you too sweetie! We all do!" Sam chuckled and watched as Sue sat down. She closed her eyes and breathed out. She knew the crowd of people were probably wondering what was going on, despite knowing that Sue was her grandmother.

"That was my mom's mother. You wouldn't believe how surprised and nervous I was when I knew my family was going to be here…" The Pucketts all frowned and shifted their glances into various directions. Sam merely smiled at the scene and shrugged her shoulders. "Yet now that they've come, I can say that I wouldn't have had it any other way. I love my family, and I'm proud to be a member of it." Her family then seemed to brighten, each smiling with joy.

"Now, moving on…I think you'll find my family has a bit of a history as well. They're definitely not as extensive, but they _are_ filled with entertaining facts. "How could I _not_ appreciate that? Anyway, the first member I want to tell you about is…" Sam tapped her chin and looked at her great grandfather, she smiled and took another breath. "My great grandfather, Carl Fields…He's 101 years old."

"I'm _still_ going strong!" Carl called out from his seat. "Now ask your husband's grandpa to get his aunt to go out with me!"

"You're not my type!" Era called out with a smirk. "You'd have better luck if I knew you more." Sam laughed as Carl grinned widely. It seemed everyone else in the room found the exchange to be a bit humorous, they were definitely eager for her to continue.

"Right…He was in World War two and he has a _lot _of great stories! In fact, if you have time, ask him to tell you one of his experiences. I love him, he's one of the most exciting and nicest people I know!" Sam always thought it was true that when people grew older, they became like a treasure trove of experiences. Carl was just that, filled with so many good things that one just could not get enough of. "He's the last of my great grandparents that would be still among the living…"

"The next is hard to talk about, I didn't know _much_ about him…Reggie Puckett married the daughter of Carl, Alice Fields. He had a sister named Rose, she got married and had a child, but I won't get much into them since I don't really know anything about them…" She much preferred to stick with her direct family anyway, so Reggie it was. She sighed and moved her eyes toward the side. "This is where the bad history of the family starts…they had three children, triplets. Then Grandpa Reggie left grandma for another woman. He cheated on her…" It was clear that Sam's relatives didn't like remembering that, they each had cringed a bit when she said it.

"As for those three children, two of them may have had bad pasts, and I hope you can overlook it." The Davidsons each shifted themselves a bit while waiting for her to continue, they were each wondering what her family's 'bad past' was all about. "My Uncle Buzz was a bit of a kleptomaniac…" Buzz winced and Garth patted him on the shoulder. Sam saw the action and let one chuckle slip. "I believe he was arrested a few times for taking things that were not his…however, he's been working on that. Really he only gets that way when he's really nervous." Buzz rubbed his arm as Sam smiled, she was going to say just how amazed and proud she was that he had done so well today. "You know, it impresses me, Uncle Buzz…" He lifted his eyes up to her and waited for her next words. "I couldn't be prouder of you today. You were so nervous, and yet…you've done so well not to fidget or start swiping anything at all."

"I try!" Buzz said with a bright smile.

"Love you Uncle Buzz…" She wasn't sure, but she thought she heard someone making an _aww_ sound. She didn't mind, anyone who saw how she had acted with her family would probably be surprised by the things she was saying. "Uncle Buzz has one son…his wife died a while ago, so his son lives with and takes care of him. My cousin Garth, he wants to be a singer one day. I'll support that any day!" Next she had to tell a little about her uncle Morris, he was actually her favorite uncle. It seemed that no one was bothered by the fact that Buzz had been arrested, so everything was going well so far.

"Uncle Morris. Well, he has had some anger issues, but I know he's been working on that. His wife, Maggie, is really sweet to him and helps to soothe those angered emotions. They have two children, Greg and Annie, they're awesome! Annie's an artist who works at a tattoo shop, but it's only so she can get started. She's moving on to better things. Greg is going to try and become a musician. He hopes also to teach music."

"I'm almost done with my degree!" Greg stated from his chair. Annie playfully slapped his arm, she didn't want him to interrupt anything. Sam smiled and nodded her head.

"Before I talk about Dad, I want to talk about my mom's family." Hugh and Sue leaned back in their chairs and waited, hoping Sam would have some good things to say about them. Of course, she did, why wouldn't she? "My grandpa, Hugh, and Grandmother, Sue, are some of the greatest grandparents I could ask for. Sure, Hugh tends to laze around a lot, but he does have moments where he will seem like the perfect grandfather! Just like today…" That statement caused Hugh to nearly jump in the air. Sue placed her hand on his and smiled, tears were dripping down her face. She was so happy, words could not express just how truly great she felt. "Grandma's really wise too, she's the one who helped me out a lot with family history. She's got a big heart and a lot of kindness to give around, so what more could I ask for in a grandmother? I don't know, I don't think there's anything more I could ask for."

"Now they had three children, my mother was the middle. Her older brother is my Uncle Brian, but I don't know much about him." Sam never really saw much of Brian or his wife, she saw Leon more than them. Of course, she had more memories with her Aunt Violet. "Their son Leon managed to make it here today, he's a great person. I've seen him during Christmas visits and sometimes in the summer. His family lives in another state…Whenever I see them, I tend to have a lot of fun. Uncle Brian and Aunt Madeline don't really do much with me though…"

"Moving on to my mom's younger sister, my Aunt Violet…she's one of the _nicest_ aunts that I could ask for! My cousin, her daughter, Venus is really fun to play with as well. All throughout my childhood, I remember playing with them. Aunt Violet would read storybooks to us and tell these great jokes…" Violet and Venus both smiled at the positive mention, no one really suspected that Sam would say anything bad about them, but they did wonder if Sam actually had anything good to say about them. Now it seems Sam did have good things to say about everyone after all. "I'd like to move on to my mom and dad now…"

Sam closed her eyes and took another deep breath, she still felt a lot of pain when talking about her mom. She had been so close to the woman and was only ten when she died. It was heartbreaking. "My mom was a great lady, she was even best friends with Emily throughout her childhood. I think that's how I came to live with Emily…Dad had also been a great man, even though I didn't know a lot about him." She'd been too young when he died, way too young to remember.

"I always remember from what my mom told me about him, he had been a kind, caring and gentle man. Apparently nicer than his brothers." Sam smirked as Buzz and Morris rolled their eyes. They smiled and crossed their arms. They were both glad that their brother had such good qualities, he always had the biggest heart of the three. Sam paused and wiped a stray tear from her eyes. "When I was only four, my father, David Puckett was shot by someone…I was standing right there." Sam was sure she heard a large gasp, but she wasn't going to focus on it. She shook her head and smiled, deciding to continue on with her mom.

"Mom was brilliant. She cared deeply for me, it was horrible when she was diagnosed with an illness, though. I know that she asked Mrs. Benson to care for me because she didn't trust her family…" Sam's family each held guilty looks on their faces, but back then Sarah had really made the right decision. Sam acknowledged that several times, even though it was hard for them to admit to it.

"Mom was right, my Uncles, my Aunts, they couldn't take care of me…not then at least." Sam tilted her head to the right and rubbed her chin, thinking about whether anything would be the same or not if she had lived with them. "Well I do know that if mom had to make the decision now, I think she might have trusted them more. I know I would."

"Your family seems like a very nice family right now," Arian said with a smile. Sam looked at him and returned the smile. With his approval, it was like the entire Davidson clan saying they accepted her and they accepted her family.

"Thank you, I'm glad. I'm happy that you can accept me and accept my family." She slowly turned her head to her relatives and held a soft and pleasant expression on her face. "I know that I can't control what family I was born to, and I wouldn't want to. I'm proud of my relatives, prouder today than any time before. I would never ask for any others." She faced Arian once more and looked toward his aunt and siblings that were still there. "That's it for my family history. I'm sure you said you accepted me, right? I love Freddie with all my heart, that will never change…"

"No one would want you to change, sweetie," Era said as she gave Sam a friendly hug. She stepped back and glanced over at Sam's family. Carl winked at her and she rolled her eyes. "Although, I wouldn't mind if you could get Carl to change his flirtatious ways." Sam laughed and Morris pushed Carl slightly, at least no one could say they were embarrassed by the display.

"You've got a family with quite a history," Zamira added. She crossed her arms and smiled, knowing that she was just about in the same boat. "Hey, so do I…I think Arian's daughter made the right choice in picking you for a bride of her son." Sam's smile grew and she turned to Besim. He smiled and slowly shook his head.

"I have no grievances to speak of," Besim stated. He was proud to call Sam a member of the family and to include her relatives in the grand family tree. "I think your family has a great heart, from what I've seen. There isn't a single problem to think of when involving them." Sam quickly turned to her family and saw that each of them had grins on their faces and tears in their eyes. Of course, most of the men were trying so hard not to show it.

"Samantha Puckett," Arian said in a quiet and yet deep voice. Sam turned to him and slowly nodded. This was _the_ man that she wanted to please. Everything weighed on what he had to say since he was basically the Patriarch of the entire Davidson family. Everything she said about her family could influence Arian in some way. What if he didn't accept her anymore? What if he didn't like her family? That serious look on his face just hid everything.

"Yes sir?" Arian closed his eyes and chuckled at the formality, it was not needed. He smiled kindly and Sam calmed down a bit, but she was still approaching the situation with caution.

"I think I speak for my younger siblings and the entire Davidson family when I say…it's good having you in the family." Sam's lips formed a wide smile and she quickly hugged Arian, taking him by surprise.

"Thank you! It means everything that you accept me…" Arian laughed and patted Sam on the back, then took a step back.

"Yes well, I trust my daughter's judgment. Although, I think you knew I accepted you the day I came back to visit. There is no reason to be so nervous."

"Again, thank you…" Sam now felt everyone's eyes on her and started to blush, she hadn't been thinking and was now embarrassed by her actions. "Uh, yeah…I'm going to…go sit down now…" Arian smiled then whispered his next words.

"That might be best." Sam chuckled nervously and made her way over to her chair next to Freddie. She was trying her best to hold in a squeal, just as the entire Puckett clan was trying _their_ best not to shout out and jump for joy. Freddie glanced over at Jonah and Valerie, the three chuckled at the sight and Freddie slowly embraced Sam with his arm.

"You did great up there, Sam," Freddie said in a soft voice. "I'm proud of you." Sam smiled and rested her head onto Freddie's shoulder, it felt so great to have Arian's approval. All nervous feelings she had from the start seemed to just disappear now. She felt even more like a member of Freddie's family, and that would become true when she finally married him.

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The Reunion Arc is beginning to come to a close, heh. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, stick around for the next, you're going to love it.


	120. Reunion: Parting and Requests

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

* * *

Chapter 119 (Reunion: Partings and Requests)

Sam stood with Freddie as they got ready to leave. The reunion had been great for everyone, and even hectic during some parts, such as the secrets coming out. If anything, Sam could definitely say Freddie's family was no different than a regular family, and that was truly a good thing. She didn't have to be nervous around them, not at all. Not only that, they loved her! It was probably because Arian had given his approval, but either way, no one in the family seemed to dislike her.

Amanda came over and hugged Sam, she hoped to talk more with her around school. Rueben and Shannon were in the same boat as Amanda, it would be great to be friends with Sam and Freddie. "So what do you think Carly's going to think, since she probably knows that I'm not Freddie's bride?" Amanda asked with a slight chuckle. Sam hadn't thought about that. Chances were, Tyrone would tell Carly about that, but then perhaps he wouldn't believe them and still think it was Amanda.

"I don't know…" Sam was afraid now, but at the same time, she was confident nothing bad would happen. She would find out soon, since they had to head back home. Everyone had to make up their reason for missing school, although it might be difficult for Carly to believe some things. Also with what they learned, how could they tell Carly about it all? While she knew Freddie was going to a family reunion, she didn't know why Sam was out. It was a good guess that Spencer would have gone somewhere with Freddie's family, having married Sasha, so that wouldn't be a surprise to her.

"How are you going to tell Carly that she's Freddie's cousin?" Rueben asked as he leaned against a tree. That was confusing as well, there was no way Carly would believe it just by the word of mouth. Of course, they also had no way of knowing how Tyrone would react by telling him he was related to them. Speculation was that it wouldn't affect him one bit and he would still be out to get them. Then, maybe if Robert told Carly, she'd believe him. "Also, you've said that you lived with the Bensons…how will you convince Carly now that you're not Freddie's bride? Even when her father marries Mrs. Benson, Spencer and Sasha need a house of their own and probably can't take care of Carly…she'll have to move in with her dad." Sam bit her lip and swallowed hard, she had no clue what would happen then.

"I don't know." She frowned and slowly shook her head, there was nothing good she could see coming in the future. She had a bad feeling about everything. She was about to say something more but felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She looked back and saw Morris and Maggie smiling at her. She smiled at them and turned full to face them. "Hi Uncle Morris, Aunt Maggie…Will you be coming back to the house with us?"

"We actually need to get back home and check up on our dog," Maggie replied with a soft nod. Sam saw a nervous look in her Uncle's eyes and a kind, but thoughtful look in Maggie's, she immediately wanted to know what they were thinking. Maggie looked to Morris and lightly hit his shoulder. "Well, are you going to ask her about what we talked about?" Morris chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, he was far too nervous. Sam raised an inquisitive eyebrow as her Uncle smiled sheepishly.

"Well actually Sam," Morris started out. He took a deep breath and sighed, looking into Sam's eyes. Greg and Annie walked over to them as Morris tried to collect his train of thoughts. "Well Maggie…er…I brought it up, I guess. We were wondering…if you'd like to live with us." Sam's eyebrows rose and Morris began speaking quickly. "Well, I mean…we know that back then your mom didn't think we could take care of you, but that was then and now we're really trying…I mean Maggie's trying her best to quit smoking, and I don't have a big anger issue, and well, we don't get to see much of you and you're going to be seventeen in what…six months? You're getting married when you're twenty and then you'll be gone, and you're part of the family and we'd…" Sam smiled and placed her hand on Morris's arm. He quieted down and looked at his niece, she looked so serene in that moment. For once in a long time, her eyes held a look of love and respect for her family, as though they had finally proven themselves to her.

"I'll think about it Uncle Morris, and I'll talk to Emily too…" Morris and Maggie smiled softly while Sam's cousins tried to cover up the glee they had in order to not embarrass themselves, they were close to losing that battle. They hoped Sam would give them a chance, they would love to have Sam as part of the family. "You know what, Uncle Morris? I've been thinking…when I'm twenty, I need someone to hand me away in place of my father…" Morris's eyes started to widen with happiness, he had a feeling about where this was going. Was Sam going to ask that he hand her to Freddie on her wedding day? It would be the greatest thing ever for him! "Maybe you can give me away in place of Dad." His mouth formed a wide grin and all movement seemed to cease, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Maggie smiled at her husband, she was very happy for him.

"I-I would be honored if you considered me in place of your father, Sam." Sam smiled and tilted her head slightly. Morris didn't have much competition anyway, Sam didn't feel right to let someone who wasn't her immediate relative to give her away, so Spencer was definitely not an option for her. Morris was her favorite Uncle, and he did prove that he cared about her, so he was definitely tops on her list. She quickly hugged Morris, taking him by surprise. It was almost unusual for Sam to show affection for her relatives, and here she was, showing how great she thought of them. Maggie was brought to tears at the sight, Greg and Annie couldn't help but to smile. Morris smiled softly and wrapped his arms around Sam in a hug. "You did a great job today with both of your presentations…"

"Thank you Uncle Morris." The rest of Sam's family started gathering around, they were intrigued by what was happening. None of them thought Sam even cared about them, but to Sam, family was family either way. Especially after being at the reunion, she realized that it didn't matter who your family was, a relative would always love a relative. Unless they were crazy, like Lionel Shay. Sam stepped back and smiled at her family, feeling prouder of them than she'd ever felt. "You all showed me how much you care today…Freddie even told me everything…you're my family, I could never look down on you. I love you all."

"That's really great to hear, sweetie," Sue said as she walked over and hugged Sam. Sam gladly returned the hug. "You know, we'll always be here for you, no matter what." Violet was leaning against a tree with her arms crossed, she was trying not to let her tears fall. She was closest to her sister before her passing and because of a low paying job and the birth of Venus, she couldn't take care of Sam if something ever happened to Sarah. Sarah had confided in her before that out of any of the other relatives, Morris and Maggie would probably be the best suited to take care of Sam, but they would have had to get help for their problems first. Violet looked over at Sam and smiled.

"You know, I think my sister's probably very proud of you," Violet said in a soft voice. Sam looked over and grinned, she would always want to make her mom happy, whether alive or not. "I know I am…actually, your entire family is proud of you, I'm positive of it."

"Thank you Aunt Violet." Violet pushed herself from the tree and gave Sam a hug. From here, the family would depart. Everyone had to get home and get some work done. Carly was also probably wondering where Freddie and Sam were. Sam looked over and spotted Freddie with Jonah and Valerie, he was waving and calling out to her.

"Hey Sam, it's time to go!" Freddie called out. "You know Carly's been calling constantly, I have like five missed calls from her!" Sam chuckled and rolled her eyes, Carly was definitely probably interested in their whereabouts.

"So answer them, dork!" Sam gave Amanda a final hug, then turned to Rueben and Shannon.

"Hey, I hope we didn't scare you too much," Rueben said with a light chuckle. He would always remember that brisk moment when Sam didn't expect them to be there. "Of course, no one knew you were Freddie's bride, so we couldn't warn you."

"That's okay. I think Freddie and I will probably see you around, right?" Rueben nodded and Shannon wrapped her arm around his. She kissed his cheek and looked over at Sam.

"We'll keep in touch," Shannon responded.

"Great. I have to get over there now before Carly calls Freddie again and he blows a gasket." The three laughed and Sam ran over to Freddie, waving at her relatives. She threw her arms around Freddie's neck and gave him a light peck on his lips. "I'm ready to go home, what about you?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Freddie replied while giving a semi dramatic pant. He was actually pretty exhausted. All he wanted to do was get home and rest. He looked over to see Robert talking with Elaine, Angeline and Veronica. He gave them each hugs and hoped to see them again, then hurried over to Emily. Freddie looked at his cell phone as it beeped, he sighed and then looked to Sam. "Would you call Carly up?"

"Oh, sure…" Sam pulled out her cell phone and dialed Carly's number as everyone got into the car. Emily started the car and began driving out. "Hey Carly, how are you?"

"I've been worried sick!" Carly said with a quick tone of voice. She _had_ been wondering where Sam was all day. "I mean I knew Freddie was at some reunion, but you never answered my calls, so I started calling Freddie to see if he possibly saw you…but then he never answered."

"Uh, well they forced me to go with them…I would have been in school, but I was sick…then when I started getting better, they forced me to go to their dumb reunion with all those icky people!" Carly gasped and felt so sorry for Sam. Jonah rolled his eyes and wondered why Sam still even bothered with Carly. She was a threat to his friends' happiness, they didn't need her. Freddie stifled a laugh and Valerie just snickered.

"I'm _so_ sorry for you! Is his family really all that bad?"

"For the most part…you _really_ don't know…" She was pretty sure Carly would love Freddie's family if she ever met them. Hell, Carly _was_ a part of Freddie's family. She was his cousin through his father's side. It was funny, some arranged marriage culture involved a brother marrying the spouse of his brother, if said sibling died. Robert was doing exactly that, even though he should have married Emily first. "Look, I'll try to tell you what I can when I can, right now I have some other issues to deal with…like getting this dork's family aura off me. I smell like Benson! I need a shower!"

"I see…"

"We're heading home now, actually. I'll call you later, okay Carly?"

"Sure." Sam hung up the phone and pushed it into her pocket. Valerie laughed and looked over at her friend.

"You know Sam…you're a really good actress," Valerie said with a subtle smirk.

"Thank you." Sam closed her eyes and leaned back, thinking about all that had happened at the reunion. Meeting Arian, Freddie's family, learning all that she'd learn, becoming closer to her own family, it was all so great. Going to this reunion was probably the most nerve wracking, but one of the best experiences of her life. She would cherish it forever and hopefully there would be more reunions in the future. She remembered Morris's question and opened her eyes, she needed to bring that up. She smiled politely and looked at Emily. "Um Emily…Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie want me to move in with them…" Emily raised her eyebrow and glanced at Sam through the rearview mirror. She wasn't sure about that, but she would definitely need to think about it and talk to Sam some about it.

"Well honey, let's talk about that when we get home, okay?" Emily answered. Sam nodded her head and rested it onto Freddie's shoulder. He actually didn't think the idea would be a bad one, especially considering there may be a chance that Carly would be living with Robert and Emily once they married. "Oh by the way, did you know that Arian intends to move back here?" Sam's eyes sparked and a smile graced her lips, it would be perfect if Arian moved back to Seattle.

"That's great!"

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	121. Living Arrangements

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

* * *

Chapter 121 (Living Arrangements)

Emily parked in the driveway and soon exited the car with the others. She actually enjoyed where the house was, since inside the gated community, there was no way for Tyrone to get in. Arian got in, but he wasn't blacklisted like Tyrone was. It had been requested that the guards keep Tyrone out of the homes and away from Emily and the others. Of course, what if Tyrone was to somehow enter? Would Freddie and Sam be in trouble?

"Okay, let's get inside and have some supper," Emily said while moving toward the door. She unlocked it and entered the house. She didn't really feel like cooking, so everyone could grab their own food. "Alright, this is just a grab and go day, I don't feel like cooking anything right now." The others nodded and headed for the kitchen. Emily sighed and fell back onto the couch, she actually was rather tense. She did have a lot of things to think about, such as Lionel Shay, Morris's offer, her father moving back to Seattle. There was just so much to deal with. "Sam dear, could you come in here?"

"Coming!" Sam answered from the kitchen. She walked out and sat next to Emily on the couch. "You wanted to talk to me?" Emily smiled and placed her arm around Sam's shoulders for a hug.

"Yes, it is about your Uncle and Aunt's offer to take you in…" Sam nodded and exhaled slowly. Emily wasn't sure about whether she wanted Sam living with them or not, especially since Sarah had entrusted Sam to her. "Sam, do you want to live with them?"

"Well, I don't know, I mean…" She wasn't sure. She wanted to spend some time with her actual family, though Emily was part of her actual family. It would be nice to live with Morris and Maggie, especially where Tyrone was concerned. "Tyrone doesn't know where they live." Emily hummed and rubbed her chin. This was true, Tyrone wouldn't be able to find Sam then. However, he did know that Sam lived with her. "I do want to spend some more time with that side of my family, I know that much." Emily sighed and leaned back, she still needed to be Sam's caretaker.

"Well, I'll think about it. However, either way, I intend to continue being your guardian." Sam nodded and smiled, she wouldn't have it any other way. Emily did figure that if anything went wrong, she could always pull Sam back under her roof. She needed to know that Morris and Maggie could properly take care of Sam, though. They couldn't neglect her, though she didn't think they would. Also, Freddie should be part of the decision-making. He was going to be Sam's husband after all. "I will talk to them about it. Whatever is best for you, that is how I intend to go with it."

"I understand." Emily looked to the window and spotted a car parking outside, it belonged to Spencer. She smiled and headed toward the door. Spencer waved after he got out of the car. He had some things he wanted to talk to his dad about. Sam stood up from the couch and turned to the kitchen. "Robert, Spencer's here!" Robert soon stepped out of the kitchen and looked over as Spencer entered the house. They were wondering what Spencer wanted to talk about.

"Hey Son, I thought you were going home after the reunion," Robert said as Spencer sat on the couch.

"No, I just needed to drop Sasha off," Spencer replied. He was going to go home, but there were some things weighing on his mind that he needed to discuss. He and Sasha had been talking about Carly for some time. "Sasha and I have been discussing the fact that we want to start a family at some point of time. We can't be watching over Carly…" Robert raised his eyebrows and frowned, it seemed Spencer was requesting Carly live elsewhere. If she lived with him, that wouldn't be too bad.

"Are you asking that she come to live with me?" Spencer nodded his head in reply. Sam wasn't too sure about how that would turn out. After all, if Carly lived with Robert and Emily, that would mean she'd be under the same roof as Freddie. Not only that, but how could she have her relationship with Freddie when Carly's in the same vicinity? Emily looked to Sam and sighed, she could easily see the worry in the young woman's eyes. Perhaps it would be best to talk to Morris and Maggie about Sam's living arrangements. She knew that they had to be fair, Spencer and Sasha couldn't take care of Carly when they wanted a family of their own. Not only that, but Robert did want to take care of his daughter before she became too old. "So, how long have you and Sasha been discussing this for?" Spencer tapped his finger on the armrest of the couch and leaned back slightly.

"Since the wedding…Sasha and I can't move into a bigger house yet, and she thinks she's pregnant…so we _have_ to turn Carly's room into a nursery." There was no other bedroom in the apartment, and the couple didn't have enough money to afford a full house. Not yet at least. So it was either Carly slept on the living room couch or she go to live with another of her relatives, and Spencer was not about to send her off to live with Tyrone. "The only option we see is to hand her over to you." Freddie walked out of the kitchen with Jonah and Valerie, they had heard the conversation as well. Jonah was not too sure if it was a good idea, but he wasn't so cruel as to say Carly shouldn't live with her father. He was more concerned that she didn't cause his friends any more trouble.

"Then she'll move in with us," Emily said with a smile. It felt right to her, it felt like the entire family would be together. Of course there was Sam, so it would be difficult. However Sam wanted to take up Morris on his offer, so Emily had to deal with that. "Robert and I will discuss that, but we may decide to let her move in." Spencer nodded and smiled at her, he honestly thought it was the best thing they could do for Carly.

-NEW SCENE-

Two days later, Emily, Freddie, and Robert made their way to the home of Morris and Maggie Puckett. Sam would have been there as well, but she wasn't feeling at her best and couldn't make it. They rang the doorbell and waited for the couple to answer. They were pretty hopeful that this would turn out well. Maggie opened the door and smiled at them. She was dressed nicely and was well groomed, but that wasn't a surprise since she always tried to look nice. Of course, her breath did not smell like cigarette smoke, that was a plus.

"Come in," Maggie offered as she stepped aside. The three entered the house and looked around. The home was pretty clean. In the middle of the living room was a beautiful brown leather couch which faced a television hooked onto the wall. It was evident that these two had money, so they could definitely provide the things Sam needed while living with them, such as food. Morris walked out of a nearby room and smiled. He seemed well dressed as well. Of course, they were dressed in casual, every day clothes, they just were not slobs.

"I see you've kept the house nice and clean," Emily said as she looked toward the coffee table. There was no ashtray, so Maggie was most likely honest in trying to quit smoking. In place of the ashtray was a small glass bowl filled with rasinets.

"Yeah, I try to keep the house pretty clean. Have a seat!" Maggie gestured to the couch and waited as the three sat down. She and Morris sat in the two recliners that were positioned on either side of the couch. Emily looked at the bowl of rasinets and pointed to them. She wanted to have one, so she felt it was best to ask.

"May I?"

"Yes, but try not to grab a whole handful. Morris likes to try that…" Maggie turned to glare at Morris, causing him to laugh nervously. Emily chuckled and took a rasinet from the bowl. She placed it into her mouth and leaned back. She moved her eyes across the room and smiled, she could feel a very relaxing atmosphere. There were pictures neatly hanging on the walls and a beautiful fragrance seemed to fill the air.

"Okay, so let's talk…I understand that you want to let Sam live with you." Maggie nodded and took a raisin from the bowl.

"That's true. We love Sam and want to see more of her...We also know that Tyrone is a problem, and we are pretty sure he doesn't know where we live." Emily rubbed her chin and nodded. Tyrone shouldn't know where they lived, he never took the time or care most likely. It seemed like Morris and Maggie were not far away from Freddie, so it closed any distance problems for the couple. Freddie had his concerns as well, such as Morris having been an angry person in the past. He was sure that Morris would never hurt Sam, but his anger could pose a great problem for her.

"Does Morris have any trouble controlling his anger?" Freddie asked while crossing his arms. Maggie shook her head and Morris gave a confident smile. Anger management classes helped considerably for him. He rarely, if ever, got angry.

"I take Anger Management classes once a week," Morris said while raising his hand up. Freddie's eyebrows rose and a hum left his throat. "I don't drink at all and I tend to stay relatively calm…Maggie helps with all that." He smiled at his wife and she returned his smile with a sweet smile.

"Yeah, we've made sure to remove all alcohol drinks from this house a long time ago," Maggie added. Neither of the two had a drinking problem, but they did know that alcohol could contribute to Morris's anger issues. It had been difficult at first, but it gradually began getting better. Now, they were sure there wouldn't be any trouble. Morris just kept taking the classes to ensure nothing would happen, despite the instructor saying he really didn't need to go anymore.

"So why do you want to take Sam in, any other reasons?" Robert asked thoughtfully. Morris nodded and decided to answer this one. They wanted to feel good about themselves, they wanted to show David and Sarah that they could care for Sam. They wanted to prove to themselves that they weren't useless relatives.

"We know that Sarah didn't think we could care for her," Morris said as he held his hands together and slowly twiddled his thumbs. He slowly exhaled and closed his eyes, he hoped that they would understand why it was so important to them that they help take care of Sam. "We've wanted since Sarah's passing to show that we weren't worthless relatives, that we could take care of her daughter. We've wanted to prove that we were capable…to both Sarah, David, and to ourselves." Emily rubbed her chin and smiled, the tone in Morris's voice was definitely genuine.

"Ever since Sarah died, we've been doing all we could to better ourselves if we could," Maggie said with a smile. "We wanted to show Sam that we were good relatives…we know she didn't think we were before…" Emily nodded once more and took another raisin from the bowl. Those things really were addicting.

"You definitely show a desire to care for her," Emily replied. She just needed to know a few things about the living arrangements and then she could make the decision. "I hear you're trying to quit smoking?"

"Yes, and I'm getting all the help I can. I haven't had a cigarette in a long time!" Freddie smiled at that, it helped him with another of his concerns. At least Sam would most likely not be living in a smoke filled home. She could be safe from Tyrone, she'd still be near him and near the school, and Carly wouldn't be much of a problem.

"Okay, well I am convinced that you want to care for her and that you will do your best. Now what I want to know…what are your house rules?" Sam definitely needed some rules in the house to follow. Morris looked at Maggie and decided to let her deal with that. They both had rules made out, but Maggie knew more about it than he did. He was just too nervous to say much. Maggie closed her eyes and nodded as she began to list out the rules.

"Well, we don't want to be dictators, so we didn't overdo it with the rules." That seemed fair to Emily, no one wanted to make Sam's living arrangements miserable. "Well, as for bedtime, we would appreciate her going to bed around 12:00, since that's when we go to bed. However, when she's in her room…on weekends she can watch television or work on the computer in her room for a little while longer…about an hour longer. On school days, we think it's best if lights go out at that time."

"Okay, that seems fair." That was generally around the time Sam went to bed on most days. Usually she didn't stay up as late as midnight, but it was a good time to set so Sam didn't feel like she _had_ to go to bed around eleven. "What else?"

"Well we want her to help out around the house, so she'll have a few chores. We'll ask her to take out the trash and every once in a while, I would like for her to help me with the dishes. I would also like her help with the garden…" The garden wasn't actually a chore, it was more of a request. Morris worked on the garden all the time with Maggie, it was pretty much the equivalent to a family activity. "When we eat dinner, we eat at the table. Breakfast is here or at school, whichever is Sam's preference. Lunch is at noon and supper is at five."

"That seems fair as well." Emily closed her eyes and placed her hands on her lap. She was for Sam living here, but she had some rules of her own. She was to still be Sam's main guardian and caregiver, as Sarah entrusted that title to her. Anything that happened with Sam, she needed to know. "Would you like to hear some of my rules?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Freddie and Robert looked at Emily and remained silent, they really were there for support and knowledge of things. They had nothing to add unless they felt it was necessary. "I am still her main guardian, okay? I'm letting her live with you, but if there are to be any changes to her, I want to know. Such as an extreme, if she wants plastic surgery, you need to tell me about it and we'll discuss it. You can take her to doctor appointments, you can treat her well, but I must know what is going on with her since she is still under my care. Understood?"

"Yes, we wouldn't have it any other way." Maggie wouldn't argue with that, she agreed wholeheartedly with Emily. Morris agreed as well, he wouldn't want to keep Emily out of the loop, it would just be plain wrong to do.

"Okay…also, if I notice anything bad going on, I will reserve the right to take Sam back under my roof." Morris and Maggie nodded their heads, that was fair. Nothing bad would happen, they were confident of that. They wouldn't do anything harmful to Sam. Emily looked over at Freddie and Robert, she wanted to hear what they had to say about this. "Okay, what do you two think?"

"I think it'll be a great thing for Sam," Robert said as he leaned forward to take a raisin from the bowl. He ate it and smiled at Emily. He thought it was a great opportunity for Sam to get away from where Carly would be, thus staying out of danger, and she'd be able to spend more time with her actual family, something she'd been neglecting for years. "I see no reason that this wouldn't work out."

"I'm all for it as long as Sam is happy," Freddie stated. If Sam was having any problems, he would most likely do something about that. It was a safe environment for Sam, that much was true. Tyrone couldn't find her if he ever figured out that she was Freddie's fiancée. However, there were still some thoughts about what would happen if he did figure out where she lived. "What would you do if Tyrone came to your door?" Morris and Maggie looked at each other and then to Freddie, their eyes told him they would do everything in their power to keep Tyrone from taking Sam away.

"We would try to send him away if we could," Morris said with a nod. It would be better for them to call Emily, or threaten Tyrone with trespassing charges. "I would suggest Sam hide while one of us distracts Tyrone and the other can call for help. I would think to call up one of you…" Emily smiled and slowly stood up, she had heard enough, but would continue to be in contact with them.

"Okay, here's the deal," Emily said in a confident voice. Freddie and Robert stood up as well, figuring Emily was about done. "I'll let Sam stay with you for one month. At the end of that month, if she is happy, then she can stay with you, but if she is not, then she'll come back to live with me." Maggie stood up and shook Emily's hand, she had no problems whatsoever with that decision.

"That is fair."

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So Carly has to live with Robert and Sam will be going to her aunt and uncle, I think that's fair, works out better because Carly won't figure out Sam and Freddie are together. Hope you liked the chapter!


	122. Girls' Day Out

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

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Chapter 122 (Girls' Day Out)

Carly was walking with Sam and Valerie, they had been at the mall for a few minutes and were getting ready to head to the car. Jonah wasn't too keen on Valerie hanging around Carly, but he wasn't going to worry too much about that. Valerie could be friends with Carly if she wanted to, but he was still concerned with it, as well as being concerned with Sam and Freddie hanging around her.

Currently, Carly was discussing what Tyrone had found out once before, that Amanda Becker was not Freddie's bride. Tyrone had been a bit freaked when he saw Arian there, he didn't even know why Arian was there to begin with. Carly was surprised, she may have been wrong to assume it was Amanda, but it sure did seem that way. Then if it wasn't her, who was it? It couldn't possibly be Sam, Sam despised Freddie for all it was worth. Plus, Sam didn't even appear to want to live with Freddie, so why would she possibly be his bride?

"So, why did you say Amanda was his bride?" Carly asked with a suspicious voice. Sam rubbed the back of her neck and looked over at Valerie. She shrugged and let out a small sigh. It was Carly who had assumed she said Amanda. The description fit, but Sam never did actually say it was her.

"You only assumed I was talking about Amanda," Sam replied. This was true, Carly didn't actually think much about it. Sam needed Carly to stop being so hard, then she could trust Carly with the information that she was Freddie's wife. "Plus, when they took me to that reunion, I learned something…"

"What?"

"Amanda is related to Freddie." Carly's jaw fell and she stopped moving. Sam and Valerie stopped walking and turned to face her, raising their eyebrows as they stared at her. Carly was shocked by the news. This meant Amanda was involved in arranged marriages as well? Tyrone told her that he met up with an old enemy of his, but he didn't say much about the guy, other than the person told him to get the hell off the property before he called up the police. "Oh, I learned so much at that reunion, so many things that I honestly didn't think were possible…"

"Like what?" Sam shrugged and continued walking. She wasn't sure if she should actually tell Carly what she learned or not. It was important that Carly know some things, but it could end badly. No, it was best that Spencer and Robert tell her these things at their own pace, it was not her place to tell Carly.

"I uh…I can't tell you." Carly frowned and rolled her eyes slightly, she honestly was getting tired of all the secrets going around. Of course, she wouldn't bother so much with it. Valerie chuckled and looked over as the neared the exit of the mall, she saw a shop with items for babies. They just bought a few things, but she could always use more things for Aaron. Sam saw what Valerie was looking at and shook her head, she didn't need to buy _more_ things for the baby at this moment. After all, Aaron probably had millions of every necessity that babies needed by now. She took Valerie's arm and smiled lightly. "I think your baby has everything he needs, Valerie."

"Aw but I could buy him another pack of diapers!" Sam raised her eyebrow and slowly shook her head. Valerie already had month's worth of diapers. Carly found this exchange very amusing and wondered what she'd be like when she was a mother. Sam pulled on Valerie and started to drag her friend out of the mall. Carly was trying to keep from laughing as she watched Valerie squirm.

"You already have enough diapers, Valerie!"

"Yeah, but you can never have too many!" Valerie tugged again and looked to her friend with pleading eyes. "At least let me get some Gerber food for Aaron!" She already had more than enough of that as well, plus the mall always overcharged everything. Carly's phone started to go off, so she quickly answered it. The girls left the mall and Valerie gave up, she realized she didn't need to buy any more stuff for a while anyway.

"Hello Daddy," Carly said into her phone. She loved hearing from her dad, especially since he lived closer and could actually talk to her more often now.

"Hey sweetie, how are you?" Robert asked. He had some things he needed to talk to Carly about, but not over the phone. He wanted to tell her about the wedding, but most of the other stuff would have to come when the time was right. After all, he didn't want to overload his daughter with too much. "I hear you're with Sam and Valerie. Are you having fun?" Carly laughed and nodded her head, she was having tons of fun with the two. She actually saw Valerie now for who she was and not some stuck up snob that she _thought_ she was so long ago. It was actually nice getting to know Valerie, and to see the real girl rather than the fake one.

"Yeah, I never knew Valerie was actually _nice_, you know?" Robert chuckled and closed his eyes. He had actually forgotten that Carly's first meeting with Valerie wasn't exactly on good terms. "You know what's strange? Her husband doesn't even give me the time of day, and he came on to me when we first met…I guess he hates me for telling Sam what happened." Valerie rolled her eyes and sighed, so Sam gently patted her back. Robert actually nearly choked at Carly's statement. It was unfathomable for Jonah to ever come onto Carly, that's how he felt.

_"Wait, wasn't that a role play as well? Yeah, it was…"_ He slowly exhaled and shook his head, it was better for Carly to think that was the reason Jonah didn't like her, wasn't it? Whether it was or not, that was the reason they needed Carly to think at the moment. "Carly, honey, will you be going back to Spencer's house soon? Well, your house…we have some things that we need to discuss with you."

"Oh, sure…I'll see you there. Love you dad."

"I love you too sweetie." Carly hung up the phone and looked to her friends as they started to enter the car. Carly got into the backseat and put her belt on.

"Hey Valerie, can you take me home? I think my dad wants to tell me something." Sam and Valerie looked at each other and then shrugged. Carly was anxious to find out what her father wanted. Valerie started up the car with a sigh and drove off. Sam leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, she wondered as well what Robert would be telling Carly. It was probably about the move.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Sam said as her eyes fluttered open. She turned to look at Carly and gave the best triumphant smile she could. "I don't have to live with those Bensons anymore!" Carly blinked and opened her mouth, but she didn't know what to say. If Sam didn't live with Freddie and his mom, where would she move to? "I'm going to live with one of my relatives."

"But Sam, I thought your relatives were bad people?" Sam shook her head and leaned back into her chair. She wasn't surprised Carly still thought that, and she had every right to, but it wasn't like that anymore for her relatives. Ever since the reunion, they've proved themselves time and time again.

"No, they've changed a lot. They actually care about me now, so I've given them a chance when they asked to take care of me. Plus, it's anything to get away from those crummy Bensons, right?" Valerie closed her eyes for a second and took a small sigh. She knew it was for the secret that Sam had to say those things, but she also knew Sam felt very sick saying such things about Freddie's family.

"How can you say such things so easily?" Valerie whispered loud enough for Sam to hear, but quiet enough that Carly couldn't. Sam frowned and looked at her feet, she felt horrible for saying such things. She always felt bad about it, but how else could she make Carly not think that she and Freddie were together.

"It's not easy…" Valerie gave an understanding nod as she pulled into the Bushwell Plaza. The girls entered the building and made their way to the elevator. Sam felt kind of nervous, she wondered if she should be there when Robert told Carly about the wedding or not. Freddie was supposed to be with Jonah and helping to take care of Aaron on the girls' day out, so he wouldn't be there. Perhaps if Carly felt she wanted her there, then she would stay. "Carly, would you like for me to stay with you? Valerie also?" Carly thought for a moment and nodded her head. She would need someone there, because she was getting a very nervous feeling inside of her.

"Yeah, if you could stay, that'd be great." Sam gave a nod and smiled as she patted Carly on the back, she would definitely be there for her.

* * *

Hope you liked this chapter, it's sort of a breather. These next few chapters will be big ones. Please enjoy, and review


	123. Important News

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

* * *

Chapter 123 (Important News)

They made their way to Carly's door and entered the apartment. Sitting on the couch was Spencer, Robert, and Emily. Sasha was in the kitchen. Carly was confused to see Emily. She knew that Emily was hanging around a bit more, but she did wonder why her father's news was so important and yet Emily was there. "Hey I'm here…what's Mrs. Benson doing here?" She also knew that Emily and Robert lived together. She just did not know why. Spencer sighed and slowly stood up. He smiled and hugged Carly.

"Hey baby sis, have a seat." Carly pulled up a chair and sat down. Spencer walked over to Sasha and placed his hand on the small of her back. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, melting him as she always seemed to do. Carly was thankful for Sasha, since she made her brother happy. She was glad when she saw a couple like them, when both could make the other happy. "Carly, Sasha and I…we want to start a family. We don't have the money yet to afford a bigger house, so we need to stay in the apartment." Spencer frowned and Carly remained silent, she could see where this was going. She felt a little confused, since she didn't seem to have any trouble with the idea of living with her father, if that's what he wanted her to do.

"So what are you saying? You want me to move in with Daddy?" She would be thrilled to do it, but she would miss Spencer. Of course, she couldn't live with him forever, she knew that. Spencer closed his eyes and slowly exhaled, it was tough for him, but it had to be done. He felt like he was kicking his sister out, though he wasn't. He didn't like to feel that way, but there wasn't any choice in the matter.

"We need to use your room for a nursery whenever we do start a family." Carly could accept that, but she still had to know why Emily was here. Spencer didn't want her to feel like she was being abandoned, and she wasn't, but he felt a little guilty about leaving her behind like this. It was only fair, he couldn't take care of her all the time, and Robert did want to take care of her, just like Morris and Maggie wanted to care for Sam. Carly stood up and walked over to him, she hugged him to let him know that she was okay with it.

"I don't mind, I'd love to move in with dad." Robert smiled, he was happy that his daughter wanted to move in with him. Spencer was happy to see Carly so accepting of the idea, but it wasn't his news that he was afraid of.

"There's something else as well, Carly." Carly raised her eyebrow as Spencer brushed his nose. "You are getting a stepmother." Carly froze for a moment, unsure of what she had just heard.

"What?" She quickly turned to her father and saw something that shocked her quite a bit, he was holding hands with Emily. "What! Dad? You and…Ms. Benson are getting…married?"

"Yes Carly, we are," Robert said with a cautious tone of voice. He wasn't sure exactly how Carly would take the news, but she was taking it better than he had thought she would. Of course, there was still the other news that he wasn't going to mention just yet, as he wasn't sure how. How do you mention to a girl that cares so much for her grandfather that the man took apart a couple so very much in love? "Carly, I love Emily with all my heart, she's the greatest woman that I have ever been with."

"Well…what about mom?" Robert's eyebrows rose as Carly gave him a questioning look. She never knew her mother, Spencer never talked about the woman. Robert wasn't about to tell Carly that her mother didn't want her, but he didn't want to lie to his daughter either. "You did love her, right? You never talk about her though…Why doesn't Spencer ever talk about her?"

"Carly…your mother was…she was not a very good woman." Carly blinked and sat down on the couch, she didn't quite understand what her father meant by that. How was her mom not a good woman? "Your mother was a woman named Linda Peeloff…" Carly's eyes widened with surprise and she quickly jumped from her seat, she recognized the woman as the headmaster of that private school so long ago.

"I know her! Maybe I can meet her!" Spencer frowned and moved over to Carly, he placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Linda wouldn't want to see her, that much was clear.

"Trust me sis, you don't want to see her," Spencer replied in a quiet tone of voice. He was protecting Carly, he didn't want her to get hurt. Carly didn't want that though, she wanted to meet the woman she never knew.

"Spencer, she's your mom too!"

"Carly." Carly turned to Spencer and her voice began to rise, but not with anger, rather with anticipation and a desire to do something that was very important to her.

"I mean wouldn't you want to know about your mother?"

"Yes but…"

"Well she's your mom too, so you shouldn't have any problem letting-"

"Carly, she's not my mother." Carly's jaw dropped and Sam's eyes widened. Spencer let that one slip, but he hadn't meant to. Even still, Carly would have needed to know. She had no clue what he meant by this though. If Linda wasn't his mother, then who was? Spencer ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath, watching as Carly fell back into her seat. Her eyes were wide and shocked, she was just too confused to understand what was going on.

"Then who is she? Who is your real mother? Do you even know her?" Spencer slowly looked over at Emily and frowned, he wasn't sure if he should say it. If he did, Carly would want to know what happened, and she probably wouldn't be so willing to believe that her grandfather orchestrated everything.

"Yes, I know who she is…I found out not too long ago." Carly nodded and slowly closed her hands. Spencer should know how she felt then, to want to meet a woman who he had never known. "In fact, I believed Linda to be my mother for so long that when I found out she wasn't my mom…I couldn't tell you exactly how I felt."

"I bet…I bet you wanted to find your real mom. I bet you wanted to know what happened, why she didn't want you and all of that…" Spencer slowly glanced to the side and pressed his teeth together. He had already known why. His mother had wanted him, but Carly's didn't. Carly slowly rose up and took her brother's shirt in her hands. "Then you should know how I feel Spencer! You should know!"

"Carly…I'm trying to protect you!"

"Protect me from what?! From knowing who my real mother is? How is that protecting me?!" Spencer opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He just couldn't explain it to her. Sam could see that she had a real point, and so could Emily. Emily slowly stood up and smiled at Spencer. She thought Carly deserved to know a little about her mother, but she was going to need some support. Carly turned around and Spencer glanced over at Emily, they were wondering what she was going to say.

"Let me take her to see her mother, I'm sure I know where the woman is," Emily said in a gentle voice. Carly didn't know how to respond, all she knew was if Emily was offering to take her to see her mom, then she should take that offer. Emily looked over at Spencer and slowly exhaled. "There are some things in life that a child needs to know. A girl who has grown up without her mother should see the woman at least once if she's still alive. Think of all the questions that Carly must have for her. I'm sure you know how that feels, Spencer." Emily put on her best 'mom' look when Spencer glanced her way, it was always an easy way to get kids to do what she needed them to do. When he looked at her, he was already defeated. He knew she was right, he had no right to hold Carly back from this, no matter how much it scared him.

"Okay Carly, just try to relax when you do see her," Spencer responded. Carly's smile widened and she quickly hugged Spencer, she couldn't believe that she was actually being allowed to see her birth mom. She had so many questions, so many things that she wanted to know.

"Thank you so much!" Carly said with a quick laugh. She moved over to Emily and hugged her. "Thank you Ms. Benson!" Emily smiled sadly and hugged Carly. She was going to be there for her when they were done with Linda, she knew very well that Carly would need her.

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The next chapter you shall enjoy. I hope you liked this chapter, please leave a review. Oh, and go check out my other story, JESSICA'S DARK PAST, I'd really like some reviews there.


	124. The Drive

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

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Chapter 124 (The Drive)

Emily and Carly were driving toward Linda Peeloff's home, somehow the woman decided to let Carly visit her. It hadn't been difficult, Emily managed to convince the woman that Carly deserved to know her mother. Carly sort of felt like Emily was just doing this to earn brownie points, but that wasn't the case for the elder woman at all. She cared about Carly, she cared about her as if she were her own child.

"Ms. Benson, do you know why Mom and Dad never stayed together?" Carly asked while looking over at Emily. Emily had tears going down her face because she was remembering how horrible it felt having her child taken away and the man she loved was forced to marry someone he hated. She couldn't be happy if Robert wasn't happy. She was sad for Spencer having to go so many painful years not knowing she was his mother. Carly didn't deserve that. Carly was shocked to see this woman crying for no apparent reason, so she thought to ask. "Why are you crying?" Emily shook her head and wiped her eyes, she couldn't tell her the reason, not yet.

"I just think…" She took a deep breath and wondered if she should be honest. She knew that Carly was going to find out and that it would hit her hard, so was it right if she told Carly herself and didn't let Linda hurt her? Perhaps it was a good idea to warn her before Linda tore her heart apart. She hated the woman because of what she had done to Robert and what she had done to her children. It didn't matter if she her cousin or not, she was angry at her.

"Ms. Benson?" Emily's hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel, then relaxed. She looked at Carly and smiled softly.

"I just think you deserve to know the truth about things." Carly didn't understand what that meant, but if she had to guess, she'd say there was yet _another _lie going on. She sighed heavily and turned to gaze out the window. She was starting to become annoyed with all of the lies surrounding her and all of her friends. "I want to warn you…the woman you're about to meet is one of the most virulent women I've ever met, and I'm not just saying that because she left your father."

"What?" Carly's eyes widened in surprise, she had no clue that it was her mother that left. She thought that someone just filed for divorce. What was it that happened that was so bad? Carly saw how Emily's hands seemed to tighten up once more, she seemed to become emotional when thinking about Robert and Linda at the same moment. She decided maybe it was best to change the subject. "Ms. Benson, I was wondering…well, I was kind of surprised you didn't make Freddie come along. Aren't you worried?"

"Robert's with him, I'm not worried at all. Besides, Freddie's perfectly capable of taking care of things when I'm gone." Once more, Carly was surprised by Emily's response. Wasn't this the woman who was a crazy, overprotective mother? Was this not the woman who gave Freddie tick baths and cloud block? None of it made sense to her, it was like Emily just completely changed into a sane woman. She needed to know why Emily wasn't concerned about Freddie's well being while she was gone.

"Aren't you at least concerned about him?"

"Of course, what caring mother wouldn't be concerned about her child?" It was the reason she'd moved near Spencer in the first place so long ago, it was the reason she'd tried her best to keep Tyrone away from Freddie and from Sam. "I have something to tell you, Carly…" Emily kept her eyes on the road as she turned the corner. Her windshield wipers were on high speed, batting away the rain. She sighed deeply and released the gas for a brief moment, to take down the speed. "I'm not always overprotective like you may have been led to believe…"

"What?"

"There is no such thing as 'cloud block.' Although, I do make Freddie wear sunscreen when he leaves the house to be in the sun for a long time, it's precautionary. There is also no such thing as a tick bath…my son is not a dog." Carly slapped her forehead and closed her eyes. Of course, it was so simple. Why had she not caught those facts in the past? Why had Emily felt a need to masquerade as an insanely overprotective woman though? What was the reason?

"I-I don't understand…why would you act the way you did?" Emily frowned as she turned another corner and began driving down a narrow road. They were only within a block from Linda's house, and both women were becoming very anxious for this meeting. Emily was going to make sure Linda didn't do or say a thing to hurt Carly. As they came up to a stoplight, Emily pressed down on the brake and slowly came to a stop. The light was red, so Emily leaned back and looked over at Carly with a soft, honest, motherly look. Oddly, Carly felt a warm feeling because of it.

"It is because of those who want to harm my son. If I come across as overprotective, then the gangs will be afraid of me and not so eager to attack." Carly could understand that, she would hope Emily could do whatever it takes to protect her child. She smiled and tilted her head back against the chair. She wanted to ask the woman if she could date Freddie even though Robert was going to marry her and Freddie would become her stepbrother. She had so many other questions as well, such as would _she_ be required to participate in arranged marriage?

"I'm guessing I won't be permitted to try and date Freddie now that you and Dad are getting married." Emily chuckled and shook her head. There was no way she would allow that to happen, not when Freddie was already taken up by someone. The light turned green and Emily pressed her foot on the gas pedal. Carly looked at her, as if awaiting a response. She was thinking of something to say and tapping her thumbs upon the steering wheel. She drew a slow breath and closed her eyes for a moment.

"I will say this, everything your grandfather has told you about arranged marriage…it is all questionable. I won't tell you anything about him yet, but I will say there are things that you don't even know. I hold true to my culture, but I am also not a slave driver or anything that your grandfather may have said about me. He hates us for his own reasons, and I can't say that I am a big fan of him either."

"But why should you not like him? He's never done anything to you, has he? You shouldn't hate him…" Emily looked upwards at the trees passing overhead, the sun was starting to shine and the rain was beginning to go down. She flicked the windshield wipers on a lower speed and turned another corner. Tears started to threaten her eyes, so she blinked and shook them off. Carly already noticed them before she could hide them.

"Your grandfather was the cause of something so horrible…what he did to me, he got away with for almost thirty years…" Carly wasn't sure what to make of the statement, she felt sad that something bad happened to Emily, but she was also confused to think that Tyrone could have done anything at all.

"What did he do to you that was so bad?" Emily pressed her lips together and felt her hands tightening up once more. She hated to remember, but she was glad that Tyrone wasn't winning anymore. He couldn't hurt her or her family. He could try, and most likely he would, but she wasn't going to let him do anything.

"He took away the man I loved, the man I was supposed to marry, then he forced away my son." Carly gasped and her eyes widened at the horrible news. It was just terrible! Tyrone would never do something so bad, would he?

"He never told me…"

"You think he'd want you to know? Considering my son…and the man I've loved for well over thirty years…" The last part of her sentence was muttered, but Carly still was able to catch some of it. She didn't know what the elder woman meant, but something told her that she was closer to Emily than she thought.

"Grandpa always said…arranged marriage couldn't have love, that people were put with people they didn't even know." Emily raised her eyebrow and laughed, of _course_ Tyrone would say something like that. Carly knew nothing, nothing at all. Tyrone was trying so hard to mold her, but his molding had to end at some point.

"Carly, in my culture…usually it is the husband that has to do the work, but I didn't have a husband, so I had to do the selecting of the bride. I am required to look at every woman that is in my son's life, a woman he _knows_ and I am to evaluate her on how she acts around him. Then I am required to put them together, let them date for a little while and see how they feel about each other. When they make puberty, I must have a bride selected for him, at least by then…I bring them together once more and I tell them that they are to be wed, I ask them if they feel they are willing to marry each other…they then tell me yes or no. The parents, or family of the spouse are also involved in this. However, there is the dowry system, where if the spouse's parents are against their child getting married, they can pay a certain amount…but once the parents say yes, there's no going back…"

"So, you were in love with the person your parents chose? What did his parents say?"

"At first, it was yes…but then that changed…I was forced apart by my lover's father, and my son was torn away from me, practically upon the delivery table."

"Oh my god…" Carly felt a horrible feeling in her stomach, it was as if she'd eaten a ton of sharp rocks. She honestly couldn't believe there was a person on this earth that could ever do that to a person. It was too horrible, too cruel, too gruesome. "I'm so sorry…I never knew…"

"It's okay, it's in the past now." Carly knew it now, her guess had to be right. Emily was marrying Robert, she was in love with him. She said she was still in love with the man from long ago. If anything, it had to be Robert. Yet, if it was truly him, then that meant Spencer was Emily's _son._ Her eyes widened and her hands slowly closed. It was beginning to make sense to her. Spencer said he never knew his true mother, that he'd recently just found out about her. He'd recently found her. If he was forced away, that meant the person didn't think Emily should be his mother, so naturally it would have been kept a secret. Carly stared at her feet in shock. She wasn't sure if she could handle such news.

"I-I'm still not sure my grandfather would do all this…" Emily shrugged her shoulders and Carly slowly closed her eyes. "I don't know _why_ he would. I am glad though…I'm happy that you can be happy again." Carly smiled at Emily and took a slow breath. It made her feel good when she knew that two people could live in happiness, rather than to be in a dire situation that they hated more than anything.

"Thank you, Carly."

"Two people who can be happy together, that's all I want…is for everyone to be happy." Emily smiled slightly and parked the car against a curb, they were finally at Linda's residence. Carly looked toward the yellow house and swallowed gently, she didn't know if she really was ready to do this anymore. She'd just been told that her mother was supposed to be a mean lady, so it did seem pretty scary for her. "Um, can I just ask…why Dad married her?" Emily sighed as she exited the car. She walked around and glanced over as Carly exited the vehicle. Carly was shaking with fear and nervousness, she didn't know what was wrong with her, she was never this nervous when meeting anyone.

"Now what I'm about to tell you may shock you, but your grandfather forced Robert to marry this woman." Carly took a step back and shook her head, her eyes were wide and her hands were beginning to sweat. Her mother, her birth mother was forced to marry Robert. Then this woman probably didn't even _want_ her. "Carly? You're going to be okay, I'm here…" Emily took her hand and gave it a slight squeeze. She looked up at Emily and seemed to relax when she gazed into the motherly eyes. "We can turn back if you want, we don't have to go in there." Carly looked over at the house and saw the curtains move from the window, Linda's face appeared and her eyes were narrow. She swallowed and took a deep breath.

"No, I need to do this. I have to talk to her."

"Okay, I'm with you all the way. Let's go talk to her." Carly nodded bravely and watched as Linda's face left the window and the purple curtains fell back in place.

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I hope you enjoyed this, do review. The next chapter, I am sure you'll enjoy


	125. The Real Mom

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

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Chapter 125 (The Real Mom)

Even though she chose to continue on, Carly was still feeling unsure than ever about meeting her true mother. The one thing she was happy about was the fact that Emily was there for her. Having her being there made her feel happier and more confident than she was feeling earlier. She also felt a firmer bond with Emily, perhaps it was because she knew Emily was closer to being a real mother because of Spencer, she didn't know. All she knew was as long as Emily was there, she didn't care how her birth mother acted.

Emily could vouch for one thing, she was not happy that she was related to this woman. There was just no proof of relation. There was, but they seemed far too opposite to be related. It was probably like Arian and Tyrone, too impossible to imagine, even if it is true. She wanted to smack this woman so hard, even though she did already punch the woman out once before. She had to try her best to remain civil while Carly was there.

Carly and Emily slowly walked toward the front door, the bad feelings they had inside seemed only to remain relaxed with each other there. Carly still wanted to talk to Emily, still she had questions that she needed to know. She felt like the woman would answer her questions, where Linda wouldn't be honest enough to do so. "Did you choose Sasha for Spencer?" Emily stopped walking and so did Carly, she smiled softly and looked at the young girl. She could see so many questions in her eyes, it was like she didn't want to bother with Linda, and she didn't.

"Honestly, no. I…" Emily was unsure if she should tell Carly that Spencer was her child, but it was obvious that she knew about it anyway. It wasn't hard to figure out. "He didn't know I was his mother at the time he met and proposed to Sasha. He found out all on his own afterward…Robert and I did sort of discuss it and we agreed she would make a good wife for him." Carly nodded in reply, she could agree with that. Sasha was the best wife Spencer could ever have.

"Well, she is a good choice. Do you think you'll be looking around for my spouse?"

"It's highly probable…well, your dad most likely will do that, since it's the father's basic job in the culture. We're going to talk about it, you would have a lot to learn." Emily sighed and closed her eyes, trying to think how to break it to Carly that she wouldn't be permitted to date Freddie. She figured it was pretty clear, and she didn't want to be harsh, but sometimes bluntness was best. "Carly, I'm sure how to break this to you…but you do know that you aren't going to be allowed to date Freddie, right?"

"I figured." Carly took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, she wasn't surprised at all about it. She still liked Freddie a lot, but there was a chance that he was happy with some other girl. She wouldn't ask, she knew well that they didn't trust her with that information. She felt horrible to think that Freddie couldn't trust her, but it was obvious, she was too loose lipped when it came to her grandfather. If she knew who his bride was, she'd spill her guts. She didn't think that Tyrone would do a thing, but she just wasn't sure anymore.

"I'm sorry Carly." Carly shrugged her shoulders and looked at the door, she was still afraid to knock and afraid to enter. She felt like if she did, she was going to hear so many things that she just didn't want to know. She had to meet her mother at least once, though. She just had to. How many secrets were behind that door? How many secrets were filling the air and surrounding all of her friends? She didn't know anything. Emily lifted her hand to the doorbell and stopped when she felt Carly squeeze on her hand. She looked over and wondered what the girl wanted.

"I don't care to know who Freddie's wife is...I don't want to know, not until I know and they know and everyone knows I could be trusted. I'd probably tell Grandpa, I still don't know if he'd do anything…I haven't seen for myself anything at all…" Emily smiled sadly and felt a slight tinge inside of her. She felt for Carly, knowing the girl probably wouldn't believe anything about her grandfather very easily. It hurt, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. "However, other than that…I don't want any more secrets. If there is something that I should know, that I need to know…please don't hide it."

"There are several things that you could and should know, but until the time is right and we know how to tell you certain things…then we can't tell you." Carly nodded with understanding. It still hurt, but she figured whatever she didn't know, she wouldn't make Emily tell her. She would just let everyone go at their own pace. She knew for a fact that a big problem was a trust between the Davidsons and the Shays, and because of telling Tyrone about Amanda, it probably put a damper on their trust for Carly. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Carly took a deep breath once more and watched nervously as Emily hit the doorbell. The door opened and Linda stared back with a mean sneer on her face, she was starting to grow impatient. She glared coldly at Emily and Carly noticed Emily glaring right back at her.

"Took you long enough to decide if you were coming or going," Linda said with a cold voice that sent shivers down Carly's spine. She already felt like she wanted to leave. Emily huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Are you going to let us in or are you going to force us to stare at your ugly complexion?" Emily retorted. Linda scoffed and entered the house. Emily entered and Carly followed, she tried not to laugh at her stepmom's remark.

"I'm not too happy about this meeting either, and is that any way to talk to your _cousin?"_ Carly's eyes widened slightly and Emily raised her eyebrow. She had to wonder how Linda knew about their relations. If she had paid attention, she might have known that Zamira found a way to contact Linda. Linda turned around as Emily and Carly sat down in the chair. "My mother called…seems I didn't realize that I was related to filth like you."

"You shut up you hag!" Emily shot up quickly and the vein in her neck started to bulge out with her anger. Carly was too stunned by Linda's words to react. If Linda was Emily's cousin, that meant that she was related to Freddie by blood. Even if Freddie wasn't getting married, it could never work out! "You have no right to use words like that! You could at least show some respect and start acting like a mother should!"

"Oh shut up, that child was never mine to begin with."

"You bitch!" Emily clenched her fists and Linda simply rolled her eyes.

"Sure I gave birth to her, but why should I recognize her as my kid? She's the spawn of that pathetic, no backbone son of that old bastard who forced us together anyway." Carly's eyes widened some more and her eyes began to water, she was seriously hurt by the way her birth mother was acting. Linda never wanted her, that seemed clear. "If I could have had an abortion, I would have."

"How dare you say that with your daughter in the room!" Emily told herself that she'd restrain herself from punching Linda, but it was getting harder to do. She didn't even want to recognize that she was this woman's cousin. If anything, Linda was completely opposite from how a real mother should act. "A real mom cares! A real mother would never say the things that you're saying, especially in front of her child!" Carly stared down at her feet and her body began to shake. She was thankful that Emily seemed to be defending her, but she hated how her birth mom was acting.

"You think I care about some motherless brat who believes anything that a cocky old bastard has to say? I don't understand what your problem is, anyway. I mean you should hate them too, after all, Tyrone did tear you apart didn't he? Took your kid away and then put that man with me. Made me give birth to a girl who I frankly could care less about…" Linda was acting so nonchalant and haughty, but she didn't care, it was how she was raised. Emily wasn't too thrilled with the attitude, nor did she want to accept that Linda was a Davidson.

"Why are you so stuck up? Why don't you just get an attitude adjustment!" She felt guilty that the moment they entered the house, a fight begun. This was supposed to be Carly's moment, and now she was ruining it for her. Linda scoffed and crossed her arms, she didn't feel it was her job to change how she acted. If people didn't like her attitude, they could just suck it up. Emily straightened herself and looked over at Carly. It broke her heart to see Carly with the tears streaming down her face. Linda didn't seem to mind at all. "You've got your birth daughter here, she's got questions…"

"Oh suck it up. I don't have the time nor the care to answer questions." Emily glared back at Linda, the rage was beginning to build up inside her once more. She had already begun trying to calm herself down, too. "You wasted your time coming." Linda leaned forward and put on a mocking smile and spoke to Carly with a stuck up tone. "Um Carly dear, you have questions, I have answers. I hate children. I don't want children. I never cared for that slob of a father of yours either." Emily clenched her fists more and ignored the fact that her nails were beginning to dig into her palms. She hated that anyone would speak about Robert in such a manner. Carly closed her hands on her pat legs and tried desperately to hold back the tears. "It's not worth it marrying a man who had a child with another woman, believe me. Man he had such a screwed up life, and you do too, dearie. I assure you, you're probably always going to walk in your father's shadow, and without a good mother to speak of as well. You don't deserve a mother, just like Robert doesn't deserve a wife…therefore, you probably will never have a good one at-"

"Shut the hell up!" Emily couldn't take it anymore, she wasn't going to let Carly sit there and take the abuse. She roared with anger and swiftly threw her fist into Linda's jaw. Carly gasped and looked up with wide eyes as Linda fell to the ground. She was shocked that Emily would do such a thing, but she also felt happy that she did. Linda rubbed her face and seethed with anger.

"How dare you!"

"How dare me? How dare you! You have a lot of nerve to sit here and talk to Carly like that! I guarantee, you may be the daughter of my aunt, but there is _no way _in _hell_ that you are one of my family!" Linda was stunned into silence, she was trying to think of a comeback, but couldn't. Emily turned to Carly and huffed. "Come on Carly, we're leaving." Emily started walking to the door and Carly slowly stood up and followed, she didn't even give Linda a second look. She didn't care about the woman anymore, she had seen all she cared to see. Emily slammed Linda's door shut and the two made it halfway to the car when Carly began to break. All the words Linda said began to sink in and weigh her down.

"I don't have a mother," Carly said as she started to fall to her knees and bring her hands to her face. Emily quickly spun around and wrapped her arms around Carly in a hug, she knew the girl needed comfort. Carly sobbed into her shoulder, letting all her pain out. "My own mother didn't want me!" Emily sighed slowly and rubbed Carly's back.

"In all due respect, I don't think it's safe to even call that woman a mother. She's more like a monster. Also yes, you do have a mother, just not her..." Carly chuckled once through her tears and shook her head. She still felt really bad, it wouldn't be easy to deal with the weight of everything she heard from Linda.

"I-Is it all true? What she said…is it true? Was dad really forced to marry her?"

"She could have gone about a better way of saying what she did…but for the most part…yes." Carly closed her eyes and sobbed, she was afraid now more than ever of forced marriage. It was up to Emily to comfort her in that area.

"Tell me arranged marriage isn't like that…"

"It's not, sweetie. Believe me, I would never put you, Spencer, or Freddie with _anyone_ they didn't love." Carly smiled lightly in response, she felt Emily was telling the truth there, and it felt great. She didn't have to fear anything then. She frowned and wiped a tear from her eye as Emily continued to rub her back and comfort her.

"I didn't know…I was Freddie's second cousin."

"I know, I know you didn't…neither did we. In fact, I just found out at the reunion that I was related to Linda."

"Wow, bad time to find that out, huh…" Emily chuckled and nodded. It had been horrible then.

"Carly, we found a lot of things out at the reunion. By that, I mean a _lot _of things. You'll learn a lot in due time, but for now, how about we start heading home?"

"Okay." Carly smiled gently and hugged Emily, she was very thankful that the woman was there today. She had a few more weeks until she actually moved in with Robert and Emily, but she was glad to do so. She felt that with all things considered, Emily was a real mother, her real mother. "Thank you for being there for me…mom." Emily gasped softly as Carly seemed to snuggle closer. She smiled softly and hugged Carly tighter. She hadn't been expecting that word to come from Carly's mouth, so naturally she was taken by surprise. She wasn't even married to Robert yet, but Carly felt like they already were, all things considered. "Thank you."

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I hope you liked this chapter. Sorry my updating has slowed, so has my writing, heh. There are a few changes happening in my life, so bear with me. I've got someone I'm dating and will most likely begin a long term relationship with, she's actually a writer here ^_^. She's great. I'm also going into the Job Corps for a few months, then after that I'll move to Indiana, so yeah, updating will be a tad slower, but don't worry, I will NEVER leave my readers behind. Unless I'm talking to Andrea all the time, lol


	126. Jonah VS Carly, Round 1

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

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Chapter 126 (Jonah VS Carly Round 1)

It was now early November and Carly was moving her things into Robert and Emily's home. Sam had already made her move into her Aunt and Uncle's home, so there was nothing to worry about there. Sam was helping to unload Carly's things while Freddie was off hanging with Jonah somewhere. They didn't really need him there in the first place since Carly didn't have much to unpack at all.

"You'll be getting my old room," Sam said while carrying a box toward her room. She made absolute sure to clear _everything_ out of her room before Carly moved in, she would feel horrible if Carly found anything incriminating. "You won't just be getting it, you'll love it." Carly laughed as she entered the bedroom. "Emily just washed the sheets and cleaned up the room, so everything should be pretty nice." Carly paused and stared at Sam in shock, she never heard Sam call Ms. Benson by her first name. Sam caught her slip up and quickly explained it. "She likes to be called by her first name, she says calling her by Ms. Benson makes her sound old…even though she is."

"Oh, right…" Carly chuckled nervously and set her box on the ground. Sam sat on the bed and laid back, placing her hands behind her head. She closed her eyes and sighed, she would miss this bed. She had so much fun in this bed, so many romps with Freddie even. They never had sex in it, they merely made out. Sam blinked and her cheeks shone red, she was thankful that Emily changed the sheets for Carly. Carly opened one box and smiled, it was all of her clothing. "Hey Sam, Emily says that I can't date Freddie."

"I would think not." Sam slowly sat up and looked over at her friend, she smiled politely and crossed her arms. This was a victory to her, and boy did it feel sweet. "You're practically his cousin, you _are _his cousin! Not only that, but Freddie's already taken by someone anyway, as I told you." Carly frowned and nodded her head, she understood well what Sam was saying, but she still wished none of it were true and she could date him.

"Yeah, if we weren't related in a way, I would so challenge his girlfriend for his heart." Sam rolled her eyes and looked out a nearby window. She tapped her fingers on her bed and sighed, it was getting old listening to how much Carly wanted Freddie. Someone knocked on the door, so Sam called for them to enter, it was Freddie and Jonah. Carly's jaw fell, she was surprised to see Jonah around Freddie. "Jonah? Why are you with Freddie?" Jonah looked at her and frowned, he _still_ didn't trust her. As far as he knew, she could still try to tear Freddie and Sam apart, and he was _not_ going to tolerate that.

"Simple. He's my friend," Jonah stated as a matter of fact. This statement surprised her even more. Even though he was married to Valerie, she didn't think that he and Freddie would be friends at all. It was too absurd for her to think about, so she blew it off as a lie. She placed her hands onto her hips and glared angrily at Jonah. Sam and Freddie raised their eyebrows and stared at each other nervously, they did not think it was a good idea to put Jonah and Carly in the same room with one another.

"I don't believe it for a second, you hurt Sam once, and I'm not going to let you hurt her again!" Jonah cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms, he was now on the defensive. "I don't even know why you married, you might just cheat on her. Or are you doing that now by coming here to see Sam? You want to take her back? What are the chances she's also just using you for something?" Freddie paled and Sam slapped her forehead, they knew one should _never_ say something like that to Jonah about his wife. Jonah was seething with rage now, it was needless to say that he honestly felt like hitting Carly, and he would have if he wasn't so sure that one should never hit a woman.

"How _dare _you talk about my wife like that!" Jonah stepped toward Carly, his chest heaving with anger. Carly was afraid of what he might do, but she wasn't about to show it, so she stood strong. "I love Valerie with all my heart, and I would _never _do anything to hurt her! I am not an adulterer."

"Yeah, say that to Sam. I guess she wasn't important enough for you not to hurt." Carly crossed her arms and smirked, feeling rather triumphant. Jonah narrowed his eyes and growled angrily. Sam and Freddie were wondering if they should break the two up, most likely they would have to do that if these two started getting physical. "In fact, you tried to kiss me is what you did, and that really freaked the hell out of me."

"Good! I was hoping it would freak you out!" Sam started to fidget and tap her fingers on her legs nervously, she really didn't like how this was playing out. "Why did I want that? Simple, because I don't like you! In fact, because of what you said about my wife, I feel like snapping your neck right off, but I won't because Sam and Freddie seem to like you, and I'm not a violent person!" Carly froze and Freddie placed his hand on Jonah's shoulder, signaling that enough was enough. Anymore that was said could risk a revelation of their secret. Carly narrowed her eyes and slapped Jonah across the face. Jonah breathed in and slowly growled as Sam winced. She knew that if Valerie had been in the room just now, she might have smacked Carly back.

"I know you may be pulling the wool over their eyes…Sam, Valerie, Freddie…they may trust you, but you can't win me over so easily. You haven't proven to me that you are trustworthy, and I will _not_ trust you." Jonah narrowed his eyes and stared at Carly for a minute. During this time, no one spoke a single word.

"I can say the same exact thing for you, Carly." He turned away from Carly and faced Sam, he had something he needed to tell her. "Anyway, Freddie and I are stopping here while heading out somewhere…Valerie called up and said she's been trying to call you, but your phone is off. I think she has something she wants to talk to you about." Sam's eyes widened and she quickly pulled her cell phone off, she'd put it on silent earlier and neglected to turn it up. Valerie called her at least three times.

"Oh my god, I should call her up right now!" Sam said as she quickly stood up. "Sorry Carly, I'll be back…um, nobody try to kill anyone, please." Sam rushed out of the room and Carly continued to stare at Jonah, she was shocked and confused as hell at what Jonah said to her. Why didn't he trust her? What had she ever done? He didn't like her, he didn't care for her one bit, but why? She had to know, she _needed_ to know. Everybody liked her, everyone! Sure, she may have told Sam that Jonah tried to kiss her. Actually she didn't tell Sam, Sam found out on her own, but did Jonah hold grudges? Was that really a reason to hold a grudge?

"Jonah, why don't you trust me? Do you hold grudges? Are you mad at me for Sam finding out…" Jonah raised his eyebrow and Freddie rolled his eyes, both men were starting to become impatient and ticked off with Carly at the moment. Jonah slowly turned to Carly and stared at her with a blank expression on his face.

"No, I don't hold grudges," he replied in a flat tone of voice. "I just simply don't like you nor trust you."

"Why? I mean everyone likes me…there must be a reason…"

"Don't be so vain, Carly. Surely there are some people in this world that dislike you for various reasons. Nevel was one person…and I'm one."

"Is it because I didn't kiss you? That's why Nevel dislikes me." Jonah rolled his eyes and groaned. He stared at Freddie, but his friend only shook his head, this moment wasn't bad enough to blow the secret. Freddie always tried to remain neutral, but he agreed with Jonah slightly on the fact that even if Carly's a Davidson and she's now living under the roof of Emily because her father's getting married, it doesn't mean that she wouldn't still spill her guts to Tyrone. They didn't know exactly how far they could trust her.

"No, frankly, I never _wanted_ you to do that. God if you kissed me, I'd have to brush my teeth a million times and gargle for hours just to get that taste out of my mouth." Freddie held back a laugh, he knew that was exactly what Jonah would have done back then. Jonah was currently trying to keep his calm, since he really didn't want to get angry again. Yelling at Carly in front of Sam was wrong to do, and he didn't want to lose his cool.

"Then why don't you like me at all? I mean you acted like it then…"

"Exactly." Carly was speechless, she didn't quite understand what he meant by that response. He seemed so nonchalant and uncaring, so chances were she wasn't going to get much out of him at the moment. "I didn't like or trust you then, and I don't like or trust you right now." Freddie sighed and crossed his arms, the two had places to go and he was starting to get a little impatient. Jonah caught this and started walking toward the door. "Freddie and I have places to go, so as much as I would just _love _to sit and chat with you, I frankly don't have the time nor care to do so." Freddie walked out of the door and Jonah grabbed the door handle. "Just remember, I don't like you, I don't trust you. You may have the entire world fooled by your sweet little innocent act, but you can't fool me." Carly gasped lightly and started to say something, but Jonah slammed the door shut and left before she could open her mouth. She had to know why he didn't like her, it was just important to her. Valerie seemed to like her, maybe she could tell her why.

"I don't get it…but okay…" Carly slowly shook her head and exited the room, she didn't feel like unpacking at the moment. She heard her father talking with Emily in the other room, it seemed big, so she decided to see if it was really anything important. She walked over and started to listen, and immediately she began to regret it.

"I don't know what to do," Robert said with an angry voice. "All these lies my father's told me…my mother's alive, I wasn't even their child…I don't understand why he had to keep all of it from me!" Carly's jaw fell and she listened as Emily tried to appease Robert.

"I understand how you feel, but it's Tyrone, he probably didn't want to tell you for some reason that might have seemed good to him at the time," Emily said in a soft voice. Robert growled and crossed his arms.

"He told me my mother died! He divorced her and told me she died. Not only that, I would have liked to know that I was adopted and I had three siblings!"

"I know…" Carly hit her foot against the wall and stifled a yell. Emily stopped talking and glanced over at the doorway, she frowned and sighed when she saw Carly's dark hair at the edge. "Carly, you should come in now…you should hear this." Carly had her hand over her mouth and shifted her eyes over, she'd been caught. She chuckled nervously and entered the room.

"I'm sorry for eavesdropping," She said apologetically. Emily smiled and shook her head.

"It's fine." It didn't really matter, since they weren't intending on keeping this information from her. Carly was eager to hear, she wanted to know what her father was talking about. She sat down and Emily continued to speak, since it didn't seem like Robert wanted to say much. "Your father just recently found out that his mom was still living…well, she found him. Not only that, but so did his birth mother and twin sister, Elaine. It seems he was adopted by Tyrone, but Tyrone never told him."

"Well why not?"

"I don't know." Robert clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes, he was still very angry, even though they found out some time ago. He knew it would be wrong to confront Tyrone about it all in a rage, so there wasn't need for the confrontation right now. "However we do have more news."

"Oh great…" Carly frowned and felt like she was starting to get frown lines from all that was going on. Typically 'more news' was a bad thing for her. Usually it meant something horrendous was about to come, or at least something shocking. "So what is it this time?" Emily sighed and smiled kindly at Carly, she knew what she had to say would be a shock.

"Your father's birth parent is Veronica and Henry Benson…" Carly wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but if it meant his parents were the grandparents of Freddie, then she would just be too shocked to say a thing. "Freddie is your first cousin because of this." That was it, that was the statement that would render her speechless. There was nothing wrong with Emily and Robert getting married, since they weren't blood related, but it still surprised her even more to learn that Freddie's blood relation with her was now even closer.

"A-Are you still getting married?"

"Of course we are, I love Robert no matter what happens." Carly smiled and gave a slight nod of her head, that answer pleased her. She wanted her dad to be happy, and it seemed like Emily made her happy.

"So, I guess this means I should stop talking about Freddie like I do…" Carly was actually now disgusted by herself. Freddie was her cousin, there was no way it would be right for her to want to have dated him. It was still sad though, she felt like crying to Tyrone about it, but she probably wouldn't do so. She was beginning to grow less thrilled with her grandfather, but she still loved and trusted him.

"Yeah, that would be a good idea," Robert said while slowly standing up. He knew Carly's crush on Freddie had to end, especially considering she's now going to be part of the family. "Also when Emily and I get married, we're going to have to involve you in the family's culture." Carly knew that was coming, so she was less surprised than she would have been. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"I understand…"

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I hope you liked this chapter, the confrontation was fun to write. The next chapter, I had my dad help me on a little. It is the confrontation between Robert and Tyrone.


	127. Robert VS Tyrone

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

A/N: HI READ THIS-There is NOTHING I hate more than having to defend my characters to ignorant people in the _very next chapter authornote_. Why can't you at least put something so I can respond to you through email or something, instead of completely anon? Okay as of last chapter...READ IT. Jonah never considered "snapping necks" as you said. Angry people say things that they wouldn't normally do. Not only that, Jonah has A LOT of respect for females, he just does not like/trust/nor respect Carly, and he's not going to until she manages to prove that she's not going to betray his friends. He was also put on the defensive because Carly attacked him. So my friend, READ THE DAMN CHAPTER, and at least have the decency to put in some sort of way I can contact you and calmly discuss the issue, not put that (OR QUESTIONS) in anonymous reviews which force me to address them in the very next chapter's authornotes...long ones like this....damn...anyway, enjoy the chapter everybody! I think you'll like this one. It's a bit early, but oh well

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Chapter 127 (Robert VS Tyrone)

Robert entered Tyrone's house and sat on the couch, he took a deep breath and waited for his father to enter the room. He needed to have this talk, it was important for him to know why his father lied to him for so long. Tyrone walked into the living room and smiled at Robert, he'd been expecting his son, since Robert did call him up. He wanted to know what it was that he needed from him. After all, Robert did say he had some things to discuss with Tyrone. He sat down in a recliner and looked at Robert, he could tell his son seemed distressed about something, but he had no clue what it was "So, what brings you here son?"

"I want to let you know that I'm getting married on January 1st." Tyrone smiled and nodded, he was happy that Robert was finally getting married, but surprised to hear on such short notice. After all, he never even knew he was going to be wed. Robert exhaled slowly and lightly tapped his hand on the armrest. He looked over at a picture on a nearby wall and frowned, it was one with him as a child sitting next to Tyrone. His mother should have been there, but Tyrone lied once more. He wasn't his father, there just wasn't any way. "You're forbidden to be at my wedding." Tyrone's jaw fell and Robert slowly looked at him. "Show up and you'll be shown the door."

"I don't understand, _why_ would you forbid your own father from going to your wedding? Was I not there for everything else in your life?" Robert's face tightened and his lips formed a scowl. He didn't feel like telling Tyrone, not when there was so much that his 'father' never told him about. He never even told him that he knew who his birth parents were.

"I don't know. Why didn't you ever tell me that I was adopted?" Tyrone froze in shock and his eyes widened slightly, he couldn't believe Robert figured that out. What confused him was _how_ had he figured it out? "Why didn't you tell me that my mother was _alive_ all these years, and that you knew who my real parents were?" Tyrone stuttered, trying to think of an answer. He was only met with Robert's cold and angry glare. "You're a liar dad, you're a cold, dirty asshole and a goddamn liar. I'm sick of your lies, _dad."_ Robert thought for a moment and tapped his index finger on the armrest. He didn't think of Tyrone as his father, not anymore. "No, pardon me, _Tyrone,_ not my father."

"What? Now you listen here!" Robert frowned as Tyrone searched his thoughts for a response. He had no clue who told Robert anything about his mother, or even how he found out. Once he found out though, he was going to have a talk with this person. "Who told you these things? I am your father, whoever told you these facts are lying to you. Why would I ever lie to you, you my son?" Robert continued to stare blankly at Tyrone, he couldn't believe the old man was _still_ spreading his lies.

"I don't know Dad, why _would _you feel the need to lie to me?" Robert sighed and moved his forearm up and rested his cheek on his closed fist. He was trying to remain calm, when really on the inside he wanted to rip this old bastard to shreds. He didn't even feel sorry for the fact that someone was out to get him or that he was the son of a rapist. "For forty-four years you have lied to me. That's years of my life that I can't get back!"

"Now listen to me son-"

"Don't call me your son." Robert sneered at Tyrone, the look he gave the old man was one that said clearly he wouldn't be forgiving him anytime soon. "You adopted me and never told me who my birth parents were…you never even told me I had _siblings_. You made me think my mom had left us, that she died. What kind of father are you?" Tyrone frowned and slowly tapped a finger to his cheek.

"A bad one I suppose. I've done everything I could to raise you right…" Robert scoffed with disbelief, there was no way he could believe his father now. Tyrone could see in Robert's eyes that a sob story wouldn't get him back, but it wasn't like that was what he'd try. He closed his eyes and drew a slow breath. "I couldn't have children, so I adopted you. I was afraid that one day you might learn of your adoption and leave in pursuit of your real parents, so I kept it from you. I was afraid, I didn't want that to happen, I wanted you to stay home with me…" Robert frowned and rolled his eyes slightly, he couldn't bring himself to care anymore.

"And what about mom?" Tyrone looked down and narrowed his eyes, he remembered so many fights with Angeline.

"Fears again…she wanted you to know, she thought you wouldn't have run from us. I couldn't hear of it, and our fights grew worse until I divorced her…I thought if you knew about the divorce, you'd go running into her arms. I wanted to keep my son, I didn't want to lose you, and that's why I was so scared…that is why I told you all these years your mother was dead."

"You also forbade her from seeing me." The elderly man slowly nodded his head and looked at Robert with sad eyes. Robert closed his eyes and turned his head away, he couldn't bring himself to look at this pitiful man, not anymore. Robert slowly stood up and Tyrone stared at him. The old man's hands seemed to shake nervously, he had a pretty bad feeling about what was to come. Robert clenched his fists and stared at his so called father with angry eyes. "I refuse to call you my father." Tyrone frowned as Robert narrowed his eyes.

"But I am your father…either way, I raised you."

"Shut up. " Tyrone stopped speaking and held his mouth ajar, he felt like he'd just been horribly disrespected. Although, he knew he had it coming. "There are so many things about you that I've found out…so many things I just can't _bear_ to forgive." Tyrone frowned as Robert clenched his eyes shut and remembered all that he learned about this man. "You couldn't stop, could you? You just couldn't stop at Emily, you had to continue trying to ruin other people's lives. What the hell were you thinking?"

"Now look, I just don't think arranged marriage was right for you, and that woman just didn't seem-"

"Damn it, shut up!" Tyrone silenced once more as Robert stood strong and glared ferociously at him. "I've had _enough_ of your lies! I don't want to hear another one of your sorry excuses. Maybe when I was fourteen, I couldn't stand up to you and tell you I didn't give a flying crap what you thought, but I won't take it anymore. I haven't feared you since then and I sure as hell won't fear you now."

"It was all for your own good."

"No, you only cared about your own selfish reasons, Tyrone. You didn't once think about your kid." Robert hit his palm against his chest and began to raise his voice. "I loved my mother, I would have loved to be with her. If you had told me about the divorce, I wouldn't have left you. I met my birth mother and _twin sister_, they're awesome, and I wouldn't have left if you told me about them! I loved Emily, I swear to god I loved her and I loved that baby that was born through her. You can't even _begin_ to fathom what you did when you took Spencer away, you damned asshole."

"I was only thinking-"

"Of yourself, you were only thinking of yourself. You weren't half the father you should and could have been, not even _half_!_"_ Tyrone leaned back in his chair and Robert slowly exhaled, calming himself down. No words were spoken, only silence filled the air. The next words Robert spoke were soft and quiet, but they still hit Tyrone hard. "Now that you seem to have told me why you caused so much pain to Emily for thirty years and me as well…I can tell you why you are forbidden at my wedding."

"Why, _Robert_?"

"Simple Tyrone…on July 4th, 1982, you used abuse to force me away from the woman I loved. Marissa Emily Davidson. On July 4th of this year, I proposed to her." Tyrone's jaw fell and he quickly stood up to protest, but Robert ignored him and continued speaking. "I will marry her on January 1st, 2012, the first day of a new year. There is not a thing you can do about it…" Robert walked to the door and opened it, he stopped and slightly glanced back. "Good riddance Tyrone. If you try to come to the wedding, you will be forced out. Goodbye." Robert shut the door and left. Tyrone slowly fell back into his seat and frowned, he couldn't believe what had just happened. Somehow, he'd just lost his son, but he wasn't going to give up. He was going to save this girl from Freddie and he _would_ stop this wedding from going through. He just needed to pick up the now splintered pieces. He looked over at the wall and saw that the picture of him and Robert had somehow fallen off of the wall and crashed onto the ground.

"Damn."

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you think.


	128. Valerie's Idol

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

A/N: The chef in this chapter is a real chef and the show shown here is real, as is the meal the chef prepares. So in retrospect, the character's not mine and neither is her show or the episode of it you'll see here.

A/N: IMPORTANT-Okay anon reviewers who keep _begging _me to put a lemon in this story and to make Sam pregant...Cut it out! If I want to do that, I will, but I'm not planning on it. One, it would be BAD for the plot, because then Carly would pretty much KNOW, as well as Tyrone and everyone else. Secondly, I don't really care to change this story into a M rated thing. If I write a lemon, it will be a oneshot separate from this story. ALSO Ticking me off is the lack of attention my other story is getting, JESSICA'S DARK PAST, I mean only one actual reader...I know I'm not supposed to be bothered by it, but it bothers me. Hell, I even asked a question in the end of whether I should end it there and continue the rest as a sequel because the rest is lighter than the previous amounts of it all...Whatever, I actually _liked_ writing that story, I wanted to know if anyone actually appreciated it, apparently not many...Of course, who am I kidding, over half of my readers STILL haven't caught that I'm changed my main account to KING NATE, so no one's even gone over to read any of the stories that are there. Anyway, sorry, I'm sort of at a bad time today. Here, enjoy this chapter ^_^.

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Chapter 128 (Valerie's Idol)

Valerie walked into her living room with a notepad and a pen, she was about to watch another one of her favorite shows on the food network, done by her idol, the great Rachael Ray. She was the woman that did the 30 minute meals and other shows, including one where she traveled the world to try out various places. She flipped on the television and sat down on the couch, she was a very studious person when it came to this show. For most cooking shows, she was, but this chef's shows were _especially_ good for her. Jonah walked into the room and smiled, he was always happy to see her with her favorite things. "Aaron is asleep in his crib, by the way," Jonah said as he sat next to Valerie. She looked at him and smiled, happy that her son was well.

"That's good." It was early in the morning and Aaron had kept the two up for most of the night, so both of them really needed the break. She gently kissed Jonah's cheek and smiled lightly. "So, are you going anywhere today?" Jonah nodded and leaned back in his seat, he would be going to the hardware store to buy some furnishings for the house. They were really glad their parents were helping with all the payments, at least until they made it to college age and got a place of their own. "I'm worried…can we go to college while taking care of Aaron?"

"I don't know, it's possible, but it would be difficult." Valerie nodded and looked at the television, Rachael Ray's show was starting up. Jonah chuckled and slowly stood up, he knew there was no competing with Rachael when it came to Valerie. "I'll see you later, honey." Valerie hugged Jonah and gave him a kiss, then watched as he left the house. Valerie smiled and put her pen to the notepad, she was smiling lightly as the show began. She was eager to see what Rachael was making this time, and she was definitely going to cook it later.

The screen faded out and Rachael appeared in front of her kitchen counter, smiling at the camera. She already had all the necessary ingredients out, Valerie could tell what they were before the chef even said what they were. "Hello, I'm Rachael Ray and today I'm making a _delicious_ and easy barbecue meal that really raises the bar." This brought Valerie much anticipation as she loved barbeque, but not as much as Jonah did. "I'm making a fabulous grilled salmon and I'm making a homemade glaze to go on it."

_"Sounds delicious."_ Valerie watched as Rachael picked up a bottle containing some maple syrup, she then began to write, knowing the chef had begun. Rachael walked over to a pot and began stirring some onions.

"I've got my red onions cooking up right here mixed up with easy yellow, extra-virgin olive oil and about three tablespoons of red wine vinegar." Valerie quickly wrote it down, she already had the type of olive oil Rachael said she needed, but she would have to go pick up red wine vinegar. She stopped stirring and stepped back from the pot. "Okay, so you let that pretty much cook out, then you should add one cup of maple syrup."

_"Maple syrup, I know I have that, what kitchen would be without it? Think of all the syrup-less pancakes one would have to go through!" _Rachael began pouring in the syrup and continued speaking.

"Just eyeball it, you don't need a measuring cup for this…it's in the neighborhood." She stopped pouring and placed the cap back on the bottle. "That is the base for your glaze." She set the bottle down and grabbed another bottle. "Now we're going to season it up and spice it up. I add some Worchester sauce to this…Now I _love_ Worchester sauce, so I put about a tablespoon." Valerie wrote and watched as Rachael poured the sauce around the red onions. "Okay, that looks about right to me." Rachael then picked up a bottle of flavoring and started to unscrew the cap. "Then I want it to have a smoky flavor. Use any brand you like, but do look for the liquid smoke flavoring in your market. It's on the condiments aisle, and remember that a little goes a long way."

_"Okay, good to remember…I'll have to look for that, I don't have it."_

"It's an all-natural product and you're only going to need about an eighth of a teaspoon, only a couple drops honestly." Rachael lifted the cap and sighed. "Mm, smells awesome, fantastic! Really makes a difference with just a hint of smoke in there." Valerie smiled and nodded her head, she couldn't wait to try this meal out. She set the bottle down and picked up another bottle of powder. "Then I add one teaspoon of curry powder. That's because I was given as a gift a glaze, barbeque glaze, by a friend, and it had that curry in it when I read the back labeling. I thought 'what is that really neat flavoring going on there?' It was curry. I add about a teaspoon of curry to this glaze and it _really_ makes a difference."

"Curry powder?" Valerie blinked and quickly glanced to her kitchen, she didn't have any of that, but she definitely could find it. "I'll put that on my list." Rachael picked up another bottle and moved over to the pot. Valerie lifted her eyebrows and looked at the bottle in her hands.

"Now it's going to be this thing that makes everybody go 'hmm, what is that?'" Rachael unscrewed the lid and began to sprinkle the item into the pot. "About a teaspoon of course black pepper goes in there. Pepper has oil in it so that when you cook it up, that peppery flavor goes all through the glaze." Rachael pointed at a can while opening her drawer to get her can opener. "I'm going to add some nice tomato paste here. You need around a tablespoon of tomato paste in this." She finished opening the can and took a spoon from her silverware drawer. "Okay, now grab a spoon…" She placed the spoon in and pulled out a tablespoon of tomato, then placed it in the pot. "That ought to do me…"

_"Tomato paste, I do have that."_ Valerie slowly licked her lips and watched as Rachael began to stir the pot.

"You just need to work that in there." She stirred for a second then continued speaking as she did. "Now if you were working on an outside grill, you just let this come up to a bubble and place your salmon steaks, or filets I might say, on the grill right next to the glaze." She continued stirring and hummed slightly. "Just going to break that up…you have to stir it until your tomato paste becomes incorporated there, and then you just let it keep simmering gently." She pulled out her stirring tool and moved over to a pack of salmon.

_"I need to pick that up from the store…"_

"Now these are my beautiful salmon filets I got here." She turned the filets and started to remove the wrapper as the camera zoomed in on them. She flipped the salmon over and onto a blue cooking mat, then removed the plastic tray they came with. She then grabbed the olive oil and walked back over to the salmon. "Super simple with these, I just put a little drizzle of easy yellow, extra-virgin olive oil." Valerie watched with bright eyes as Rachael put the olive oil onto the food, she was already starting to grow hungry. "Then I season them up with a little salt and pepper." Rachael took some salt and pepper then began to sprinkle the seasoning onto the meat. "Okay, you don't want to start glazing these until you flip them, because all you need to do is get them on there and working."

_"Okay, yes that makes sense."_ Valerie watched as Rachael began to rub the oil, salt and pepper into the filets. Rachael then started placing them onto the grill face down.

"You want to put the seasoned and oiled side down." Valerie wrote the information down and watched as her idol placed four filets on the grill. "Let me just rinse up real quick and season the other side." Rachael moved over to her sink and began to wash her hands. Rachael smirked and glanced over. "You know, if you invite your friends over for a barbeque, they may be expecting dogs or hamburgers, right?" She chuckled and dried her hands with a towel then moved over to the salmon and began putting some more olive oil on them. "They're _probably_ not thinking that they're getting salmon steaks, they are _delicious._" Valerie nodded and smiled, it would be a nice surprise for her friends, that was true.

_"I definitely have to do that. I bet Jonah would be surprised to be eating these when I say 'barbeque.'" _Then again, Jonah basically knew when Valerie says she's making barbeque, he doesn't _ever_ expect hamburgers, and that's what he loves about her, she's so original and unique.

"Hm, these are actually filets, not steaks. I keep saying that. I think grill and I think steaks, but you could certainly use steaks. It's just my store has filets for salmon." Valerie nodded and wrote that down, she would definitely keep that in mind. "They use steaks with…swordfish, they always have tuna steaks and swordfish steaks, but they filet the salmon." The commercials came on and Valerie waited for them to finish. Soon, Rachel was back on and was holding her glaze pot in her hands and was stirring it slightly. "Here I got my glaze that has the red onion, maple, a little bit of liquid smoke flavoring, Worchester sauce, and tomato paste. A little red wine vinegar in there for tang." Valerie nodded and watched as Rachael began to glaze the flipped salmon. "I flipped my salmon, my beautiful salmon filets here. Once you flip it, you can start glazing, and you just let that glaze fall over on the top." The screen shifted to show the filets as the chef glazed them, Valerie smiled happily, she _had_ to cook this meal.

_"Once Aaron wakes up, I'll take him with me to do some shopping and treat Jonah to a home-cooked barbeque salmon!"_

"Be liberal with the glaze, it tastes _great. _Isn't that gorgeous? Look at that! You don't expect that coming off of barbeque." Valerie nodded and chuckled to herself. If Jonah were here, he'd practically be drooling. "This is a really good meal to entertain with." The screen shifted again and the beautifully cooked salmon was being placed onto the plate. "I'm just taking my last piece of salmon _carefully _off of the grill." She smiled and picked up the plate, then started moving over to the other side of her counter. "Isn't that great? Look at that beautiful glaze on it." Valerie nodded and watched as she set the plate down. "I'm just going to set this right over here. Valerie watched as Rachael began to count off the ingredients in the glaze. "Okay, so that's maple, a little bit of tomato, Worchester, black pepper, red onion, a little bit of smoke seasoning, absolutely delicious. That same glaze is great on chicken as well!"

_"Sounds great…" _Valerie set the notepad down and stood up, the show was over. She smiled gently and turned off the television, she needed to check up on Aaron. She moved into Aaron's room and saw the baby was still asleep, she thought he looked so precious tucked up neatly in his crib. She leaned against the doorframe and smiled gently, she didn't want to wake him. Just then, she heard someone knocking at the door. "Hmm, I'm not expecting any visitors today." She walked to the front door and looked through the peephole; she was shocked to see Carly standing there. She opened the door and raised her eyebrows. "Hey Carly, what brings you here?"

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Yep, there's a reason for this chapter. Now, next will be Valerie and Carly talking. Another point I'd like to bring up, yes I _know_ you want more moments with Sam and Freddie, but you have to remember...I'm trying to move the plot along. All of the characters need to have screen time at some parts. Now, you'll be seeing more of Sam and Freddie soon, don't worry. ^_^. Thanks to all who are reviewing


	129. Trust Issues

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in _italics_ and speech is in regular font.

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Chapter 129 (Discussing Trust Issues)

"I just wanted to visit," Carly responded as she slowly entered the door. She wanted to talk to Valerie about why Jonah didn't like her. Valerie wasn't exactly pleased with Carly's appearance as she had heard about the fight that she had with Jonah. Carly looked around the house in search of Jonah, she didn't really want him to be there. "Is Jonah here?" Valerie crossed her arms and sighed softly, Carly didn't seem to catch that Valerie was actually annoyed with her. She rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled nervously. "Sorry, it's just I wanted to talk to you."

"You do realize that you're not going to talk me out of loving him." Carly quickly shook her head, shocked that Valerie would assume something like that. She wasn't going to do that at all, she was just going to ask why he didn't like her. "Oh, and I did hear about that little fight you had, _and_ you slapped my husband." Carly did feel a bit guilty for doing that, she wasn't sure why, she always wanted to slap him for trying to cheat on Sam. There were always so many things she wanted to do that she never did.

"I wouldn't try to talk you out of it. I mean, love who you want to love." Valerie raised her eyebrow and Carly smiled softly at her. "If he makes you happy and you are happy with each other, then there should be no problems." Valerie had to smile at that, it was amazing that Carly, of all people, would say something like that. Carly meant it of course, she didn't think anyone should be with someone that didn't make them happy in some way. Emily made Robert happy, so she was happy.

"So why did you slap him?"

"I did because he cheated on Sam." Sure, it was a long time ago, but Carly never did get a chance to pay Jonah back for that. Valerie sighed and lifted her eyes up, she was actually very annoyed with Carly in that one department. It wasn't her fault though, she never knew that Jonah didn't actually date Sam. Valerie moved to the couch and sat down, she took her notepad and began looking at the notes she wrote down from earlier. Carly sighed and took a step forward. "I'm sorry Valerie, I know how sick you must be from hearing about when Jonah tried to cheat on Sam…"

Valerie looked at Carly through the corner of her eyes and frowned. "Quite frankly, not to sound rude, but I really don't care." Carly's jaw fell, she felt like she'd just been slapped. How could Valerie not care? How could she not wonder if Jonah would ever do the same thing to Valerie? Sure there was that confidence, but how could Valerie act so confident that he wouldn't do the same thing again? Had he ever proven to her that he wouldn't? Had he ever done anything to show that he changed?

"When did he change and make you realize that he wouldn't cheat on you?" Valerie placed her notebook on her legs and groaned. She liked Carly, she did, but she did _not_ like how Carly talked about Jonah all the time. In fact, she was closest to siding with Sam about giving Carly the benefit of the doubt. Carly saw that Valerie didn't seem to be in a very good mood and wondered if she should probably stop telling Valerie about Jonah's cheating ways. "I'm sorry Valerie, I don't mean to demean Jonah to you…it's just…I'm concerned about you."

"I know." Valerie slowly stood up and walked toward the kitchen, she was going to find the ingredients she already had. She opened her food cabinet and began to gather all the necessary items. She needed to do something in order to keep from yelling at Carly and risking Sam and Freddie's secret. "Jonah's at the hardware store, he's picking up some things for the house. He wants to hook up a ceiling fan in a few rooms and add a few outlets into the walls. Freddie's coming over later to help him out." Carly's eyebrows rose and a smile formed, she was glad to see Jonah caring about the house. It seemed to make Valerie happy, and that was a god thing.

"Well that's great." Carly tapped her chin, trying to think of a question to ask. She smiled and looked at Valerie. "If you don't mind me asking, how did Freddie and Jonah become friends?" Valerie blinked and glanced over, she wondered if it was okay to say they'd always been friends. It wouldn't blow the secret at all, but it might make things a little better if Carly knew that information. If Carly knew, then she might realize why Freddie trusted Jonah in the first place.

"They were always friends." Carly gasped lightly and her eyes widened, she was _not_ expecting that response. "They knew each other when they were younger, so they've always been the best of friends. In fact, that's how I know Jonah." That was the truth, Freddie and Sam basically brought the two together. Carly didn't realize that, and now she felt bad for having started a big fight with Jonah earlier.

"I'm guessing that means since Jonah's your husband…he's probably friendly with Sam too, right?" Valerie nodded and Carly winced, she felt terrible. Sam and Freddie both must have really disliked her because of that fight. "My god, and I accused him of being a bad person to them, that they shouldn't trust him." Valerie remained silent as she pulled placed a bottle of olive oil on the table. As it turned out, she did have the kind that Rachael said was needed. "They must hate me now! Or at least you might…" Valerie shrugged and walked over to another set of cabinets, she opened the door and looked in to see if there was anything she needed for anything else.

"I don't hate you, I'm just a little bit mad about what you said to him. I know for a fact that Sam and Freddie don't hate you either." Carly thought Valerie seemed a bit distracted, and she was, that was no surprise. She figured Valerie probably didn't want anything to do with her at the moment, especially since she acted so badly toward Jonah. "I just think that you could have done better to not hassle him in front of Sam and Freddie." Carly nodded as Valerie looked toward Aaron's room, the baby had just woken up. She moved toward his room while Carly followed. "For the record, you really don't know anything about the situation and you don't have the right to talk to Jonah like that."

"What do you mean? Sam's my friend, I care about her."

"I realize that, but think about it." Valerie reached in and scooped Aaron into her arms. "Mommy's here Aaron." Carly smiled as she watched Valerie rock Aaron and carry him out of the room while patting his back, she seemed like a great mother. She looked at Carly and smiled. "My mom helps me out a lot with childcare."

"You make a great mother."

"Jonah makes a great father too. You should see how he acts with Aaron." Valerie smiled and sat down on the couch. Jonah always loved to play with the baby, there was never a dull moment in the house. "He's so loving and gentle with this child. I swear, if he wasn't the happiest father alive, I would be shocked." Carly chuckled and sat down next to Valerie. She was glad to know that Jonah was a good father and clearly he was a good husband. If she didn't know better, she'd think Jonah was never the type to want an affair, his family life was just so great.

_"He loves Valerie, I could see that the other day when we fought…"_ Carly had to question if perhaps there was something she was missing, something she was forgetting. _"I know he dated Sam, that couldn't have possibly been faked, could it? Then again, he said himself that he didn't like me then…he was only trying to kiss me just to freak me out…"_ Maybe he was a good boyfriend when he dated Sam, maybe since he didn't like her and for some reason didn't trust her then, perhaps he just wanted to creep her out. Was there any chance that Sam or Freddie would have allowed that? "Why doesn't he trust me?"

"What?" Valerie looked over and Carly slowly shook her head.

"He said he didn't like me, he didn't trust me. He doesn't now and he didn't then." Valerie hummed and closed her eyes, she knew exactly what the reason was for that dislike, but she didn't know if she should tell Carly. Though half of it probably wouldn't be so bad, maybe telling her that Jonah didn't like her because of the threat she posed for Freddie was good.

"Think about it, who is his best friend?" Carly blinked and frowned as she stared at the blank television screen. His best friend was Freddie, people kept saying her grandfather hated Freddie and his family, and she was the one that tended to spill information to him. "With Tyrone trying to cause harm to Freddie, and you don't believe it for a second…Jonah's pissed that he has to worry about you telling Tyrone something incriminating and causing some trouble for his friend."

"I wouldn't do that, though! I mean, I'm going to be Freddie's stepsister, I am his cousin…there's no reason for me to tell Tyrone anything about him." Valerie shrugged and slowly stood up, she needed to go to the store.

"Well you wouldn't do it intentionally, that's for sure." Carly paused to contemplate the meaning behind that. She was loose-lipped at times, and Tyrone definitely had ways of getting her to say things. Perhaps she truly was a threat. She bowed her head and began to shake, she couldn't bear it, she felt so guilty. "Anyway, I don't mean to rush you out, but I have to go to the store. I have some shopping to do, then I'm going to make some supper. Then…it's a busy day at work tomorrow…" Valerie gave a deep sigh and Carly nodded her head.

"Okay, I'm sorry if I bothered you. I hope you have a good rest of the day…"

"Thanks, see you around, Carly."

"Bye." Carly walked out the door and Valerie set Aaron in his high chair, she would have to feed him before going to the store. She wouldn't see Jonah until a little later, she'd have to tell him what she talked to Carly about later.

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IMPORTANT: ON MY OTHER ACCOUNT, KING NATE, I HAVE LEFT A VERY IMPORTANT SPECIAL NOTICE AT THE TOP OF THE PROFILE, PLEASE READ.


	130. ALL OLD READERS AND NEW, READ THIS NOTE!

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly.

A/N:Old readers and new MUST READ THIS NOTE AND TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS, IT IS VITAL!

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Chapter 130 X (Reader's Response)

Hey readers, to give you a brisk synopsis of _why_ I'm calling all of you back here (new and old), here's a message I sent to an anonymous reviewer who supplied to me their email at some point of time:

"Since I'm now finally able to reply to your anonymous reviews on GREATEST SECRET, I don't even know if you still check this email or not, but we should discuss GS. I agree with most of your reviews. After chapter 131, GS took a totally _different _route than I wanted it to take. It was completely changed from my original intention. Unfortunately, at that time, I was with my ex (she and her mother), both kept me from being able to write, I went through so much stuff that I struggled just to finish GS. It was supposed to be my greatest story, but it wound up being...rushed at the end, and even today it still feels incomplete. I wish I could go and just change everything around, go the route I WANTED to. Sometimes I think about continuing it, blanking out the chapters that are there and continuing on as if I left off from chapter 130 (The reason I would blank out 131-147 is because of the reviews that already happened there), then complete it how I WANTED to complete it. Think I should? I don't know, but I'm remembering my initially desired path...Let me know, if this reaches you that is."

So this is a case of, GS feels incomplete to me, it feels…it feels empty. I rushed it, I ended up loathing what should have been my greatest story. I'm not satisfied. Carly should have found out much differently, the whole thing with Tyrone should have gone on differently, even Lionel's arc should have been _much_ different! Another major aspect: Carly was _not_ _supposed to die._

Tell me, do you think I'm just wasting my time? I really feel like this has to be done. GREATEST SECRET must be completed. The reason I was unable to do so before? My ex and her mother were raving lunatics who yelled every time I touched the computer, guilted me and threatened me, threatened to smash my computer multiple times and kept me from writing. This made me unable to write, and when I did get on, I had such limited time, so I rushed. Well now that I'm out of that environment, I feel I can make GS the way it _should_ have been. I hope I have all of your support in what I'm doing. Thank you

I have also posted a question pertaining to this as a poll on my profile, if you wish to visit. Again, I'd be taking off where I left off at Chapter 130.

By the way, old readers, YOU WILL HAVE TO REVIEW ANONYMOUSLY UNTIL CHAPTER 157, fanfiction won't let you review a chapter that has already been reviewed by you, even if it is different


	131. Continuing from 130: Valerie's Offer

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: WELCOME BACK! Now as you can see, yes I've duplicated 130 to put it on fanfiction's 150 marker. This is just to avoid confusion of people who haven't seen anything since then, letting people know that all the 131-147 chapters are currently blanks, so I'm continuing the story after 130 _written-wise_. So I'm starting off here! If you're an old reader and you don't remember much, here you go. If you're new, you may have just read 130, so good. It won't seem so confusing after a while, I promise, but just for those of you who haven't, go back one chapter to 149 and it will explain EVERYTHING. If you're too lazy to do that, I suppose I can explain here. I had a different, _rushed_, _insatisfactory_ ending that I had done a year ago. It was rushed because of my ex and her mother. I hated that ending, it felt incomplete, and much different than I originally intended. So, I'm starting fresh, going the path I wanted. This chapter, Chapter 130 was the _last_ chapter I was able to do _before_ my ex and her mother started really influencing my time, causing me to go away from the story and being unable to work it. So here you go. Oh, and yes I've blanked out all the prior chapters, decided not to delete them because I do want people to be able to review the new and revised chapters.

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Chapter 130 (The Offer)

Valerie kept her focus while cooking at _Sherry's Kitchen_, today was oddly the busiest day they'd ever had. Normally it wasn't so busy, they did get a full restaurant plenty of times before, but nothing like this. Every single table had to have extra chairs and sometimes even patrons from another table had to share a table with someone. All of the waiters and waitresses would be complaining of sore feet by the end of the day. Valerie, being the head chef, it was her turn to make the special of the day. Sam was next to her, making some soups for the customers.

"This place is _packed_," Sam said in a hushed voice. Valerie nodded her head and looked over at all the other chefs, each tried to cook well, but they were all way too hurried. They needed to slow down, food needed to be cooked with patience and care, that was what Valerie believed in. One of the waitresses, Regina, came up to the counter and spoke an order.

"I need one Chicken Fettuccini with a side order of potatoes and green beans, and a Cesar Salad to go with it, " Regina stated. Valerie nodded and gestured for Sam to get the dish. One had recently been cooked, all meals had to be cooked because of how packed the restaurant was. It was constant chaos in the kitchen for this reason alone, even cooks and waiters that had the day off had been ordered to return to work and help. Valerie had absolutely no clue why this was. All Valerie knew was what the owner said, some chef was supposed to be there. She didn't know who, and the manager had wanted to keep it a secret, but somehow it slipped out. Sam handed the waitress the order and returned to cooking.

"Any idea who the chef is and when they're supposed to get here?" Sam asked as she started to roll some dough. Valerie nodded and shrugged her shoulders, she was making sure that everyone kept calm and the fact that some important person was coming wouldn't influence anything. Everything needed to be perfect, no getting hyped up over this one person, else chaos might break out among everyone.

"I don't know, but as long as everything is in order, that's fine," she replied. Sam had to agree, she would hate for anything to go wrong. "How are your soups coming along?"

"Just great." Valerie checked out the soups and nodded, Sam was doing a great job. The temperature was right and nothing would be overflowing.

"Great." She turned and continued to work on the daily special. Everyone worked for at least five more hours before the crowd started to die down and people left. So far there was no word from the important chef. Valerie looked out among the restaurant and hummed quietly, some people could take a short break now if they needed one. "I hope that large crowd earlier didn't scare off our chef…"

"I'm sure it didn't, but even still, it's a good day for us." Valerie nodded and decided to check on how the other chefs were coming along with their food. Everyone was doing great, she was pleased, she'd be giving a good report for the boss at the end of the day. Usually at the end of every week she had to give her boss a report about how the kitchen staff did, but today was so busy that she needed to run one up anyway.

"So far so great." She smiled and walked over to Sam, it was Sam that usually tried the hardest out of the kitchen staff to make the food just right, it pleased both Valerie and the boss. "Got plenty of today's specials on the grill and the restaurant's not so crowded, so I'm going to go to take a restroom break very fast." Sam gave a nod and decided to watch over Valerie's food for her, if any waiters asked for it, she'd be sure to give it to someone.

Valerie moved into the restroom and walked into a stall, she was the only one in, she thought. After a minute, she flushed the commode and walked toward the bathroom sinks. She soaped her hands and began to cleanse them. She heard another toilet flush and glanced up in the mirror. Stepping out of one of the other nearby stalls was none other than Rachael Ray. She gasped softly and her eyes widened, she couldn't believe her idol was actually _here_, Rachael was the chef that was coming for a visit. She swallowed lightly and continued washing her hands as Rachael made her way to the sink.

"This is a very nice restaurant," Rachael said while soaping her hands. Valerie tried not to freeze or choke up, especially since it seemed that Rachael was talking to her. Valerie slowly stood up straight and smiled, nodding her head gently, she was actually talking to her, she couldn't believe it, but she needed to remain calm. Not only was she nearly freaking out inside because her favorite Chef in the world was in the same room, but she even complimented the restaurant Valerie worked at and loved!

"It is, I love this place." She didn't stutter or anything, so far so great. Rachael smiled, glad that Valerie wasn't getting hysterical yet like all her other fans, but then, it's possible for her to not know who she is. "I'm Valerie Williams by the way, it's great to meet you..." Valerie took a paper towel and began to dry her hands off. "You know, I watch your program on the Food Network a lot, I love cooking."

"Oh, so you've seen my shows? That's great!"

"Yeah, I even cooked that barbeque grilled salmon yesterday, it was _great!_ My husband enjoyed it too."

"Awesome! I'm glad that you tried it out." Rachael looked toward the bathroom door and chuckled lightly, Valerie's calmness was definitely a break. "I started to come here earlier, but there was too big of a crowd…"

"Yeah, it doesn't usually get so big and crowded here, but somehow it got out that a famous chef was going to be here…I'm just surprised that it was you." Rachael smiled at Valerie and nodded, she was here because of her show that she had where she traveled around the country. "I'm sorry for all the people bothering you today, you know."

"Oh it's no trouble, really." The two talked for another couple of minutes, Rachael really seemed to like Valerie. They talked about food, lifestyles, education, and a lot more.

"My husband is a great man and a great father, I'm telling you, if my baby's first word isn't 'dada' then I will be surprised." Rachael laughed and patted Valerie on the shoulder.

"You know, that's what everyone thinks, then it turns out the baby says something else." Valerie chuckled and nodded, she figured Aaron's first word would definitely be a time to remember. "Anyway, I have to go back, my food's probably at the table." Rachael started toward the door and turned to smile at Valerie. "It was really nice meeting you!"

"You too!" Valerie was amazed that the conversation went so well, although she'd neglected to say she worked at the restaurant. It was too late to worry about now, she needed to get back to work. Rachael made her way to the table and smiled as she sat down, her food was already there. She'd ordered the daily special, which consisted of gourmet pasta tenderly cooked breadsticks. She breathed in and gently took her fork, the food smelled great.

"Time to dig in." Rachael took a bite of her food and started chewing, it was _perfect_. Her mouth fell and she looked at the food, it'd been a long time since she tasted food so well cooked. She continued to eat and see how it tasted, it was splendid. She felt it was necessary to tell the chef that they did a good job, she always tried to compliment the cooks and the waiters, it was a nice thing to do. The waitress walked up to the table and smiled kindly at her.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" The waitress asked. Rachel swallowed and set her fork on the table, she nodded and glanced over.

"Yes, can I speak with the manager or owner?"

"Um yes ma'am, that'll be Sherry…I'll go get her."

"Please and thank you." Rachael smiled as she watched the waitress walk away, unsure of why the lady wanted to speak with the owner. She took another sip of her drink and looked over at the kitchen area. Soon, the waitress returned with Sherry by her side. Rachael turned her head and smiled, they smiled back.

"Is everything to your satisfaction?" Sherry asked. She hoped that Rachael enjoyed her food, and not because she was an important person, but because she was a customer. She wanted all her customers to enjoy the food, if something was wrong, she would have to fix it as soon as possible.

"Oh it was _perfect_! Do you know which of your cooks made this?" Sherry smiled politely and looked at the plate. She couldn't tell what meal that the lady had. The waitress tapped on her shoulder and leaned in.

"I believe she ordered the daily special." Sherry's eyes brightened with realization, it was Valerie's turn to cook the daily special.

"Aha, I know who cooked your meals. She's my best cook, I'll get her right now!" Rachael nodded as Sherry and the waitress left the table. She took a sip of her drink and leaned back in her chair. She couldn't wait to meet the chef who made this meal. She looked toward the kitchen and her jaw fell, Valerie was walking with Sherry. Both Valerie and Rachael seemed greatly surprised by the events that were now taking place. "This is Valerie Williams, my head chef. It was her turn to make all the daily specials today." Rachael stood up and extended her hand, smiling at Valerie.

"It's good to see you again," Rachael stated in a joyful tone. Valerie smiled and shook her head in return.

"You too Mrs. Ray…I didn't realize you were having the special." Valerie felt proud to actually have cooked for someone she actually looked up to, she just couldn't _believe_ she actually had that opportunity! "Can I say, it feels great that you tried my food, you liked it?"

"I loved it, Valerie." Valerie's nervous eyes seemed to brighten up with joy, that was truly one of the greatest compliments she'd ever gotten. Rachael rubbed her chin and looked at her new friend, it seemed that Valerie had a real talent for cooking, and a real love of it. Of course, that's what they said in their prior conversation, that Valerie really enjoyed cooking. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"A cook…I guess I see myself working like my boss." Rachael nodded and Valerie looked over at Sherry. It seemed Sherry was pleasantly surprised as well, but happy for Valerie's recognition. Rachael didn't know Valerie worked here, but she was glad that the cook was her.

"Valerie is the most dedicated employee I have on staff," Sherry said as she patted Valerie's shoulder. "Ask any of my other employees and they'd tell you the same thing." Valerie blushed and glanced down, it was a bit embarrassing to be boasted about to her idol. Rachael could tell Valerie was a bit on the humble side because of this, at least she knew Valerie wasn't _trying_ to impress her rather than just wanting to cook for the pleasure of other people. "Her joys of cooking seem to know no bounds."

"That's a very good quality for an apprentice," Rachael said with a slight smirk. Valerie gasped and quickly looked up at Rachael, unsure if she'd heard correctly or misinterpreted here. Rachael smiled politely and looked into Valerie's eyes, she could see the surprise and the wonder. "Valerie, your cooking is great, there's nothing I can say that is bad about it." Valerie's eyes started to grow wide, she swallowed in order to keep her nervous feelings down. This had to be one of the greatest moments of her life. "In cooking, there's always room to grow. I want your skills to grow, as I don't doubt they will."

"Are you asking what I think you're asking?" Rachael nodded and continued to hold eye contact. She felt Valerie had so much to offer this world, and she wanted to help Valerie's skills to grow to even greater heights.

"I want you to be my apprentice. I have so much that I could teach you, and it could be so much fun!" Valerie's lips parted slightly and she felt like she was about ready to faint. She wanted to take up the offer, but she wasn't sure, she would have to talk to Jonah and her parents about it. "Now, I know you're young…" Seventeen, by what Valerie said earlier. "You've told me that you have a husband and a baby. So it's a hard decision to make, but talk with him, talk with your family. Let me just say that while I travel around all year round we can always visit your family at the end of every month, and maybe on special occasions you can visit other times as well. I can also pay you a pretty good amount if you choose to be my apprentice." Valerie so wanted to take this position, it was just too great of an opportunity to turn down, but she did know that she couldn't possibly make the decision on the spot.

"Um…h-how much did you say the pay was? I mean you don't even _have _to pay me if you don't want to. Just training under you would be an honor in itself…" Rachael smiled once more and leaned forward, whispering the salary into Valerie's ear. Valerie's eyes grew larger and the more that she spoke with Rachael, the more she felt like fainting. She'd overcome that over time, she was sure. Rachael leaned back and held her smile.

"Okay, so I'll give you the number for my cell phone, I'll be in Seattle all week. I'd _love_ having you, but it's your decision. Call my phone and we'll talk, okay?"

"Yes…and thank you!" Sherry took a pen and a blank sheet of paper from her pocket and handed it to Rachael for her to write on. Rachael thanked her and began writing her number and the hotel she was staying at. She handed it to Valerie and gave her a friendly hug.

"I look forward to hearing from you." Valerie was speechless, so she merely nodded as Rachael said her goodbyes. She watched as her most beloved idol walked away, leaving with Valerie the chance of a lifetime. She couldn't wait to tell Jonah and Sam. Sherry glanced over at Valerie and rubbed her chin, there was no way Valerie could continue working under these condition.

"Valerie dear, why don't you go home and take some time off to think about this," Sherry said in a quiet voice. Valerie turned to her boss and frowned, she didn't want to have to do that, but maybe it was for the best since she was a bit shaky. "Also let me know what happens with this offer, I couldn't be happier for you." Sherry smiled and patted Valerie on the shoulder, she knew she'd have to find another head chef if and when Valerie left, but that wouldn't be too difficult. It just wouldn't be easy to find another person to meet Valerie's level. "Go home, get some rest, I'll find someone to take over the specials today."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Valerie sighed and closed her eyes, she knew she wanted to tell Jonah about this _immediately_, so maybe it was for the best.

"Okay, but if you're going to let someone take over today, make it Sam." Sherry raised her eyebrow, she'd consider this. She always valued Valerie's opinion, in fact it was Valerie's opinion that let her hire Sam. "If I take this offer, please consider Sam to take my place, because I notice that she's _really_ dedicated."

"Okay, I'll give that a thought." Valerie nodded and thanked her boss before leaving the restaurant. She had so many memories of working there, she was going to miss the place, but she knew if Rachael could help her become an even better chef, then this offer would be a _great _experience for her. She managed to make it all the way home where she saw Jonah trying to hook up the living room ceiling fan. He looked at her and raised his eyebrows, surprised to see her home so early.

"Is everything okay, Valerie?" Jonah asked as he hopped off the step ladder he had been on. He walked over to Valerie and it finally hit her, she was going to be working beside Rachael Ray.

"I just need to rest." Jonah's eyebrows rose once more with concern, he nodded and quickly walked her to the bedroom. She laid down in the bed and sighed softly, Jonah watched her and wondered if there was anything he could do for her.

"Hey, if there's anything you need, let me know."

"Okay, but right now, just let me rest…I'll tell you the news in a bit." Jonah smiled and nodded as he bent over to kiss her forehead.

"Okay, I love you Valerie." Valerie smiled and lifted her head up from the pillow, kissing Jonah.

"Love you too." She rested her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes. Jonah smiled softly and left the room, closing the door behind him. He wondered what news Valerie had and hoped it was good news.

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I'm working on 131 as we speak, and it is different. Next chapter, Jonah, Valerie, Freddie and Sam talk about Valerie going off as Rachael Ray's apprentice!


	132. 131: A New Surprise

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: **IMPORTANT:** So I am finally rewriting this to the ending that I originally intended, the path veered off incorrectly after chapter 130, "Valerie's Offer", as you can see the author note that is in place. Most likely, the false ending chapters 131-147 will be blanked out, as they are reminders of a shadier past. You'll see in author notes at the end of certain previous chapters in the 120's where I mention a girlfriend. That would be my ex, the one that in a sense, caused Greatest Secret to veer off and become something that I loathed...Now, I'm going to make what was supposed to be my greatest story, _truly_ my greatest story. Please enjoy the correct, _appropriate_ path. I remember some details of the original plan, so that's a positive.

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Chapter 131 (A New Surprise)

The next morning, Jonah awoke to the smell of Valerie's special cinnamon rolls, he sat up in bed and stretched his arms out. He heard some chattering outside the bedroom and glanced at the clock in surprise, what was he doing waking up at high noon? He left the bed and hurried to get dressed. He did not want to miss any of Valerie's cooking. Once dressed, he ran into the bathroom and groomed himself. He typically took showers at night and took one last night, so he didn't have to worry about that.

Soon he rushed out of the bedroom and saw Valerie sitting on the couch with Aaron in her arms and Sam sitting next to her. Freddie was seated in the brown recliner to the left of the couch. He lifted his head up and waved over Jonah. The cinnamon rolls were on a tray on the coffee table. "Hey man, you're just in time!" Valerie looked over and smiled brightly.

"Jonah, I didn't want to wake you, but I was starting to think I'd have to go in and get you out of bed."

"Well, it's a damn good thing I got up then." He picked up a plate that was on the table, set a cinnamon roll on it, then sat down on the other end of the couch. "I'd hate to miss these. You never cease to amaze me with your cooking."

"Well good, hopefully everyone else I'm going to be cooking for will think so too." Jonah lifted his eyebrows up as Valerie grinned sheepishly. "We need to talk, Jonah. You'll never guess who I ran into yesterday."

"Who?"

"My idol on the food channel. Miss Rachael Ray!" Jonah's eyes widened and his lips curled into a smile as Valerie cheered happily. She paused for a moment and looked from her husband to her baby. "She offered to make me her apprentice, I could learn a _lot_ about cooking from her." He paused for a minute as Valerie moved the blue blanket across her baby's chest and gazed into its eyes. His heart jumped and he slowly stretched his back. This was good news, but at the same time, what did it mean? "I'd probably even make my family proud of me, because I can make some really good Italian food and I am Italian. The only thing I'm not sure about is…leaving you two behind."

"It is a great opportunity, Val. You're always saying how much you want to become a big time chef, well this is how you do it." He knew she'd be reluctant, and it made sense. He didn't want her to go off and leave him alone, but this was her dream and he wasn't about to stop her. "You know I'd take care of Aaron, and I'm sure that we'd be able to see each other every now and then, wouldn't we?"

Sam cleared her throat and Jonah glanced over at her. She took another cinnamon roll and spoke calmly. "We were just talking about that. Valerie says Miss Ray is more than willing to give her a week off every other month so she can see her husband and baby."

"Well that _is_ good news."

"It may be," Valerie bowed her head and stared at her feet, she was overcome with confusion. On one hand she wanted to go and her closest friends were rooting for her, along with her family, but on the other hand, she didn't want to leave anyone behind. "I'm scared. What'll happen? What will I see? What will I miss?" He reached over and took Valerie's hand, gazing softly into her eyes.

"I don't think anyone here _wants_ you to go, but I know we all recognize this as something that could be a great benefit to your dreams. Whatever you decide, you know Sam, Freddie, and I will be the first ones to back you up." She smiled softly and nodded her head.

"Yeah, I know. I still have some thinking to do. She gave me her number, so I have all week to make a decision."

"Good, so you don't have to make it right away, give it some time to think."

"I will. Thank you." She looked at Sam and waited as her friend got up from the middle cushion, then she scooted over to the middle and put her head on Jonah's shoulder. "I love you, honey."

"I love you too."

"Aw, Freddie are we like that?" Sam asked with a smile. He laughed as she sat in his lap.

"We're always like that. Anyway, how's life with Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie?"

"Oh they're the greatest!" Freddie smiled as the others looked their way. They were happy to hear that Sam's family was doing so well lately, surely her mother would be proud of them. "You'd be surprised, Uncle Morris isn't having _any_ difficulty keeping anger issues under wraps. Also, Aunt Maggie hasn't lit up a single cigarette the _entire_ time I've been there. My cousins have also been coming over a lot just to hang out and relax, even Uncle Buzz has been over."

"How's he doing? I think you said he was trying to seek therapy as of last week?"

"Two weeks ago, he's been seeing a therapist about the whole kleptomania issue. He's been able to not get so nervous, and in turn, not feel like swiping random things." Freddie's eyebrows rose as a smile graced his lips, he almost wanted mention having told her that her family was making a turnaround.

"Seems they're really trying to show you they care," Valerie said with a smile. "They're making all these changes for you."

"I know, and I couldn't be happier about it. Now what about you, Freddie? How's life with Carly in the house?" He chuckled nervously and let out a heavy sigh. It was nice to have her around, but it was difficult for him to sneak around with Sam and Carly _not_ find out that she was his bride to be. Their biggest problem right now wasn't that Carly would intentionally tell Tyrone that her two best friends were together, but that she might be so overly excited, as she often was, and end up telling him without meaning any harm.

"She's confused about everything going on right now, I think. I mean, she just found out her brother is actually her half brother, that mom's got a bigger importance in her life than she ever thought possible, _and_ her birth mother is basically a bitch."

"I think it'd be safe to assume that Marissa's actually her birth mother, just for the sake of making those assumptions." The others nodded their agreements and had a moment of silence just for the sake of not having anything to add to the conversation. Their minds were on Valerie's job offer and how to tell Carly certain things that were her life. How could they tell her that her two best friends were together? Would she hate them for it? Would she get pissed off about it? It might be best to not tell her, but they knew that just wouldn't be right.

After a few minutes, they heard the doorbell ring. Valerie raised her eyebrow and looked towards the window viewing the door, _Carly_ was there. "What's she doing here? Guys, it's Carly." Freddie cursed and Sam quickly flew off his lap. Should they hide? They weren't positive. Valerie stood from the couch and handed Jonah the baby. "Jonah, you and Freddie can take Aaron into the baby play room, spend some time with your son. Carly knows Sam and I are close, so she won't be surprised if Sam's here."

"Got it." Freddie was happy with that, he hadn't been able to spend much time with Aaron. After all, Jonah and Valerie had asked Sam and Freddie to be Aaron's godparents. So he was the godfather, and yes, he did have fun teasing Valerie with the fact that her grandfather had been a part of the Italian Mafia during the late forties and throughout the fifties. He followed Jonah to the play room while Sam grabbed the cinnamon rolls and Valerie ran for the door. She opened it and smiled at Carly

"Hey girl, what's going on?"

"Not much, can I come in?"

"Sure, come on in." Carly nodded appreciatively and walked inside, immediately catching the scent of cinnamon rolls. She looked to the plate in Sam's hands and her mouth began watering. Sam chuckled and Valerie laughed briskly. "You can have one if you like, we made them fresh this morning." Sam walked over to her friend and watched as she took a roll from the plate.

"Thank you. I got a little bored, my soon to be step brother isn't home, so I can't nag him about anything." Sam laughed as Carly took a bite of the wondrous roll. She mumbled something, then swallowed. "Wow, these are really good!"

"Thanks. Anyway, were you wanting to talk with Freddie? He came over a little bit ago to hang out with Jonah, they're with the baby right now."

"No that's okay, I was just wanting to visit you for a bit. I don't know why, really."

"Did you want to talk about anything?" Carly shrugged and moved over to the couch with the girls. "Is everything okay at home?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little nervous, with Dad getting married to…I call her mom now, you know."

"That's good, there's nothing wrong with that." Carly smiled and nodded as she leaned back and closed her eyes.

"Well, I know that when they marry, Dad's going to be the one to choose a husband for me and I'm not sure he's that experienced."

Sam walked over to Carly and rubbed her shoulder gently in an attempt to comfort her. "Hey Carls, I'm pretty sure Mrs. Benson is experienced enough, if she and her family aren't able to help your dad out there, then I'm sure all hope is lost for him."

"There really isn't any guy in my life, though. I mean, unless you count Gibby, but really…_Gibby_?" That was unlikely to happen, Sam was pretty sure he wasn't someone that Marissa would be looking at. "Then again, it's been a year or two, maybe more, since we've seen him. I mean, ever since iCarly ended. You know, sometimes I wish we could have brought iCarly back…I mean, I know with the whole thing about the stalker and everything, but I still miss those days."

"Yeah, iCarly was fun back then. Times are constantly changing though, like Valerie's apprenticeship offer from a highly renowned, celebrity chef." Carly gasped and Valerie's cheeks began to turn red, she hadn't wanted to say that right away. Carly turned to her and grinned.

"Oh my god, that is great! Are you going to go?"

"I don't _know_ just yet. I still need some time, I have until the end of the week to make that decision, since that's when Miss Ray's going to her next location."

"Any idea where her next location is?"

"I think she's going to visit some highly regarded and known restaurant in Italy." That was right up her alley and she wanted so badly to go. "I'm just nervous. I know Jonah will take great care of the baby, but I'm going to miss them so badly." Carly nodded her head and gently tapped her chin in thought, what could she say to bring some kind of comfort to her?

"Well, look at it this way. The apprenticeship would last what, one or two years?" Valerie scrunched her face slightly, trying to think about how long Rachael had told her the apprenticeship might last. She could be working for her for two years, learning everything possible in that amount of time. It would be the equivalent, no, _greater_ still than college.

"At most, two years."

"Okay. So you go for that long, come home and you're able to own any restaurant, or even start a restaurant yourself, and bring in lots of money. Maybe you'd even have your own spot on the food channel. Or, you could _not_ take the opportunity, go through four years of college with a husband and a baby…which would likely add to the pressure of college, and hopefully somehow make a name for yourself by starting from the bottom." Sam raised her eyebrow and Valerie winced. When someone put it like that, then the choice seemed rather obvious. "I think it also depends on how much you want to learn, how _long_ you want to spend learning, and how long you want to make a name for yourself."

"Yeah, I agree. I'm just going to talk to my family about it first. I'm really seriously leaning towards the apprenticeship." Sam was about to say something when her cell phone went off, she checked it and saw Violet calling her.

"Hold on guys…" She quickly answered the phone and heard her Aunt's upset voice. "Aunt Violet? What's going on?"

"Something terrible…I don't know if you or Marissa ever knew this, but Sam. You have a twin sister."

"I know, didn't she die at birth?"

"That's what we thought, what your mother thought, but…" Sam's eyebrows rose as her body began to go cold. What could Aunt Violet be so worried about? Her mother said a doctor came in on the day of birth and told her that the twin had not survived and she'd be unable to see her baby. "

"Okay…So…"

"You remember your mom, or maybe even Marissa, telling you about one of our siblings who vanished just before you were born?"

"Yeah, Aunt Lucy…Mom always assumed she'd passed on."

"Well she's alive. We've recently found her. I think you and Marissa, maybe even Freddie, need to come over so we can talk. Sam…your twin sister never died, she was abducted." The words battered her and knocked her back onto the couch. Carly and Valerie looked at her with concern as she slowly hung up the phone. Her eyes were wide and her lips were parted in shock. For sixteen years, Lucy had managed to keep her twin sister hidden? Was that it? Carly stepped forward and placed her hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Sam? Are you okay?"

* * *

**IMPORTANT:** So it's happening, GS is being continued. Also, I've found a way to bring Melanie into GS! Uh huh, that's right. The baby thought to have "died" at birth, but the doctor didn't let Sarah Puckett see her child...In other words, Melanie exists in the GS world. I had to bring her in for this reason: Just because I had iCarly in the 90's and before the Twins episode ever came into fruition (Obviously before I ever saw the episode), sure that means some events (such as crazy Nora) never will happen in this story because iCarly didn't exist...however events that did take place, that iCarly obviously didn't influence (such as Sam having a twin sister) obviously should have happened. So this is another little arc of GS.

Also, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. This chapter is what _should_ have happened two years ago. By that, I'm referring to the part with Valerie discussing with her friends about the apprenticeship. As for Aunt Violet calling Sam up about the twin, might not have happened as the Twins episode never came while I was working on GS. Now, I hope you'll all be able to get back with this, for those of you who are new readers, you're golden. For those of you who are old readers, you _may_ want to read a few prior chapters to regain a sense of what's going on, but not _every_ chapters, just some KEY parts. For me to regain a sense of what was going on, I read basically chapters 100-129, that was it.


	133. 132: Understanding Family History

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This chapter is a brief break that's designed to help refresh memory about who is who in the family

* * *

Chapter 132 (Understanding Family History)

"Sam talk to us," Valerie said as she nudged her friend lightly. Sam slowly shook her head and muttered something under her breath. Did _everyone_ have some bad branch in their family tree? It sure as hell seemed like that. Carly had Lionel, whom she didn't know about yet. Freddie had a few. Hell, _Tyrone_ was part of the Davidson family tree! Now she had an Aunt, thought to have been dead for sixteen years, alive and with her twin sister. This wasn't right, it wasn't _fair!_ Valerie turned her eyes towards the baby's play room and called out. "Freddie! Jonah! Come out here now, please!"

In an instant, Freddie and Jonah came barging out of the room. Jonah had Aaron cradled in his arms. "What's going on?" Freddie asked with a rapid voice. He took note that Carly was here, so he couldn't very well hold Sam without Carly suspecting something. "Sam? Are you okay?" Sam's heart started pounding erratically as tears came to her eyes. She lifted her eyes to him and immediately felt like crashing into his arms.

"My twin sister never died at birth." Valerie's eyes widened and Freddie felt a chill running down his spine. "Evidently I have an Aunt that everyone thought was dead…she has something to do with it all."

"Dear god. Sam..."

"Aunt Violet says we need to go over there now, everyone has to talk." Valerie sat next to her and hugged her, rocking gently as Carly sat on the opposite side. She put her hand on Sam's shoulder and closed her eyes, breathing out calmly. "I need to call Aunt Maggie, if she doesn't know already."

"Neither your Aunt Violet or Uncle Brian knew they had a sister still alive?"

"No one knew." Carly rubbed her chin and sighed, trying to get a hold on what was going on. She didn't want to do or say anything inappropriate, but she was having a difficult time understanding certain things regarding Sam's family.

"I know this might be the wrong time to ask this, but…can you explain your family a little?" Sam raised an eyebrow as her thoughts were pulled away from the shock for a brief moment.

"Yeah sure…My mom was Sarah Puckett, my Dad was David Puckett. My mom has one brother and one sister that we _knew_ about, and evidently one sister that we thought was dead. She's been missing for sixteen years now. Uncle Brian, married to Aunt Madeline, their son is Leon. He was born in 1986. Aunt Violet is married to Uncle Travis and they have an eighteen year old daughter, Venus. Aunt Lucy is the one who vanished. Dad's side, I have Uncle Morris, married to Aunt Maggie. You've met their kids, Greg and Annie."

"Right, I remember them…"

"Then there's Uncle Buzz, his son is Garth. My great grandfather, Carl, is still alive, he's one hundred and one years old, born in 1910. You know me, and apparently my twin sister…who is still alive…"

"Okay. I'm a bit afraid to ask Freddie to explain _his_ family tree." Freddie laughed and Sam chuckled nervously, wiping her tears away.

"Want me to explain them? Because I can, I swear to god there were so many at the reunion, I've memorized every one of them!" Carly laughed, pleased to be calming Sam down at least. She was definitely interested in hearing a little more, considering Freddie's family tree was now _hers_ too.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Okay then." Freddie raised his eyebrow and sat down, Jonah did the same. They were interested in seeing what would happen, but it would be fine as long as Carly wasn't confused any longer. "Well first, you have Dirdan 'Dan' Davidson, Freddie's Great, _great_ grandfather. He was married to Lisa Marie Calcutta, they came over here from India and kept some of their culture intact. Such as the arranged marriage stuff…" Carly nodded and started wondering if she needed to take notes. "His children consisted of Birim Davidson, who died at three years of age. Dalmat Davidson, who lived to be twenty-nine, he married Ciara Ellison, but they never had children. Then there was Drita Davidson, who hated marriage and men…"

"Why?"

"She was…" Sam furrowed her brow and looked to Freddie in question, he slowly shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair. There was no harm in telling Carly the truth, but he did consider it might be best not to tell her about Devlin Shay, her ancestor that harmed Drita. "She was sexually assaulted." Carly's heart sank and she bowed her head. "She had a son, that son was taken away by the man that did that to her…There was a lot of hatred between that man's family and the Davidson family, in fact, it was due to that man or his father that Birim Davidson died…"

"Oh my god…" Sam closed her eyes and slowly nodded her head, she would go no further with that information.

"The other two children of Dirdan was Edon Davidson and Era Davidson. Era married one time, she's also still alive. She's one hundred years old. She had a daughter and then two granddaughters, they didn't have long lives…"

"Okay."

"Edon is the direct, Freddie's great grandfather. He married Alice Easton. He had five children, Zamira, Arian, Besim, Vera, and Agim. Zamira married three times, the third time was in her elder years…Her first husband was Clint Wilson. Together, they had five kids. The second husband, whom no one was certain about until she revealed it in the reunion was a man who left and took the child they had with him. This man was named…Mark Peeloff."

"Mhmm…wait a minute…" Carly froze up and Sam closed her eyes, she could see the instant recognition flashing through her friend's expression. "Peeloff? My birth mother, I just met her…her name was Linda _Peeloff_."

"Yeah, that's her."

"That can't be, that means…" Carly looked at Freddie and he gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. She quickly shook her head and returned her attention to Sam, she would have to stomach that fact later. She rubbed her temples as Sam breathed in. "Okay, move on to the next, please."

"Okay, Freddie's grandfather is Arian. He had two children, Jennifer Davidson and Emily Marissa Davidson."

"I know the next part…" Sam watched with an empty feeling as Carly's eyes drooped down. "She was supposed to marry Dad then, wasn't she? She had given birth to Spencer…and apparently it was Granddad that took him away." She wasn't sure if she was ready to comprehend or believe that _her_ grandfather could have done something so vile. Sam and Freddie slowly nodded their heads as Carly decided to ignore the growing pit inside her. "So mom has two, or three now, children…Spencer, who is married to Sasha, Freddie, who I _still_ haven't been told who _his_ wife is!" She looked to the others, hoping for _something_, but they were still quiet. Sam fiddled her fingers together in her lap as Carly let out a soft sigh. "Go on…"

"Okay, Jennifer has two children. Erin and Stephanie Grant…On to Arian's brother, Besim Davidson…He has two children as well Tricia and Jasmine. Trica passed away in 2006, she had a son. Jasmine has one daughter, that's Amanda."

"The Amanda you told me about who was actually Freddie's cousin."

"Yes."

"Okay, glad we cleared that one up…Next?"

"Their sister, Vera Davidson…She had one son, who _claimed_ never to have married, but it turns out that he had a daughter…both his wife and daughter were murdered by a serial killer within their family…"

"Oh my god!" Carly's hands flew to her mouth and her heart began rising. Why did she feel like _she_ was in danger? Who was this serial killer, would it impact her in any way? "Did they ever catch the man who did it?"

"No…but Carlos, Vera's son, made it well aware that he had met this killer and been told to keep to himself or he might die…" Carly swallowed hard as Sam leaned back against the couch cushion. "This man's name is Lionel, I believe." She didn't want Carly to be afraid, she didn't want to tell her right now. It was too bad of a time. "Every ten years in a month of Friday the 13th, he murders a family member…Connie was his sister and his final victim, she died in 2003. His next victim won't be until 2013…"

"Assuming there _is_ another victim." Fear and pain flashed through Sam's eyes and her face fell. She couldn't bear the truth, and that truth was, there were _two_ victims left. Tyrone _and_ Carly were both potential victims in 2013. "Who all died, besides Connie?"

"His niece, Connie's daughter, was killed in 1993. His father, Keyton in 1973, and his grandfather, Devlin, in 1983…The only true relative remaining is his uncle. His uncle's son was adopted, so I don't think he counts…I think that saves that man's children…"

"Oh god, I hope they're safe." She put her hand to her chest and breathed in as a surge of pain ran through her body. She really didn't want to hear anymore about this man, she was beginning to become way too afraid just thinking about this killer. "Please move on…"

"I will. Agim, Arian's youngest brother…Agim's entire family died because of one man's ignorance with his culture." Carly's eyebrows rose curiously as Freddie and Jonah looked away from her. "All except Agim's wife, who passed away on her own. He had two children, Adam and Tricia. Tricia was murdered in 1980 at the age of seventeen by someone who was trying to prevent her from participating in arranged marriage." Carly felt her heart wrench and moved her eyes to the side. Why the hell did she feel so guilty? "In 2000, in an attempt to flee to India, Agim took his son, son's wife, and son's children on a boat, but…the same man who killed Tricia years before hired someone to destroy that ship somehow. Only Adam's wife, Helen survived long enough, but she committed suicide later."

"Oh my god, I can't believe…all that history is…" Carly's eyes started to water as she slowly stood up and moved over to Freddie. He tilted his head to the side as she tangled her index fingers together at her waist.

"Help me to understand…why would someone hate your grandfather's culture?"

"He's your grandfather too," Freddie said quietly. "In a way…Some people are completely ignorant. Do you remember Jake's murder last year?" Jonah's face tightened and Carly slowly nodded her head, how could she forget that experience? "He died because a hired thug thought he was Jonah."

"W-What?" Jonah crossed his arms and shut his eyes tightly, trying to push away the memory. He wasn't completely over that guilt.

"Someone was gunning for me because I was Freddie's friend, they wanted to send Freddie a message by killing his closest friend, and instead…they found Jake. He told them that he was the one they were looking for and then…the man killed him." Carly remained in shock, this was way too much to take in!

"I…I don't understand."

Sam bowed her head and slowly rose to her feet, gripping her phone tightly in her hand. "Learn something new about your family tree every day…" The others surrounded Sam as she dialed a number and put the phone to her ear. As the phone rang, she turned to Carly. "Hey, do you have anything to do?"

"Well actually…I do have a job interview I need to get to…"

"Okay, well go do that. I don't mean to rush you out, it's just…with the recent stuff going on, I don't want to keep you and all…"

"I understand." Carly hugged Sam and waved off the others, then slowly left the house. It was fine, she had plenty to think of.

Marissa answered the phone and Sam's eyes started to water again. "Hey, you need to come to Aunt Violet's with us…"

"What's wrong?"

"Just…just come, we'll explain when you get there."

"Okay, I'm on my way."

* * *

Also what would REALLY help is if you take a look at my "GREATEST SECRET FAMILY TREE" that's been uploaded as a separate oneshot a long time ago.


	134. 133: Under Investigation

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 133 (Under Investigation)

Sam and Freddie made it to Violet's home, already there were her uncles and aunts. For the first time in years, she was amazed to see Uncle Brian and Aunt Madeline, but she wished it would have been under better circumstances. Her Uncles Morris and Buzz were there, along with Aunt Maddie. All of their children were busy at their jobs and other important things, but they would be filled in on this stuff later. Also there were her grandparents, Susie and Hugh.

Marissa drove up next to them and got out of the car as Sam and Freddie left their car. Sam ran around the car and quickly hugged Marissa. Freddie placed his hand on the roof of the car and looked to his mother from the other side, frowning. She looked from him to Sam worriedly. Sam breathed in and let out a soft exhale. "Aunt Lucy's alive, so is my twin sister." Marissa's eyebrows rose in shock, obviously she knew the story behind the twin, considering Sarah had been her best friend. "Aunt Violet said they think Aunt Lucy took my sister from the hospital."

"That's a kidnapping case…" She hated the thought that she might have to arrest one of her best friends' siblings, but if Lucy indeed abducted the baby from that hospital, then she would likely be under scrutiny. "I'm going to have to charge her...if it's true that she took the child and withheld information."

"I know, I don't want to think about that right now. I just…we need to get inside, everyone else's cars are here and I just saw Uncle Brian go inside, so…" Marissa nodded and led the two into the house where everyone was positioned randomly around the living room. Morris and Maggie ran over to Sam and promptly embraced her, they knew how stressful this had to be on her. "Aunt Maggie, is this really happening? Let me know if I'm dreaming."

"I'm sorry baby, I'm afraid it's really happening." No one was sure if this was _good_ news or _bad_ news. After all, it was good that the little girl was alive, but it was bad that she'd been taken from her mother at such an early age. Maggie looked over to Marissa, who appeared to be deep in thought. "What's going to happen?" Marissa lowered her hand as the others looked at her. "What's going to happen to that twin?"

"Want me to walk you through the legal step by step?"

"Yes." The other relatives walked over as Marissa crossed her arms and looked into Sam's eyes. She breathed in and let out a quiet sigh.

"Sam, your mother made me the legal guardian of her children, should anything happen to her. That is why, when she passed away, you came to me." Sam slowly nodded her head, she understood that part. "Your Aunt Lucy will be arrested, as it is a criminal act, a_ felony_ that she will be charged with."

"What about the doctor?" Violet asked quickly. Marissa raised her eyebrow and glanced over as the woman continued her question. "The doctor is the one who told Sarah that her baby was dead, that she would be unable to see her. I remember, I was there when she gave birth to the girls."

Marissa rubbed her chin and narrowed her eyes, what she would give to be a lawyer right now. Being the police officer, she couldn't tell them exactly how long the charge could be, or any of the other facts that a lawyer could, but she could easily explain the enforcement process. "Then that doctor will be questioned, if he was indeed involved, he could be charged as an accomplice, and given the same penalty. The legal aspect of what happens to the twin is, typically she would come under my care, but I may have to actually sue for custody, but at the age of sixteen, the judge and legal system _usually_ asks the kid where they want to go. So, that may not even be up to me."

"Okay, good to know."

"None of you had any idea that your sister was alive, Violet?"

"No idea…"

"Then it's going to be fun to question her. How did you find out she was still alive?" Violet rubbed her neck and looked over at Brian, he'd been the one that spotted them.

"I saw them," Brian said while he leaned up against the wall. He pushed himself from the wall and pulled out his Droid phone, the one that was capable of sending and taking pictures while talking. He handed Marissa the phone and she frowned as she spotted a short woman with blonde hair up in a bun, she had light brown highlights and was wearing thin rimmed glasses. She was pulling a can of beans off the shelf. What really caught Marissa's attention was the sixteen year old girl that was staring directly at the phone, she looked _exactly_ like Sam. Marissa moved her eyes from the phone to Sam, who was watching with a racy heart. "I was out shopping, Venus called me to talk about something she wanted to do for aunt, my wife, and as I was talking I saw them. I instantly recognized Lucy, then I realized the girl that was with her couldn't be Sam, so I took a picture and sent it to Venus…after that, Violet took over the phone call."

"I guess you didn't talk to either woman?"

"No. I called out for Lucy, but when I did, she took off running. That was the last I saw of her. I don't know if she still goes by that name or not, but either way…" Marissa gave a brief nod and looked at Sam for a second.

"Can I see the picture?"

"Yeah…" Marissa looked at Sam for a second.

"Can I see the picture?"

"Yeah…" Marissa turned the phone around and Sam froze in shock, it was as though she herself were in that photo. The girl in the picture had a wavy blonde ponytail going down to her waist and rosy cheeks. Her expression was of bemusement, as though she hadn't seen a droid phone before. Sam put her hand to her stomach, she felt winded and ready to be brought to her knees. Maggie hugged her close as Marissa looked to Brian. "I'm going to need to take this phone as evidence and pull the picture off the phone, is that all right?"

"Yeah, I can use Madeline's phone for a while. What do you think you'll have to do?"

"Probably send some guys to that store to see if she ever checked out. If so, the cashier ought to have a copy of the receipt. Hopefully she wasn't smart enough to use cash and paid by card, if so, we'll have a credit card number to take to the bank. Once there, a teller ought to give us all the info we need. Once we take care of that, we've got an address."

"What if she decides to take off? I mean, she knows I recognized her…"

"Then we'd better hope she doesn't step out. If so, we'll be searching for her. After all…" Marissa narrowed her eyes darkly and an ominous aura seeped from her. "She took my best friend's baby, once I get a mission going…I don't stop until I get my target. This isn't a typical kidnapping, this is personal. I'll be getting a warrant for that doctor. Violet, you got a name?"

"Yes, Dr. Paul Garrison, I don't know if he's still practicing or not, but-"

"Seriously? Dr. Garrison?" Sam frowned as Marissa rubbed her temples furiously. Dr. Garrison was Sam's primary OB/GYN, he had been such for most of her life. In the clinic that he was in, there were two OB/GYN doctors, Marissa and the family were close to both and had been treated by both, so it wouldn't be difficult to switch over. "Okay then. I guess we'll be pulling him in for questioning then."

Hours later, Marissa walked into Dr. Garrison's office, she was going to head this investigation. Nobody could complain, she was the Deputy Chief of Police now, she was hoping to be elected to Police Chief soon. She'd been the Assistant Chief the prior year and a Captain of the force just two years before that. Next to her was the former Officer Carl, who was now a Sergeant in the force, beside him was a man named Travis 'Gunsmoke' Walker. He was a police Lieutenant. The nurses and medical assistants in the office didn't even bother registering them for appointments, they could tell the three were here on business. One woman walked up to Marissa with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Can I help you Ms. Benson?"

"I need to see Dr. Garrison."

"He's currently-"

"Pull him out of whatever appointment or meeting he is in. I'm not in the mood to wait." She hated to be harsh, considering all the staff here was family to her. The woman nodded carefully and led Marissa and her officers to the treatment part of the clinic. She disappeared around a corner and returned moments later with Dr. Garrison. Out of courtesy, Marissa led the doctor into one of the operating rooms. He wasn't too old looking for a forty-nine year old man. He had minimal wrinkles, a full head of brown hair with minimal grey hairs, and bushy brown eyebrows. The other doctor was a woman of fifty years, she had sandy blonde hair that rested on her shoulders and kind blue eyes. She always reminded Marissa a bit of Sarah. The female doctor, Dr. Daphne Baker, was instructed to join them and did so. She remained silent and stood behind Dr. Garrison.

"Marissa, I never expected to see this side of you in my office…" Marissa smacked her lips together and closed her eyes while Sergeant Carl and Lieutenant Travis took a seat in the two grey chairs next to the window. Dr. Garrison sat on the edge of the table. Marissa crossed her arms and bowed her head.

"Dr. Garrison, I don't want to have to arrest you. Please tell me this…sixteen years ago, Sam Puckett had a twin sister." The old doctor's cheeks sank and his eyes drooped down, he immediately knew what this was about.

"Yes…Am I under arrest, Marissa?"

"Maybe…Did you associate with her sister, Lucy Daniels?"

"Yes." Marissa pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. She'd have to take him in for questioning and place him under arrest. Her expression hardened and her gaze sharpened.

"Did you knowingly give the twin to Lucy and lie to Sarah Puckett about the whereabouts of her child?" She prayed, _prayed_ that he had a reason, that he didn't do it completely out of malicious intent.

"Yes…I was young, thirty three years old and just out of medical school. I was not as wise as I am today. I accepted a bribe from Miss Daniels and instructed my head nurse at the time to hand her one of the twins." Marissa's heart broke as the doctor closed his eyes. Dr. Baker rubbed her temples and sighed heavily, she understood what this meant, she'd have to take on all of his patients. Marissa looked to the female doctor, creases formed at the corners of her lips and she slowly crossed her arms.

"Daphne, I'll need you to handle the patient that Dr. Garrison was currently with, then I'll need you to come in for questioning later today. Can you do that?"

"I'll clear up the appointment book for today and I should be able to come in around six. Will that work?" Marissa nodded slowly as the woman looked to Paul, shaking her head with disapproval. "I don't understand how you could do that, Dr. Garrison. Even if you were just out of med school…"

"It was a mistake, but one I'll admit to…"

"A mistake that will cost you your career…" She looked over as Marissa put her hand to her shoulder.

"Daphne, will you please walk him out to the car with Lieutenant Travis here? I don't want to arrest him in front of his staff and patients. It's the least I can do…"

"I understand." Marissa turned to Dr. Garrison and locked her hands together at her waist as he lifted his eyes and met hers.

"Dr. Garrison, do you understand your rights?"

"I do."

"Do you understand that you are being charged with assisting a kidnapping?"

"I do."

"Okay…" Within minutes, they were outside and Dr. Garrison was in the back of Marissa's car. She turned to Dr. Baker, who was looking at her with gentle concern. "Take care of the remaining patients for the day. We'll be expecting you in for questioning later. "

"I'll be there."

In the questioning room, Dr. Garrison sat in front of Marissa, who was holding a tape recorder in her hand. They'd found the woman who had been his head nurse at the time, she was retired now. They'd brought her in for questioning and were going to have to arrest her as well for being an accomplice and having not come forward. "Dr. Garrison, you were offered a lawyer, why did you not take one?"

"I don't need a lawyer, I'm willing to make a confession." Marissa nodded and started writing down notes. The pain in her heart was tremendous, but for professional purposes, she pushed it aside. She _trusted_ this man. Hell, Sarah had trusted him.

"Tell me what happened. Why'd you do it, doc?" The doctor leaned forward and pressed his lips together, eyeing Marissa sternly in the eyes, he wasn't going to lie to her and she knew it. They had a mutual respect for one another.

"I didn't want to, but I wasn't thinking. Lucy came to me in tears, she was barren and without a partner. All she wanted was a child and I took pity upon her. I wasn't going to give her a baby, but she informed me that Sarah was her sister and she would not care. I was not aware at the time that she'd already vanished away. I was skeptical of her intentions at first and she offered money for me to give her one of the twins." Marissa's throat tightened as she wrote down her notes with a heavy heart. "I wasn't thinking of my practice, I was not thinking of lawsuits, I was only thinking of her at that time. She'd told me she'd already had an okay to go forward, but I neglected to ask Mrs. Puckett about her consent. I handed Nurse Davies the baby and she took it to Miss Daniels without question."

"I see. Doctor Garrison, would you be willing to testify in the court of law against Lucy in exchange for a lighter sentence?"

"Maybe…"

"Then I suggest an attorney." She stood up and turned away from him, shaking away the tears in her eyes. Why hadn't she caught this back then? She should have. She knew Lucy had been a bit on the mentally manipulative state of mind before she went 'missing' from her family.

"I am really sorry Ms. Benson, know I let you down. I let Mrs. Puckett down as well. I know there's nothing I can say that will take away the pain this is causing everyone, it should never have been done." Marissa rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger, then started walking off, leaving Paul in the small cold room on his own. He stared at his trembling hands and tears started to drip down his cheeks as he thought about his future falling down the drain.

Sergeant Carl and Lieutenant Travis walked into the store and made their way to one of the cashiers in the aisle. The cashier was a teenage boy with glasses, acne, and a red crew cut. They flashed their detective badges at him and all the customers at the aisle backed up a few paces. He shifted his gaze to nervously to the side and chuckled. "C-Can I help you officers? If this is about the party last week, that was a one-time thing, I promise I'm not doing that shit anymore." The two detectives looked at each other and laughed once. Travis crossed his arms and smirked.

"We're not narcotics. We're investigating a kidnapping." Travis nodded towards Carl and he showed the blown up image of Lucy and the twin. Travis pointed his thumb to the picture as the boy looked towards it, his eyes flashed with instantaneous recognition. "You recognize this woman?"

"Oh yes, Sheila Carmichael." The men raised their eyebrows and glanced at each other, the woman was using an assumed name? "She comes here almost every day with her girl, sometimes the girl comes by on her own. My coworker enjoys hanging out with the girl, he's a bit too shy to ask her out though."

"Okay…Do you have a recent receipt for this woman?"

"Yes, but…" He swallowed and his eyebrows rose sadly. "You're investigating a kidnapping? Who was kidnapped by whom?"

"You let us decide that. We need a receipt, sir."

"Okay, hang on…" The man turned to the cash register and chuckled as his customers began groaning and moving to other aisles. The police watched quietly as they left and looked back at the cashier. They checked his nametag, it read "Ned". Within a few moments, he had a receipt printed out. "Here you are. Oh, I forgot to ask, did you have a search warrant? You know, before I-" Travis lifted up the warrant and Ned smiled a toothy grin as he tore the receipt off and handed it to them.

"Thank you." They took a look at the receipt and spotted a credit card number. Their next stop would be the bank. They took one last look at Ned, eyeing his chest pocket. They could smell weed on him. They started walking off, stopped and looked back at him with a smile. "We'll stop by the narcotics division for you."

"Okay th…" He paused and his color began to drain from his face. The two officers chuckled and continued on their way, passing Sam, who was waiting at one of the claw games.

* * *

Here we go, officially hurtling into the story. This will become everything I and you may hope for ^_^. Maybe not, but hey, I'm happy about this.


	135. 134: Twins Meet

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 134 (Twins Meet)

The next day, Sam walked into the store with Valerie in tow, she wanted to see if maybe they could catch the girl in the store. That was assuming she was even there. "Valerie, have I ever mentioned how tired I am of secrets?" Valerie nodded her reply as they walked towards Ned, who was manning his aisle with dignity, but still shuddering at every police officer he saw. Sam let out a slight laugh and pointed her thumb towards him. "Carl and Gunsmoke really messed with him yesterday."

"Yeah, you told me about that. Did anyone say anything about you being there?"

"No, I was kind of dressed up. I know Marissa and Aunt Maggie don't want me to get involved right now, but…I can't help myself." She might get in trouble, but so what. They'd understand her reasoning of the subject, wouldn't they? "Okay, let's see if the nerd's seen any sign of my sister." They walked towards Ned and he glanced their way briskly before looking back to his customer. He stopped himself and did a double take, staring at Sam with wide eyes. "Hey Ned, how's it going? Got a question for you, if you got a moment of your time."

"Whoa, _Melanie_?" Sam paused, taking in the name. Melanie, such a beautiful name. She breathed it in and curled her lips into a smile as Ned eyed her up and down. "Weren't you just…you just came by here…I'm sure of it!" Sam shook her head as Ned threw his hands to his head in confusion. He pointed at her and his customers started eyeing him with distaste. "I'm positive! You were also wearing a purple miniskirt and red top." Sam looked down at her body and shrugged, she had on regular jeans and a blue sweater with a wolf on the front.

"Nope, I believe you have me mistaken for someone else. Now, that someone, is someone I'd like to see." Evidently Melanie was in the store, now she just needed to know which way she went. Melanie. She couldn't stop saying that name over and over in her head. "So, girl who looks like me, probably wearing a ponytail and wearing what you described…Which way did she go?" Ned was baffled and unresponsive. He slowly lifted his arm up and pointed down an aisle

"S-She went that way…with Kyle…"

"Kyle? Who is Kyle?"

"My coworker…they're close…."

"Okay thanks, don't need you anymore!" She started walking forward, then stopped in front of Aisle ten. Her arms began to tremble and her eyes started to water. Valerie stepped next to her and pulled the backpack from her back.

"You okay, Sam? Are you going to be able to do this?"

"I'm scared."

"It's okay to be afraid of this. We can turn back now if you want, I still have to call up Miss Ray and tell her that I'm accepting the apprenticeship."

"Want to do that now?"

"And waste any time trying to find your sister? It can wait, Rachael doesn't even leave for another few days."

"Okay…If we search aisle by aisle, that might take a while."

"Hmm…" Valerie tapped her chin and stared off to the right, then to the left. There were not many aisles and they were not very long. Chances were, if they split off there and circled around on the other side of the aisles, they might find Melanie a lot quicker. "Here's an idea, you run to the right and I run to the left, we look down the aisles as we pass them, then when we reach the ends of both sides, we run along the side and come out on the other side where all the meats and dairy would be."

"Yeah…yeah that sounds good." Valerie grinned and pat Sam on the back.

"What would you do without me?"

"Go insane?" Valerie laughed and pointed off in the direction Sam should run. She nodded and the girls took off, eyeing each aisle until they came to the end. Once at the end, they ran down the section between the side walls and last aisles, coming out at where the meats and dairies were. They started moving towards each other and stopped in the middle of the shop where the employee entrance opened up. It was the one place they hadn't spotted. "You don't think…"

"It never hurts to check. I haven't seen her anywhere."

"Me either…" Sam swallowed hard and faced the employee entrance. Her body tightened and sweat dripped along her arms. "Ned did say she went off with Kyle…If we go in there, will we get in trouble?" Then again, if they did get in trouble, it might be worth it. "L-Let's go in, then."

Inside the employee entrance, Melanie was against the wall with Kyle kissing her neck. He had a muscular build, light brown hair going down to his chin and a goatee. She could feel his strong green eyes upon her body and shivered as she pressed her hands against the wall. "Kyle, what if Mom were to find out what I'm doing…she'd never let me come here again." Kyle pulled away from her and met her eyes with a strong smile.

"Then you wouldn't be allowed here, doesn't mean she'd forbid us from seeing each other."

"Yeah, that's true." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips passionately. He grabbed her thighs and lifted her body up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She tilted her head back and squealed as he started kissing down her neck. She moved her head forward and looked into his eyes. She wasn't usually like this, she was more reserved than this. "I was raised differently than this, Kyle. I really don't know…what's gotten into me…it's kind of embarrassing."

"Don't be embarrassed." He lifted his hand and brushed her bangs from her eyes. "Just let yourself go, I won't do anything you don't want me to."

"I know, it's not that, it's just…" She was usually more innocent, a lot calmer and more reserved. She felt like she was compensating for something, though. That was a feeling she had for the good majority of her life, like she'd never been complete. She'd talked to Kyle about this once before and he told her that she probably didn't have to worry too much, so she stopped worrying. "The other day when that man called my mother _Lucy_ and she ran off, dragging me with her I might add, it really made me think…Mom has _always_ kept me close. I mean, half the time, I'm not even supposed to be out alone, and I'm sixteen years old."

"It's time for you to break out of your mother's protective shell, Mel. She can't control you forever."

"I know, but she's got some pretty strict rules, if I don't follow them, then…I think it's safe to say things don't end well."

"Yeah…"

"Did I ever tell you about my dreams?" Kyle raised his eyebrow and started to let go of her, so they could sit together and talk, but she wouldn't let go of him. "I've had these recurring dreams for a few years, almost like…something wasn't as it seemed. I always put them off, especially since mom said they didn't mean anything, but now…I don't know. That man, the way he called mom 'Lucy', it just seemed…I don't know. One of my more common dreams, a woman with long blonde hair is yelling at mom, shouting at her. She's very angry with her. I think she's mom's sister or something. She calls her 'Lucy' all the time."

"Really?"

"Yeah…kind of like 'you took my child', or 'how could you, Lucy?' Whenever I tell mom about them, she tells me to ignore them." Melanie stared into Kyle's eyes and felt herself beginning to melt in his arms. Here they were, making out, and she was talking about her own issues. "Dear god, I shouldn't be going on about all this right now…"

"It's okay, I don't mind."

"No, I…you're a very good listener, Kyle."

"I pride myself over that." She bit her lip and leaned forward, kissing his lips once more, tasting the passion. He pressed forward, adding to the strength of the kiss. His radio started going off, Ned was trying to get in touch with him, but neither of the couple seemed interested. Kyle reached down and flipped off the radio, then moved Melanie to a square stack of boxes. She laid back against them as he began to kiss her body and run his hands down her arm. She moaned lightly as Goosebumps began forming at her skin.

Suddenly someone cleared their throat, jarring the two into reality. Melanie yelped and sat up a little too quickly, she put her hand to her head and moaned as her vision started to become discolored and circles started forming in front of her. Kyle swirled around and gripped the boxes, freezing in shock at what lay before his eyes.

"That woman is not your mother," Sam said in a firm voice. Valerie was blushing from embarrassment of having walked in on what they just did. Melanie closed her eyes and shook her head a couple times, regaining her vision. When she opened her eyes she stared in quiet shock.

"Who the…" Melanie moved from the boxes and walked over to Sam, lifting her hand up slowly and feeling of her hair. "You're…"

"I'm your twin, and if I were you, I wouldn't tell Aunt Lucy about this."

"Aunt Lu…" Melanie's lips parted slowly and she turned her eyes to Kyle for a brief second, then back to Sam. "She's not my mother? What do you mean?" Sam grabbed the backpack and pulled out a photo of their mother. She handed it to Melanie and watched as the girl stared at the picture, studying it carefully with a soft expression. "This looks like that woman…Kyle, this is that woman in my dreams…I don't understand…"

"That's our mother. Sarah Puckett. She died several years ago of a terminal illness." Melanie gasped and her eyes started to glaze over. She couldn't believe her ears. Her real mother was _dead_? It couldn't be! "Our dad is…also gone…"

"Oh my god…who are you staying with?"

"Mom's best friend, she was made our legal guardian when we were inside Mom's womb. When mom started to get sick, she confirmed exactly what she wanted her best friend to do, how she wanted her to take care of me. That man that you saw the other day? He's our uncle. Uncle Brian, mom's oldest sibling. Aunt Lucy 'vanished' just a month or two before our birth, everyone assumed she was dead. Then the doctor then…he handed you to her and told our mom you were dead."

"I…I can't…" This wasn't fathomable, none of it made any sense. Sam took some other paperwork from the backpack and handed it to Melanie. She explained some of it as Melanie thumbed through the papers, shaking like a leaf in the violent wind.

"These are some medical records, certifications, legal statements. There's some other material on our family as a whole in there. I don't know what Aunt Lucy has kept from you, but she's in a lot of trouble…Now Ms. Benson's after her, that's our legal guardian, but also one of Seattle's Deputy Police Chiefs. Have you ever seen iCarly?"

"iCarly? What's that?"

"It was a webshow online about a year back…"

"N-No, Mo…" She eyed the birth certificate and tears started rolling down her cheeks. The mother and father listed were Sarah and David Puckett. "_Aunt_ Lucy…never let me use the internet."

"I see."

"What happened to Dad?"

"He was…murdered…" Melanie's eyes widened as she tightened her grip on the papers. Her throat tightened and her chest strained for air. She continued to lose herself in the papers, trying desperately to take in this load of information."He died in 1999, mom passed away in 2005." Sam pointed to Kyle and smiled lightly. "That your boyfriend?" Melanie was quickly pulled into reality and lifted her head up.

"Huh?" She looked back to Kyle, who moved next to her. "Yeah, Kyle's my boyfriend. Mo-" She stopped herself and shook her head. "I'm sorry-" Sam placed her hand on Melanie's arm and smiled into her eyes, she was already growing so attached to her, it was hard to explain.

"It's okay, take some time to take it in, okay?"

"Yeah…well she doesn't know I'm seeing him. I've been seeing him ever since we started coming to this store a year ago."

"Cool. You should meet my boyfriend. Well, fiancé. I think you'd like him, he's a good guy, you'd get along."

"Probably…Um, I'm sorry about what you just walked in on…" Sam laughed and waved her hand in the air dismissively as Melanie's cheeks turned hot pink.

"It's okay, don't worry about it. Nothing I haven't seen, or done, before." Melanie raised her eyebrow as Valerie rolled her eyes and pat Sam on the shoulder.

"You wouldn't believe the number of times my husband and I have walked in on Sam and her fiancé making out. I swear they have a penchant for this kind of stuff."

"Oh. Well I guess I know why I've been doing that so much then." Sam blushed as Melanie laughed. She stopped herself for a minute and tilted her head to the side. "I don't understand, though. You say fiancé like you're going to be getting married. You're only sixteen."

"Yeah, well you see, before Mom passed away, she wanted me to participate in Ms. Benson's culture. It's about arranged marriage. She chose someone I was dating and we had the choice of whether or not we wanted each other as the spouse. We accepted, but for some pressing matters, we've had to keep our relationship secret."

"Oh, okay…"

"Yeah, the culture calls for us to marry when we're twenty and to date until then. This here, this is Valerie, my best friend…She's seventeen and is married because she and her boyfriend, who are very deeply in love, had a son together. Valerie's about to go on an apprenticeship, she's going to become a big time chef."

"Oh cool! So…you don't want me to talk about this? What's going to happen?"

"Well, Ms. Benson's already investigating…Aunt Lucy's in a lot of trouble. I think the doctor admitted to have accepted a bribe or something."

"Give me time to process, okay? I'm…I'm glad you found me though, I don't know what I would have done if…" She was speechless, unsure of the words she wanted to say. They were stuck in her throat. "Can we hang out a bit? I'd love to get to know you…Besides, I think Kyle needs to get back to work soon." Kyle chuckled sheepishly and rubbed his neck.

"Of course!" As they walked out of the area, Valerie dialed up Rachael to inform her she was going to go onto the apprenticeship. Sam and Melanie watched happily as she did so. Melanie kissed Kyle goodbye and started heading out of the store with the two girls. This seemed like the beginning of a beautiful bond.

* * *

I think I may throw in a few mini arcs dealing with certain things that are happening on the show that aren't influenced by iCarly. Not sure, but we'll see. Maybe Sasha can get Spencer to join a book club XD


	136. 135: Lucy's Arrest

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 135 (Lucy's Arrest)

Marissa stood in front of a female bank teller who was typing rapidly on a computer screen, she was looking up the credit card information. Marissa already had a warrant for Lucy's arrest and _nothing_ would stand in her way of getting this woman to talk. Her own son being a lawyer was to _her_ benefit after all, so if the woman tried to get a lawyer, she was skilled in getting around the legal system. After all, she didn't rise up in the ranks for being dim-witted.

"Okay ma'am. I've got the information you need." The woman printed off the information for her and handed the sheet over. Marissa read over the information provided and thanked the teller for her help. She left the bank and met up with Lieutenant Travis and Sergeant Carl outside, they moved for the cars and started driving off. Marissa and Lieutenant Travis remained in one car while Sergeant Carl drove behind them. It turned out Lucy didn't live too far off, just on the other side of the interstate. She narrowed her eyes coldly and positioned her gaze sharply on the road in front of her. She was going to burn this woman when she got her hands on her, she was sure of it.

Sam told her what happened the prior day, having found Melanie at the store. She thought Marissa would be upset with her, but she wasn't. Rather, she'd been understanding that the girl wanted to meet her sister. It also helped her in the explanation of what was going on, Melanie wouldn't be too surprised when the police showed up at the door, she would be expecting them. "When we get there, Sergeant Carl will provide transport for Melanie. We'll head to the station and Melanie will be met by Sam, Morris and Maggie."

"Sounds like a plan, ma'am."

"Yeah, that's our objective." Once they reached the house, they parked at the curb. Slowly they exited the car and started for the door. Marissa lifted her hand and knocked harshly upon the door. Slowly but surely, Lucy opened it just enough to peek through. Her eyes met with Marissa's and she froze. It wasn't hard to remember who the woman was, even if sixteen years passed since she last saw her, she just had that unforgettable appearance.

"H-Hello, can I help you?"

"Yes you can. Sheila Carmichael?" She nodded and slowly opened the door, gazing continually into Marissa's still burning eyes. Behind her on the other side of the room was Melanie, watching with earnest. Her eyes glazed over as she slowly closed her hands. Marissa cleared her throat and narrowed her gaze. "Or I should properly say, Lucy Daniels." Lucy started to close the door, but Marissa's hand flew towards it and she pushed firmly inside. Lucy gasped and stumbled backwards, catching her balance as she watched Marissa step forward once more and lift up a sheet of paper.

"W-What is that?"

"There's three things needed to complete this circle, Lucy. Here's the warrant for arrest, _and_ to search you home for evidence." With her other hand, she grabbed the handcuffs from her belt and smirked dangerously while Lucy continued to step backwards. "Here are the handcuffs. Now what else completes the circle? Oh yeah." She glared at the woman, she was sweating now. "There's _you_."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about. What ever did I do?"

"You're being charged with the abduction and kidnapping of a newborn." Lucy gasped and her hands flew to her mouth.

"No! I don't believe you, Melanie's _my_ child!" Marissa smirked once more as Lucy stumbled over her coffee table. The police continued their advance as the woman pulled herself to her feet.

"We didn't say it was Melanie yet, but congrats." Lucy frantically looked at Melanie and screamed at her.

"Tell her! Tell her how I raised you up as my daughter!" Melanie closed her eyes and turned away from the woman. Lucy's jaw fell as she watched her niece walk over to the police officers. "What are you doing?" Her voice shrieked as Marissa lifted the cuffs once more.

"You're not my mother and your name isn't 'Sheila', Aunt Lucy."

"H-How could you…how could you turn against your own mother?"

"You're not my mother! I met her, mom, I met my twin sister! My real mother died in 2005, but you wouldn't know that, would you!" Lucy gasped and her eyes widened as she froze momentarily. Her body trembled as her eyes traced all the officers. She started to turn and Carl called out.

"She's running!"

"Oh no she isn't," Marissa stated with clear irritation in her voice. Just as Lucy turned her back, Marisa grabbed her arm and slammed her up against the wall. Lucy screamed out and sobbed wildly as the woman pulled her arms behind her back and slapped the cuffs on her. With that, Carl and Gunsmoke began to search the house for evidence. Marissa read Lucy her rights and started dragging the screaming woman out to the car.

"I'm not lying! She's mine! She's mine!"

"Put a sock in it, Lucy." Lucy silenced quickly as Marissa shoved her into the back of the police car. "I'm not entirely fond of you, I hope you know that. You're going away for a long time, so you better start working on your going away speech." Melanie walked outside and handed Marissa a large box she'd found underneath Lucy's bed. Lucy gasped and screamed.

"Where'd you find that! You went into my room?" Melanie looked away coldly as Marissa slowly glared at the woman.

"Shut up Lucy." She opened the box and found several papers and other records. "What is all this, Melanie?"

"Doctor appointments, letters to Dr. Garrison, money withdrawals…I think she was still paying him for a couple years to keep quiet." Marissa's heart broke a bit more and she slowly closed her eyes, listening intently. "She also has a signed journal…the police should read around April of 1995 and onwards especially…a little before then too…"

"Okay, we'll do that. Melanie, when we get to the station, you're going to meet your Aunt and Uncle from your father's side, they're the ones that Sam is living with right now."

"She's not with you? Aren't you the legal guardian?"

"Yes, and I still am. I'm just allowing her to live with them since they haven't had the chance in years."

"Oh…okay…"

"You'll meet all your relatives soon enough, don't worry." Melanie smiled and slowly nodded her head. It was a long time coming and she felt she deserved it.

Hours later, Marissa walked into the questioning room where Lucy waited for her. She locked her death glare onto the woman and leaned forward against the table, pressing her palms flatly on it as she looked into the woman's eyes. "Okay you she devil, let's talk. We know everything, you so graciously recorded everything in your journal, _plus_ we have a witness statement. Would you like to attempt to discount anything or would you prefer a lawyer? I suggest the lawyer."

"She's my daughter. She's my daughter. I raised her." Marissa slammed her hand on the desk, sending a loud echo throughout the room and causing Lucy to jump in fear.

"Why do you persist? We have a statement that claims you are mentally sane, so if you're attempting to pull the insanity plea on me…" Lucy eyed Marissa quietly and started shaking. It was not a far off guess that this woman suffered from schizophrenia, but there was no record of that on her medical files. "I recommend you cooperate, because you _will_ be going away for a long time if you don't. Now I've interrogated _many_ people in my day and I'm perfectly capable of treating you just like any of the others. I figure I'm being a bit generous to you right now."

"Oh? Good cop you mean?" Marissa's eyes flashed a glint and her smirk deepened.

"I can go from good cop to bad cop real quick-" She snapped her fingers and Lucy flinched. "The point being, you took a baby from a woman, hid yourself and that child from her family, and then what…" She moved her hands behind her back and started walking around Lucy. "You shelter that child from the outside world so much so that she hardly understands a thing about the outside world. Unfortunately both that child's mother and father are deceased…and what do you know, the mother was your own sister."

"S-Sarah, yes…I remember her. Little Sarah, precious Sarah, sweet as a doll…" Marissa rolled her eyes and leaned forward, smacking her hand on the desk next to Lucy and shouting into her left ear.

"Don't play that card on me, Lucy! You're more than capable of being sane, you have a degree in mathematics for crying out loud!" Lucy moaned and threw her hands to her head. "You're losing your defense and I recommend you reconsider how you're going to go about this. Do you _want_ me to be cruel? Because I will be."

"N-No…" Lucy shook as she turned her head towards Marissa.

"Then I recommend you start talking, because things can get real heated real fast in here. Melanie herself has stated you're a very sane, intelligible person, so start acting it. You stole your sister's baby on the day she was born, you stayed away for sixteen years, made your sister believe that her daughter had died. Do you not feel an _ounce_ of remorse over that fact?" Lucy's expression started to change and her eyes dulled. She turned her eyes to the table and swallowed hard.

"She would have my head if she ever found out what I did…"

Marissa raised her eyebrow and sat down in the chair across from her. "Now we're getting somewhere. Maybe."

"Yes, I was unable to have children and I really wanted a child at the time." Lucy lifted her head quickly and leaned forward. "She was having twins, so there was more than enough to go around wasn't there? She wouldn't notice one missing!"

"Wrong…I only wish Sarah were alive right now to see this. You have to answer to your older brother and younger sister, as well as the law. They're all right outside in the observation room right now. Right there…" She pointed at the mirror and smiled slightly. "Go ahead. Wave." Lucy whined and turned her head to the window, she lifted her hand awkwardly and curled her fingers into her palm. She could feel Brian and Violet shunning her. It broke her, tore at her. She put her arms together on the table and brought her head to her arms, sobbing lightly. Marissa's hard expression was glued onto her. "Right now, Melanie hasn't met them yet. She's in the other room, giving her statement. Dr. Garrison's already talked, as did his head nurse."

"Huh?" Lucy lifted her wet eyes and whimpered. "T-They did?"

"Sang like a canary. So let me ask you to confirm this, did you or did you not take Melanie Puckett away from her mother as a baby?" Lucy's voice quavered and she slowly shook her head, whimpering.

"She had two, how could she notice one missing? Right?"

"Again, wrong." Marissa cleared her throat and leaned forward. "She was a mother, mothers always notice. Let me tell you a little story. As a young girl, I had my son taken from me. His own grandfather took him from me before I even got to hold him." Lucy's eyes flashed with sorrow as Marissa continued on. "I went for thirty years, _thirty_ years, never being able to hold my son. To love my son. He went that long never being able to hold his mother…his _true_ mother. You know what happened when we reunited?"

"What?"

"Bliss. Finally I held my son and he held his mother, that feeling…it's incomparable, no other feeling in the world is quite like that. Melanie will never have that opportunity, do you understand that?" Lucy's eyes began to water as Marissa leaned back in her chair. "Her mother is dead."

"You have proof she's the mom?"

"Birth certificate, twin sister, and the DNA test result came back. Would you like to know what it says?" Marissa opened up a folder she had placed on the table. Lucy eyed it with mournful tears in her eyes. Morris had given his DNA in place of his brother for the Paternity while they had used DNA from Lucy for the maternity. It was shown that Morris was Melanie's paternal uncle and Lucy was her maternal Aunt. "Evidence isn't looking too good for you, Lucy. Can you tell us why you ran off before the baby's abduction?" Lucy turned her eyes away and leaned back, she knew she was guilty. Guilty of more than just envy at Sarah's perfect life. She could never have a child due to something not working down below, she'd been guilty of having a brief affair with her younger sister's husband years before his passing in 1998. She'd also started to develop certain tastes for the female gender, tastes that her family would look down upon. So she had to run, she had to, but that didn't mean she didn't want a family. So she took Melanie and raised her as her own, but kept the truth from her. "Well? Is there anything you'd like to share?"

Lucy frowned and flicked her eyes to the mirror. Violet was going to kill her if she was still watching. She cleared her throat and folded her arms across her chest. She tightened her lips together and met Marissa's eyes. "Can I have a lawyer?"

* * *

Bravo to Marissa, 'good cop' and 'bad cop', hah. Looks like Lucy's done for.


	137. 136: Sweet, yet, Bitter Day

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 136 (The Sweet, yet Bitter Day)

Sam sat in the waiting room with Morris, Maggie, Greg, and Annie, currently waiting for Melanie to be released from questioning. She wasn't under arrest, the police had only wanted to generate a statement from her. The family was going to take her to Brian and Madeline's farm, where the entire Puckett-Daniels clan was going to have a get together, a celebration of sorts for Melanie. After all, everyone wanted to see her. Sam just hoped it wouldn't be too overwhelming for her.

It wasn't long before Melanie and Marissa came walking around the corner. Sam looked over and smiled happily as her sister waved. "I guess I'm ready to learn about our wacky family." She looked around and frowned slightly. "Where's your fiancé? It feels so weird to say that, but Ms. Benson explained it to me a little more." Sam walked over to her and placed her arm around her shoulders, grinning brightly.

"Well, Freddie's going to be at the farm, everyone's going to be there." She saw a show of confusion, so she decided to elaborate. "Well, everyone in the family decided they should get together and meet you all at once, if that's not too much." Melanie pulled her lips back in thought. "If it's too much I can call them and let them know a different time would be better?"

"No, no, it's okay. I want to meet them, I'm just a bit nervous." Sam nodded and pat her back gently. She could tell her of a time when she would _really_ be nervous about the Puckett clan, but nowadays, they were all changed in their ways. "By the way, I was talking to Ms. Benson and she asked me where I wanted to stay, so I said I wanted to stay with my sister. That being you, I guess I'll be staying with you as Ms. Benson as my legal guardian?"

"Yes, that's right. Mom made her the legal guardian, so yeah…right _now_, however, I'm staying with Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie." Melanie nodded and looked to her Aunt and Uncle with a nervous smile, were they from her mother's side or her father's side? Sam took this moment to take initiative and introduce her to the four relatives that were already there. "So, this is Uncle Morris, he's really nice once you get to know him!"

"Cool." Melanie watched as Sam introduced her to Aunt Maggie, then moved over to Greg. Since the family reunion, Greg had developed a goatee and was thinking seriously about proposing to the girlfriend he had. Annie change much and was still celebrating singlehood at just 26 years of age, unlike her older brother.

"This is Greg and Annie, two of our cousins. You'll meet the others when we get to the farm. In my opinion, and don't tell anyone I said this, but these two are my favorites." Greg and Annie grinned as Melanie smiled and nodded her head. Sam really did have a great respect for the two, especially since they were the most clear-minded of the Puckett clan at the family reunion and kept everything in order. "Without these four, I think it's safe to say I wouldn't have seen any redemption for them."

"Redemption?"

"Er…" She turned her attention to Melanie as Morris closed his eyes and chuckled. "Well years ago our family might have had a few criminals in it and-"

Melanie interrupted with a flat voice and narrow eyes, she jerked her thumb to the holding room and tilted her head. "Like that one?"

"Yeah…maybe not as bad." Melanie's eyebrows lifted up as Marissa started walking ahead of the group. They followed her, the two girls hung back while Annie and Greg formed the middle. Morris stayed behind Marissa and in front of the kids while Maggie ran up to Marissa.

"What's going to happen to Lucy?" Marissa's jaw locked and shoulders flattened down. She did, at least, feel a sense of triumph now that she'd booked the woman. However, there was that sense of guilt, a void, because she knew Sarah would never have known her daughter and Melanie would never know about her mother. Unless the family had something planned, she didn't see how Melanie ever would.

"Lucy confessed in the end, despite the Lawyer's pleadings for her to remain silent." Her voice was firm and quiet, she just needed to be direct and to the point. Maggie's eyebrows rose sharply, she took this to mean never questioning Marissa's capability of questioning subjects. "She will be in a holding cell, prison basically, until trial." Maggie nodded and looked back to Morris who appeared stunned, both of them assumed Lucy might fight harder than that, but who were they to ponder? They never knew the woman, and they were glad for that.

"Did the crazy act fall through?"

"Pretty much, woman's not a mental case. I've always been able to see through someone's insanity defense, so she just got the poor luck of the draw that _I'm_ the one that questioned her."

"Seems pretty insane what she did, though." Marissa frowned and looked back to Melanie with Maggie. She smiled sadly as she watched the girl laughing with her twin sister. Maybe those two would share some wonderful new memories with each other. "Taking her sister's newborn baby directly from the hospital, hiding from her family for sixteen years, it's all just disturbing that a woman can do something like that. I mean it's disturbing to think they could do it to a human being, but to their own flesh and blood…I know in our day, our family has done some crazy stuff, but no one would ever hurt their brother or sister."

"I know. Can you possibly imagine what the Daniels's are all going through? They always grew up seeing their side of Sam's family as the _normal_, 'not criminal' side." So, though I'm sure none of you would, try not to rub it in their faces, okay?"

"Yeah, I understand. Don't worry, we won't do that. Plus, we talked to Buzz, and he won't say a thing either. We just want to be there for them, we're all one big family, you know." She looked back at the twins and Sam waved at her, grinning brightly for a second before looking back at Melanie. "We all had to work together to show Sam that we were serious about her, and now we need to show Melanie that we're all coming together for her."

"That's admirable."

"You think Sam's telling Melanie who all she's going to meet?"

"Probably."

At the farm, Melanie was greeted first by Buzz and Garth. Sam grinned and ran up to them, dragging Melanie with her by the wrist. "This is Uncle Buzz and our cousin Garth. They're great people." Buzz quickly hugged Melanie, practically lifting her off the ground. She let out a laughing yelp and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Okay, okay, put me down!"

"I'm just happy to see my niece." Melanie laughed as he placed her back onto the ground. Marissa stepped out of her car with a smile and leaned against it.

"Hey now Buzz, be careful there, I'd like her in one piece when she moves in." Buzz looked over and grinned at her, happy to hear that she would get custody of the twin.

"So you are getting custody then?"

"Yeah, I have it written that it was Sarah's intention that I have custody." Melanie waved at Marissa and the woman waved back, smiling through her shades. "You go and have fun, I'm going to hang back here for a bit, I'm waiting on a call."

"Okay," Melanie said with enthusiasm. She was more than happy to meet her real family. Did she hate Lucy? No, she didn't hate the woman, she just pitied her. She pitied how desperate the woman had been. She followed Buzz, Garth and Sam inside. Marissa heard footsteps and glanced over to the side to see Freddie and Kyle walking towards the house. Freddie glanced up and grinned at his mom.

"Hey mom, it's about time you guys showed up."

"Yeah, sorry we were running a bit late, questioning took a bit more time when the lawyer showed up." She turned to face her son and lifted her eyebrows as she pondered why Freddie had been out of the house. "So what were you guys doing?"

"Well once Kyle met the family, he and I took a walk. He was interested in knowing a bit more about the whole process of how I was marrying Sam when I turn twenty…_so_, I thought I'd educate him on that while waiting for the girls."

"Oh. Well you know, I'm not too sure whether or not I'm going to do that with Melanie. I think I'm going to leave that decision up to her."

"All right, you may ask the Puckett's what they think. Family's close like that, don't you think?" Marissa paused briefly as the wind blew her hair slowly and silently.

"Yeah Freddie, family is close like that. Go enjoy your time in there." He nodded and hurried inside with Kyle. Marissa watched as they departed, then leaned forward against the hood with a heavy sigh. Family? Close? That was true, but she couldn't get all those secrets from the family reunion out of her head. Her Aunt Zamira, marrying the man that fathered Carly's birth mother, all of Zamira's children, killers, or practically all of them were. Then there was the mysterious circumstances in which Zamira's first husband died back in 1961, it looked like an accident, but when Marissa had gone over the files recently, it looked like something different. She'd found a lot of strange things when she investigated the past of her family, a lot of mysterious and unexplained circumstances that made her think someone was after them. She wanted to think Tyrone or Lionel Shay, but as Carlos said, Lionel was just a Friday the 13th serial killer.

"Tyrone and his gang couldn't be behind all of the attacks on our family, could he?" Her brow furrowed as she gently tapped her foot on the ground. She hadn't been able to fathom how Zamira's daughter, Amy, could have killed her own sister in law and niece, but now that she'd arrested Lucy on taking her daughter's baby, it wasn't hard to see. Then the woman's son, George, confessed to killing his wife in a drunken rage back in 1979, then making it look like a drowning. To date, the woman's oldest daughter, Megan and son Dennis were the only two of her relatives either not in prison or dead! Then again, her granddaughter April, and April's daughter Kelly were doing pretty well for themselves. Then Zamira's daughter Terry had been abused all these years by her husband, so he was finally in jail. At least she was safe. Either way it made her think, were the majority of mysterious happenings caused by the family and not some age old, unexplained hatred between the Shay family and the Davidson family?

Thinking to herself, and doing the unthinkable, she pulled out the phone and dialed Tyrone's number. When he picked up, she blurted out her thought process. "What the hell started the whole damn thing?"

"Davidson? What are you going on about?"

"I'm talking about this hatred you have for us. What is it all about?" Tyrone paused as Marissa narrowed her eyes. "You know the police now has a rap sheet of all the crimes your gang has pulled on us. All the way from Uncle Agim's boat sinking back in 2000, Jake's murder last year, my hospitalization, and so many other things. Like the fire that almost wiped out Dad and his siblings back in 1950!"

"Whoa, back up there Emily. I may be a prick, but I had nothing to do with you ending up hospitalized. Neither did the people I work with. My son thought I did, you think I did, but we had nothing to do with that. Also, what about 1950? I was born in '37, what the hell could I have done when I was thirteen?"

"I don't know, it's either you or that Lionel relative of yours." Tyrone quieted and let out a sound of confusion as Marissa smacked her forehead. She had forgotten that he didn't even know about Lionel.

"Look. Leave it alone. Okay?"

"Not until you do…You couldn't stop at taking Spencer away from me, couldn't stop at trying to figure out who my son's marrying, couldn't stop at trying to kill me, but it's all ending soon enough. Got that? The next time I find you, Tyrone, I will have a warrant out for your arrest!"

"Come on, you got what you want! You're marrying my son and you've got your son back! What more do you want?"

"You to end the ignorance…"

"Give me a break. Look, I don't support what you do-"

"What I _do_? It's my family's _culture_. I'm following a _tradition_. You did it yourself when you decided to put Robert with that bitch!"

"Okay, I admit, _that_ was a mistake. Other than that, I'm not going to stop what I believe is the right thing. You might have my granddaughter fooled, or in the process of, but it isn't stopping a damned thing. Is there anything else you'd like to accuse me of?"

"Yeah, you know anything about Zamira's husband, Clint? Clint Wilson? He died under mysterious circumstances back in '61."

"No. I don't know shit about your Uncle's death, nor do I care. All I think you Davidson's should do is go _back_ to India."

"Yeah, well that's what Uncle Agim was trying to do, but did that stop you? _No_, you _still_ hired your gang members to hijack his boat and sink it!"

"Seriously? I'm getting tired of that accusation. I did _not_ sanction that man's death! Hell, the gang member that did it died there too and I don't even know _who_ found the woman that managed to survive, so don't blame me this time Marissa." She rolled her eyes and was about to make a snide remark when her radio flared up. She groaned and grabbed at it.

"Hold on Tyrone." She opened her car door and set the phone down in the cup holder, forgetting to hang up. She grabbed the radio from her seat and quickly answered it. "What is it?"

"Deputy Benson! We have a problem."

"What? Spit it out."

"It…it's your aunt, we got a call to her house." Suddenly a pit began to form in her stomach, she had a bad feeling about what the man's next words were going to be. "You need to get down to her house…or what's left of it…"

"What?"

"It's a mess, ma'am."

"Shit, I'm on my way!" She leapt into her car and clenched her teeth together as she slammed on the gas. Her engine roared loudly as her car shot onto the nearby freeway. It wasn't ten minutes that she was at Zamira's house. Her eyes widened as she saw Firetrucks parked along the street, shooting water at a blackened and destroyed home. Air escaped her lungs as she held back a scream and jumped out of the car. The first thing she saw were paramedics carrying Zamira's unconscious body into the back of an ambulance. "What the hell happened here?" Sergeant Carl walked up to her, frowning as his heart broke.

"We got a call in for an explosion. We've identified the bodies…" Bodies? Her blood ran cold and her hands began to tremble. "Your Aunt is alive, by some miracle, but she's comatose. She was in the kitchen, where the explosion took place. That was the most devastated room in the house. There were four people in the kitchen, including your aunt."

"How many people…how many people were-" Her voice broke and she Zamira's thirteen year old great granddaughter, Kelly, curled up on the curb. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders, her arms around her knees, she was bloody and sobbing. All noise around her silenced as Marissa broke into a run for the girl. "Kelly!"

Kelly looked up slowly, her cheeks stained with tears. Marissa knelt beside her and she spoke quietly. "The…I was in the backyard…The wall…the wall fell on me. The Paramedics said I shouldn't be alive. I should have died with mommy and daddy…"

"Mom and d…no…" Marissa's heart jumped as she looked towards the house. It was completely open, in the kitchen her stomach lurched as her eyes met a grisly sight. She saw Zamira's granddaughter, April laying on the kitchen tile, almost totally charred. Zamira's daughter Megan, had a part of the kitchen table's leg through her chest. She cupped her hand over her mouth and tears started running down her cheeks. Carl walked up to her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "I-I should be used to this, but…"

"It's your own family, it would be hard for _anyone_."

"Is…Is Tim?" Timothy, April's wife, wasn't visible anywhere. Carl pointed to a stretcher and Marissa followed his gesture.

"He's covered in severe burns, he's not expected to live out the day." Carl pointed to a body on the grass a few feet away, it was Zamira's son, Dennis. Glass was all around him. "He is deceased as well, his body was thrown by the explosion. Your cousin, Terry, and your cousin Amy's husband Sonny, were also found in the house. They…didn't make it…"

"Oh god!" Marissa ran to a tree and moved behind it, grasping her stomach violently and vomiting up. She fell to her knees and began to sob, pounding the ground ferociously. She _knew_ this wasn't Lionel Shay. She'd researched all the Shays that had died every ten years on Friday the 13th, _none_ of them were this violent, with the exception of Keyton Shay and Devlin Shay. This wasn't Lionel's MO, she could tell.

Suddenly she felt a hand upon her shoulder, she jumped up quickly and found herself staring into Tyrone's eyes. Not now, she couldn't handle this right now. "N-No, not you, not you!" She shoved him back, emotions flaring up inside of her. She knew this couldn't have been his fault, the sadness in his eyes was too great. "Get away, you bastard!"

"Emily, I'm so sorry…"

"Like you care."

"I do, I never wanted anyone to _die_. Mark my words, this was not my work, or my gang…"

"I know, just…" She turned her eyes to Kelly and frowned, clenching her fists into balls. "You'd better leave that poor girl alone, you hear me Tyrone? You leave her alone…God, it's times like these I'm thankful that Robert and Carly aren't pure—blooded Shays." She furrowed her brow and shook her head, she knew this meant that when Lionel decided to come after either Tyrone or Carly in 2013, he'd likely go after Tyrone. With Tyrone being the result of Devlin Shay's assault on Drita back in 1936, it made him a pureblooded Shay. She knew she should arrest him now, but she wasn't under the right mental state. She needed to gather herself though, because if she didn't, people might start wondering just how fit she was.

"I'm sorry."

"Just leave, Tyrone…just…" She turned to the devastation and ran her hand through her hair. She was glad Sam and Freddie were having fun with the Puckett family right now, they didn't need this bad news. She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. "I have to take care of this…" She knew asking Tyrone to leave her family might be too much, that he probably never would. "Now…besides Kelly and Zamira…the only ones left out of my cousins are all in _jail_. God why are you Shays so miserable?"

"What makes you think it was one of us? I'm the only damned Shay there is, Emily, and _I_ did _not_ do this."

"Well unless you got proof of it, then we're going to have to assume, because _guess_ who the one threatening my family all the time is? Don't go anywhere…" She narrowed her eyes and walked towards the officers nearby, knowing full well Tyrone wasn't going to stay put. He could be a fugitive for all she cared. He could go right on and get murdered by the cousin he never knew for all she cared. She just wanted two things, two know why the hell this feud between families ever begun and for this feud to end!

* * *

What a way to really go on with GS, with a bang. Not necessarily my original plan, but I AM going en route of my original plan. there's going to be several mentions and possible appearances of people who appeared on the show AFTER the "iKiss" episode (which was where I cut off). You'll never guess who appears next chapter, but she'll reveal a "missing link" that will explain just how severe things really are.


	138. The Missing Link

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 137 (The Missing Line)

In a quiet cemetery, soft music to the song of _Turn the Page_ by Bob Seger lifted into the air. A sixteen year old girl with soft brown hair flowing onto her shoulders sat in a black lawn chair next to her mother's grave. _Penny Dershlitt, Born: March 20, 197. Died: July 5, 2010_. The girl's right leg was crossed over her left and wafting slightly in the air as the wind blew through her hair. She was writing in black ink on a journal with an old iCarly logo on the cover. She breathed in softly and narrowed her eyes.

_"I contemplate dying my hair black, in order to keep my father from finding me as he did my mother. We were already hiding from him, but he found us in the middle of dinner. Mother cried out for me to run, to not look back, and that is what I did. I never once looked back, even as I heard my mother's cries. I fled, with one determined goal."_ She lifted her pen up and tapped her chin as she stared at the road in front of the cemetery. No cars were coming by, but every time one did, she found herself ducking behind her mother's tombstone. It was difficult being on the run. She clicked her tongue and brought her pen back down. _"I knew they'd think I was crazy, but I didn't care. Last year after mom's death, I was crazy. I waited for the webicon, thinking it was the only chance I had…to warn them…but then Freddie decided to end iCarly. Why? Why did things have to become so hard? I will tell you of what my father tried to pull me into, I will tell you of the significance of June 19__th__ and of March 4__th__, then I will tell you about the missing, no, the 'hidden' link. The ones that everyone wanted to forget. What _really_ started the bitter hatred that my father's ancestors have had towards the Davidson family…From the mouth of Nora Dershlitt, daughter of the cold and calculating Bana Shay. Son of Mitchell Shay, grandson of Thomas Shay, great grandson of William Shay, and great/great grandson of Deborah Shay, the sister of the infamous Brandon Shay."_

A car sped by and Nora's head shot up quickly, her body froze and eyes narrowed as she watched the car depart in the distance. It could not be safe enough for her. She turned her eyes to her mother's grave and her expression grew hard. She needed to find the Davidson's, _before_ anyone else was harmed. She clenched her pen tightly and began writing the account of every word her father said, of every journal entry that she'd found. _"June 19__th__, 1897, Dirdan Davidson's elder, drunkard of a brother, who was later shamed by his own family and died alone in 1899 of Typhoid Fever, conceived a child with Deborah Shay. On March 4__th__, 1898, Deborah Shay died in labor after giving birth to William Shay. After this, Brandon Shay murdered Dirdan's three year old son in revenge, a hand for a hand, so to speak. That is when the hatred begun, and Brandon taught both his son Devlin, and William, to hate the Davidson clan. To _murder_ them…It was Devlin's son Keyton who would be the Shay that _didn't_ come to hate the Davidson's. Rather, he fled his father. However, it is Devlin's cousin William that is the subject here…the man who started a genetic hatred, with each generation informing their children of the hatred at an early age, teaching them to kill. I think I was lucky, I am not certain, but I am the only one whose father didn't teach at just seven or eight…he waited until I was twelve years old, that's when I told my mother…and our run began. I will get to that later, first, allow me to recount in this journal the first incident. The first…death…caused by my great/great grandfather, William Shay, and just why, no Shay or Davidson knows of this missing link."_

Nora set her journal down and stood up to stretch her arms and legs. She let out a grunt and closed her eyes, breathing in slowly and gazing off into the sky. A family history of blood and pain, that was all in her past, but why? Why did she have to be cursed with this? She turned her head towards the radio and pulled her lips back. Her eyebrows rose as her eyes trailed to her mother's tombstone. An innocent woman, an innocent victim, but wasn't that what everyone was? Nobody deserved to die, nobody at all deserved the hand they had been dealt.

She knelt down in front of the tombstone and traced her fingers along the date that was engraved. She'd accepted too much to actually cry anymore, all she had was a bitter hatred and a bitter disgust within her.

The first death had been in early 1930, William Shay poisoned Dalmat Davidson in order to make it appear he perished of an illness. It worked, as all the Davidson's assumed that he died of an illness. Indeed, though, Brandon Shay and his son Devlin would murder Dalmat's wife nearly a year later. This had been written in one of William's journal entries several years prior. Nora felt her stomach flip and slowly moved to her journal. She lifted it up and began to write.

She wrote of the first major attempt at the lives of Dirdan's son Edon and Edon's siblings. On March 4th, 1933, at just 35 years of age, William Shay helped Brandon and Devlin plan and attempt to kill Drita, Edon, and Era Davidson while they were playing a game. Zamira Davidson was only three years old at the time, it would be the first time she would survive a tragedy.

_"The attempt failed, when Keyton Shay learned about his father, Devlin's plans. Disgusted with his father, grandfather, and the ever sadistic cousin he had…this brave seven year old child had sent Edon a letter just a week ago, warning them of the attack. When the three men went to the house, the family had escaped with their lives and not seen again for some time. Keyton would also see Devlin father a child through Drita Davidson in later years, his name would be Tyrone. Devlin took Tyrone away, claiming a Davidson had no business with a Shay. That can be found in my great/great grandfather's journal on page 416. Keyton, as I have already said, would grow to stay away from these people. He never spoke to his children, Lionel or Connie, about William Shay. Despite that fact, his relatives knew well where he was, but they left him alone…"_

When William turned 37, his wife figured out just how sick the man was and left, but unfortunately he still retained custody of his son, Thomas Shay. In 1938, he began to teach Thomas to hate and kill the Davidson family. He too, just as every generation before and after, would attempt the lives of the Davidson clan matching his generation. This attack had been revealed to Nora in both William's, and Thomas's journals. As well as by her father's words, several years prior.

_"In 1950, March 4__th__, Thomas Shay was only 26 and attempted, with his father's help, to murder Zamira Davidson and her siblings. Zamira was twenty years old at the time, had two twins, and had married Clint Wilson. She was with her 13 year old brother Arian, her 12 year old brother Besim, 10 year old sister Vera, and eight year old brother Agim. Outside the house, William Shay hit Clint with a brick while Thomas started a fire and made certain all the doors were locked and a large stone kept the front door from opening outward. This would have been successful, if not for one small dilemma. Clint awoke, hearing his family crying for help. He ran to the front door, cleared the blockage, and opened the door. Zamira, her children, and her siblings all rushed out of the house. Every one of them, alive…"_

If only that would have been the end of it, but unfortunately Thomas was the one who held a mighty grudge. He despised Clint ever since that day and spent a good ten years mulling over his failed attempt. Who knew when the next time would be that the entire family would be together to kill? The bastard shot his chances down! _"My great grandfather Thomas and his father William have detailed in their journals, exactly how they got away with the murder of Clint Wilson on October 2, 1961. To think, all it took was for Mr. Wilson to be working on the roof of his house. So much so, that they set a dog free, causing the ladder to topple and for Clint to fall off, and then his hammer…you know the rest…"_ She cringed with disgust and took a deep breath as she slowly ran her hand through her hair.

"I hope this is the right thing to do, Mom…"

In 1970, Thomas's wife left him, but somehow he managed to retain custody of his thirteen year old son, whom already knew of the hatred and the desire to kill. Nora checked the journals, read them for a moment, then moved back to hers. She heaved a heavy breath, swallowed her bile, and continued to write.

_"On March 4, 1980, Mitchell Shay would come oh so close to exterminating the Davidson family. However, Arian Davidson was safe due to his presence in Seattle. He lived next door to Tyrone Shay, who as of this day, to my knowledge, knows nothing about any 'living' members of his family. Mitchell, Thomas, and William Shay would each go separately to Zamira, Besim, and Agim's homes during the night as the family slept, and they would kill the families one by one. However, something went wrong. Each of my ancestors detail confusion in their journals, not understanding how a perfect plan could go so wrong…maybe it was someone knocking something over, but they swear they touched nothing. Perhaps it could be attributed to Zamira's jumpiness over the last tragedies she narrowly avoided, maybe it could be attributed to Besim's fifteen year old daughter not being fully asleep yet, maybe the daughter of Agim was having nightmares just one month before her death at the hands of Tyrone's newly formed gang…but regardless of the situation, Zamira, Jasmine, and Tricia each awoke to the sounds of an intruder and called the police first thing. It was another tragedy narrowly avoided. Though Agim's daughter, as I have read in my grandfather's journals, was actually successfully murdered by him a month later, _posing_ as one of Tyrone's gang members. Perhaps…it was…intentional framing? I cannot be certain, as my grandfather's entry is rather vague in detail."_

It was to the Davidson's fortune that William Shay passed away in 1991, though at the age of 93. Thomas Davidson had passed in 2010 at 86, he was going to kill Marissa Davidson, but failed to do so. Nora furrowed her brow and tilted her head as she continued to write. _"In 2009 or 2010, I am not sure which, but I recall spying upon my grandfather and my great grandfather. My great grandfather, Thomas, in a last attempt of his life, attempted to blow out the current Deputy Chief of Police, Marissa Davidson's car tire out on a rainy night. I witnessed Tyrone pulling up behind her, in an odd act of heroism, he pulled her out of that wreckage. You see, some of the metal had collapsed within the car, it could have meant her death had she remained in the vehicle. My great grandfather's final attempt was a failure, and in an ironic twist of fate, it was William's cousin, Devlin's own son that prevented it from being a success."_

That made her smile, only because she knew it would have wounded Thomas deeply if he had known that fact. The question was, had he known it? Maybe he did, maybe he did not, she couldn't be sure. Even with that man dead and her grandfather a failure, it was her _father_ that was the most vicious, _virulent_ man on the face of the earth. For some reason, he seemed to have the original hatred of Brandon Shay within him.

_"Bana, it means devil; killer; murder; slayer, I believe this is why he chose this name. You see, Bana is not my father's actual name, I am not certain what it is. Almost all of my father's attempts have been successful, it is a shame to say that I should never have been born. You see, he married my mother when he was nineteen, I was born three years later. Maybe he wanted a son, maybe he wanted someone who would fall for his crap, who knows. Let me tell you…of his first attempt. This was in my father's journal, which I confiscated from him without his knowledge. On November 8__th__, 2011, when Tyrone paid to have Agim's family put on that small boat back to India…it was my father who rigged that boat. He kept this secret from even his own father, he didn't feel it was necessary to revel in his success. All he had, all he has, is a bitter and pure hatred. Nothing more, nothing else…Agim's daughter in law escaped, yes. Did she commit suicide? It is what people believe…My father's journal says otherwise…"_

Her eyes welled with tears as she began attempting to fathom the level of severity that her father would go to. Unlike the generations before him, who wanted to wait for everyone to be together and smoke them out, he appeared to be killing them one by one, or in small groups. Thank god her mother was in the house when he began blabbing on and on about all of the hatred, about all that was done and must be done, otherwise she was afraid of what would have happened. She and her mother had decided to change their last name back to her mom's maiden name, neither mother or daughter wanted to be listed as a _Shay_.

Another car zipped down the street and her eyebrow raised up with curiosity. She brushed it off as nothing and continued to write in her journal, struggling to actually be _able_ to write. _"I confiscated my grandfather's journal months ago, and one of the latest entries I saw caught my attention. He spoke of a planned family reunion the Davidson family was having on October 6__th__. Evidently my father didn't want to bother with this, but Mitchell was persistent, so they planned to rig the building to gas every room at a specific time, and for all the doors to lock. On that day, I rushed over to see if I could warn anyone, but I assumed nobody would believe me. I also knew that I risked my father and grandfather seeing me, so what I did was finding the person who contributed the drinks…one of the relatives, and I put a mild sedative in the soda bottles, hoping it would make everyone want to leave sooner. My plan apparently worked, as not only did the tension of everyone's revelations and whatnot, but the sedative began to make people tired or dizzy…The family wrapped the reunion up just two hours before the gas was set to go off. With that, I attempted to find Freddie and Sam again, but they were already gone. I did manage to see my father and grandfather bickering with one another over Mitchell's failed plan, and that was when I made my escape."_

Nora looked up at the sky once more and furrowed her brow when she saw smoke in the distance. The smoldering black cloud concealed the sky. Her throat tightened and her body became tense. It was her father's handiwork, she was certain of it. Though she did not know for a fact, there was that pit inside of her that was telling her strongly that it was indeed him.

She quickly gathered her things and hurried to her mother's vehicle. She'd gotten it out of impound after her mom's murder the previous year and was sure she'd be in trouble if the police caught her, hence the new plates upon her car. She turned on the ignition and drove towards the smoke and was aghast when she arrived upon the scene. Her father had done it, he managed to shake the Davidson family once more. Though she wasn't sure, since now it was only firefighters putting out the flames. There were no people left.

She put her strong expression forward and drove to the nearest hospital, hoping that maybe she could gauge the damage that her father caused. When she arrived and started passing through the rooms and the hospital list, she saw that there had been six dead, and all of the dead were either Zamira's children or grandchildren. Alive and with minimal wounds besides a fractured leg and cracked ribs, was Zamira's great granddaughter, Kelly.

As Nora gazed through the hospital window into Zamira's room, her heart broke into pieces. Zamira was comatose, and had a possibility of surviving this. Would the woman even _want_ to survive such a tragedy? Especially after the many that she'd already survived?

There was a saying, that time healed all wounds, but she wasn't so sure if she believed it. How could a feud still be going on after 100 years? How could people not even know the cause, but one line still held a grudge? The Davidson's shunned Amar Davidson and he died long before any of the hatred created any casualties. His crime forgotten, even Amar, forgotten, as history had written him off, so had his family. For Brandon, his two grandchildren, Keyton and Tyrone, were hardly malicious compared to the virulence of Bana Shay. While Tyrone was the last Shay remaining and Lionel disappeared, he was just completely oblivious to everything going on and thought that his anger with the Davidson's was only because of unwillingness to accept them. Didn't it usually take two to make a feud? Perhaps it just took one generation line to make genocide. How could anyone face an enemy they knew nothing about? Nora closed her eyes as her mind moved to her original, determined goal.

"I have to find a way to warn them."

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There you have it, the missing link. Besides Lionel Shay, there is also Bana Shay. The plot thickens, but we'll have a while to go, I'm _not_ rushing through this again!


	139. Thanksgiving Meal

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

**A/N: THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE, READ THIS FIRST: BECAUSE I HAVE REMOVED THE OLD AND "BLANK" CHAPTERS 131-147, IF YOU HAVE COMMENTED ON THOSE CHAPTERS PRIOR TO THIS, OR ANY OF THE "NEW" CHAPTERS I POSTED UP BEFORE REMOVING THE BLANKS, THUS UPPING FANFICTION'S CHAPTER COUNT TO 157, IF YOU WISH TO COMMENT ON THE CHAPTERS (FOR THE MOST PART, THIS MEANS BORIS, INNER GIBBY, AND PENNY), YOU WILL NEED TO COMMENT ANONYMOUSLY AS FANFICTION WON'T LET YOU COMMENT UNTIL MY WRITTEN CHAPTERS AND POSTS CATCH UP TO THE 157 MARKER. **

Now with that said, please enjoy this chapter ^_^. Note, you'll see several nods to people and events that took place after I did GS's "fake" ending.

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Chapter 138 (Thanksgiving Meal)

The first thanksgiving brought Marissa, Robert, Spencer, Sasha, Carly, and Freddie together as a family. It was a somber one, as it had only been a week since Zamira's family was taken. Zamira was still in a comatose state. The whole Davidson family decided not to gather together for Thanksgiving, as they had planned on doing a while back. They were almost certain someone was after them. Vera and Besim were both ready to head straight for India and hope for the best. Arian and Era were the strong ones, claiming they weren't going to be scared away. Besides, Arian felt he owed it to his eldest sister to remain at her side in case she awoke. Each family spent their Thanksgiving _alone_ and hidden somewhere they felt safe. They wanted Marissa to get Tyrone, but nobody knew where he was. They couldn't blame him, though, especially if he felt they thought _he_ was responsible for the explosion.

Sam wanted to spend Thanksgiving with the entire Puckett Clan, and they were definitely initiating Melanie into their crazy family. She would have visited Freddie this thanksgiving, but they were still worried about Carly. They weren't even sure if she'd quite processed everything yet. Especially since this last week, she nearly lost her maternal grandmother and never actually talked to Zamira. She'd been afraid of Zamira not accepting her or something. With all that, Sam and Freddie just didn't feel she was ready to handle any thought that they were dating.

Jonah and Valerie requested peace and quiet for the Thanksgiving and had brought their two families together for their first Thanksgiving meal. Granted, it was just Jonah's father, mom, and sister joining Valerie's four sisters, two parents, and four grandparents. Freddie had so gracefully wished Jonah luck with Valerie's family, and it earned him a glare in return. It was okay though, since Valerie was going to begin a _four year_ apprenticeship with Rachael Ray. It would be the equivalent of college, then after that, she wanted to try and open up a business. Fortunately, her mentor would be giving her ample time to visit her family and friends, as long as she was learning her material.

Carly brought her turkey to her mouth and chewed it quietly, thinking to herself about her place in the family. "So, I'm _still_ confused!"

"About what?" Freddie asked, raising an eyebrow curiously as Carly set her fork down. Carly rubbed her temples and sighed.

"Okay, Zamira, at some time, married a guy and gave birth to my birth mother. Linda marries Dad, leaves dad. At this point of time, what does this make me?" Marissa took a bite of mashed potatoes and swallowed them, remaining silent for her thoughts. Once she thought of something to say, she decided to add her input.

"You'll be my stepdaughter, that's really all you need to think about. Linda would be considered my cousin, so technically if you were associating relationships that way, we'd be second cousins. Because your father and I are marrying, that makes you my stepdaughter, Freddie your brother."

"Okay…" She picked up her fork and took a tentative bite of the ham on her plate. "So, I know granddad would never let it happen, but…when you and dad marry, are you going to try and arrange a marriage with me?" Robert and Marissa exchanged unsure glances while Spencer and Sasha absently ate their meal. Carly looked at them and pressed her lips together. "You didn't arrange their marriage, did you…" Marissa closed her eyes as she cut a piece of turkey and bit into it. Carly waited as the members of the family remained silent. "Oh come on, toss me a bone here."

"Carly, Robert and I aren't even sure…with everything happening around Freddie and his fiancé, Spencer and Sasha even were threatened when they got engaged…yet no, that wasn't arranged by us, it happened before I had the opportunity to even get to know my own son. Anyway, we're not sure what'll happen if we try to set _you_ up with somebody."

"Let me guess, you think my granddad's going to try something?" Marissa chuckled and beat her fork in the air.

"Most likely." Carly sighed and moved her eyes to the side as she stabbed her mashed potatoes with her fork. The others stared at her as she stared at the fork, her cheeks were slowly turning red with realization that she just tried to use the mashed potatoes as though they were the meat. "Carly, you must understand that these take time. We don't even know if you've been dating anyone. You've not told your dad, you've not told Spencer…"

"I haven't told anyone. I mean, there's not really anyone out there…" Marissa nodded her head slowly and took another bite of her meal.

"In the end, Carly. It's up to you whether you want to participate in it or not. Nobody's going to force you to do anything that you don't want to do. I know it doesn't seem to coincide with what your grandfather said about my culture, but he's wrong about it." Carly hummed and reached over to grab for her iced tea.

"I don't know about all that. I mean, I defend granddad because people say he's ignorant. Anyway…" What subject could be talked about right now that might put everyone at ease? She could talk about Melanie, maybe even Jonah and Valerie. She did have some questions regarding them. "So Freddie, how long have you and Jonah known each other for?"

Freddie lifted his eyebrows and smiled in recollection of pleasant memories. "I've known him since I was like eight or so." Carly chuckled and brought her cup to her lips. It wasn't much of a surprise to her anymore, specifically because she didn't know what to expect. Freddie took a bite of the cranberry sauce and swallowed it heartily.

"Hey, you guys know that singer, Ginger Fox?" The others nodded as he grabbed his root beer. "I heard on the news the other day that her manager dropped her." Carly sighed and glanced to the side, she actually liked that singer. Although, not much.

Spencer cleared his throat and lifted his fork into the air. "Yeah, we saw that coming for a while now. You guys know that web sensation kid, Fred? Is he still on youtube?"

"I think so."

"I don't like him much," Freddie remarked absently. He really didn't, he honestly felt the guy's stuff was annoying and redundant. He was more of a fan of the Dawson guy, though not by much. "There's a lot better talent out there, believe me." The others nodded their agreements and continued eating, searching the air for more conversation fuel. They were all smiling now, starting to really get into the family time together. There was nothing quite like a great Thanksgiving to bring a family together and smile during a rough time. Carly was the first one to speak up.

"Hey Freddie, there's this kid at school named Pete, I think he likes Sam. You think we ought to set them up?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Marissa stifled a laugh. Robert kept a stoic expression as Spencer coughed on his drink. Sasha smacked him on the back. Carly gaped at the reactions with confusion and turned her head to each of them. "What? What is it?"

Freddie grabbed his napkin and wiped his mouth. He really didn't know what to say. He wasn't a _jealous_ person, by no means did he find himself to be one, but the concept of another guy moving in on Sam was just too troubling for him. "Carly, you really should avoid meddling." She narrowed her eyes as Freddie flashed a grin and put his napkin back on the table. "It's not your place, we don't even know if she'd like the guy, for one thing. Maybe you ought to ask her what she thinks about it all. I'm almost certain she'd get a kick out of that."

"Was that sarcasm? Are you making fun of me?"

"_Maybe_, a brother can't tease his sister?" Freddie smirked and Carly gasped. Her face turned devious and she started to spoon her mashed potatoes. Robert raised his eyebrow and Marissa quickly called out.

"Hold on, no food fights at the table." Carly sighed and pushed the mashed potatoes into her mouth.

"Sorry mom."

"If you're going to counter, you can smack him as long as it's not hard." Marissa smirked as Freddie's jaw fell.

"Mom, you traitor!"

"Sorry hon, I have to let my daughter win sometimes."

"Ma, you're evil." Marissa smiled innocently and continued to chew her meal as Carly gleefully smacked Freddie upside the head. Who was he to complain when she called Carly her daughter? It was very appropriate, and very proper. Hell, she was more Carly's mother than anyone else was. He looked over and saw that Carly's face was red, probably embarrassed from being called 'daughter', as great as it felt. "So, anyone ever give any thought as to whatever happened with Nevel? I mean, we haven't seen him in a year…" Nevel wasn't even doing videos anymore, they thought for sure once iCarly ended, he would be thrilled, but it seemed when the show ended, so did he.

"Maybe without you guys, he had nothing left to attack," Robert suggested. Freddie shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair. He couldn't complain if Nevel had disappeared, the kid was irritating beyond measure, but just thinking about the guy created a sense of nostalgia.

"You ever wonder if I should have pushed so hard to end the show? I mean…I know there's nothing we can do about it _now_, the show's long over, but still…"

Carly raised her eyebrow and tilted her head slightly. "You have regrets? I mean, you think we could ever start iCarly up again, Freddie?" He pursed his lips together and Robert slowly raised his head up. Nobody was really sure if that would _ever_ be able to happen, not with everything going on the way it was. The Shays were after them, god knows Lionel Shay doesn't need to know where Carly was.

Marissa pressed her lips together and slowly shook her head. "I hate to be the one to say no here, but it's just too dangerous to even _think_ about that show right now." Carly looked down sadly for a brief moment and shrugged her shoulders, she understood just fine that it would be dangerous. There was no sense in starting the webshow up again when people were after the family.

"I understand. It's just the nostalgia creeping up."

"It happens…I know you guys miss iCarly, but that might fade in time. It's just better right now that you don't put yourself out there."

"Hey, a lot of crazy things happened with it, right Freddie?" Freddie blinked as he swallowed a piece of his food. He chuckled as he remembered their times with iCarly. He glanced at Spencer and grinned. There was a time after Spencer started returning to Law School, that some big television company tried to steal iCarly's ideas and Freddie had Spencer go in and scare them with one big suit. "You remember when the one guy from the food channel wanted to come on?"

"Not really…when was this?" Carly paused for a moment and tapped her chin in thought, maybe Freddie hadn't been involved in that.

"Well it was just a message, Sam and I caught it one day but never bothered responding. Have you ever seen that show, Food Fight?" He raised his eyebrow and slowly set his silverware down, trying to recall the show. Didn't it come on just before Rachael Ray's big segment?

"Oh yeah, that's the show with Ricky Flame, it has to suck just being an 'opening act' before one of the food channel's _real_ stars. Valerie is always turning on the television just a couple minutes before her idol, and there's the guy giving his closing speech. Sometimes he says some jealous remark about Rachael's show coming up." Carly laughed as she imagined the guy getting fed up with having a secondary slot.

"I heard some of the stars of the food channel might be looking for apprentices as well and that Rachael was supposedly _not_ going to bother with it."

"Yeah, I guess once she met Val, she just _had_ to get an apprentice of her own." He knew about the whole apprentice thing with the food channel. Some of the high chefs wanted to have someone to teach that they could hand off their cooking to. Paula Deen, Tyler Florence, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, and Marcella Valladolid were the only other major chefs that were looking for apprentices. Ricky Flame never quite said whether he was going to or not. "He might try to get an apprentice just to attempt to be better than Rachael at something, but the thing is, he doesn't just cook, he has competitions and typically sounds a bit self absorbed. Rachael has more heart, that's what Valerie says, along with that heart being the reason people like her show the best."

"Go figure. Think the food channel will make any of the apprentices like battle or something?"

"Not unless they wanted to put them in on Chopped. In which case, I highly doubt. Though I wouldn't be surprised if old Rick will try and get Valerie on his side just to hopefully improve ratings."

"Let's hope not." Carly glanced at the window as she pushed a spoonful of potatoes into her mouth. Her eyes widened momentarily as she saw him, Griffin Halstrom. Her heart jumped up and she quickly looked back to her family, chuckling sheepishly. "Can I be excused?"

Marissa lifted her eyebrows with concern and eyed Carly's plate, she was pretty much done with her food. "I suppose, is there something wrong?"

"No, not at all…don't worry about it, mom." She smiled and rose to her feet. "Thank you." Freddie's eyebrow arched upwards as Carly placed her plate in the sink, then shot out to the living room. She opened the door and stepped outside, then closed the door behind her. "Griffin, what are you doing here? You know I said not while I'm with my family, right?"

"I missed you." He placed his hands onto her waist and smiled as he brought his lips gently to hers. She moaned once and leaned back, gazing into his eyes with wonder and slight upset. "We haven't gone out since you moved in with your family." He pouted his lip and Carly's cheeks became red, she hated when he put on a cute face. "You're not avoiding me because of-"

"No, no I'm not. I told you already, I accepted that stuff already…I know we haven't gone out, and I miss you too, but I haven't been able to see you while I'm with my family."

"Why not? Why not tell them that we're together?" Her brow furrowed and she glanced to the side. She hated to keep it secret, but nobody would go for the idea that this guy was her boyfriend. She and Griffin had been dating for nearly a year now. He wore leather jackets with spiked shoulders, black jeans, was now spiking his hair up, and most frequently rode around on a motorcycle.

"It's not _exactly_ the image that would be good, you know? I mean, Mom's the Deputy Chief, Dad's moving on up in the military, and my brother is a lawyer now. They wouldn't approve…"

"So what if they don't approve? It's not like I'm asking you to run away with me. In which case…" He smirked slightly and nodded his head to the motorcycle in the street. Carly's eyebrows rose as he moved his smug eyes into hers. "You really _do_ want to run off with me, that can be arranged." She smiled sweetly and looked back at the door, she was certain she heard moving inside. She placed her hand to Griffin's cheek and kissed him lightly. "It's thanksgiving, go be with your family. I'm with mine. Besides, they wouldn't like it if I left without warning. Now go, before they see you!"

"Aw all right…Are you sure you don't want to make out though?" She lowered her arms and narrowed her eyes for a moment before pointing harshly to the bike. "Go!"

"Geez, okay…" He turned around and paused, glancing back with a smile that made her heart melt. "Can I get one more kiss, though?" She smiled back at him and slowly shrugged her shoulders.

"Fine."

Inside, Freddie was busy straightening up the living room so they could all watch a movie together. He sensed something strange and looked towards the window in time to see Carly kissing someone. His eyes widened and he slowly turned to face the scene. Now since _when_ was she dating someone, and why did she not tell them when they asked her earlier? What reason did she have for keeping the secret, hopefully she didn't think that she needed to hide her relationships because of her family's culture, that just wouldn't be necessary.

He titled his head to the left as the door opened and Carly walked inside, smiling brightly. She saw Freddie and waved. "Hey Freddie, how are you?"

"I'm fine, and yourself?"

"I'm okay." He watched suspiciously as she made her way into the kitchen. She had a peculiar bounce in her step, easily noticeable. He looked back to the window and saw the boy take off on a motorcycle. He wouldn't bother her about it, not right now. At least, he'd let her tell them whenever she felt like it. In the meantime, it wouldn't be right to accuse her of keeping a secret relationship when nobody told her about Sam just yet. Sighing, he shook his head and began to walk back in the kitchen to let people know it was game time.

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Hope you enjoyed that!


	140. Thanksgiving at the Williams' House

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

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Chapter 139 (Thanksgiving at the Williams House)

In the Williams' home, Jonah watched as his father bounced Aaron on his knee. Next to the man was Jonah's thirteen year old sister, Olivia. Michael and Olivia were _thrilled_ about Aaron, though at first Jonah's parents had been disappointed that he'd had premarital sex. Jonah's mother Denise was in the kitchen, helping Valerie and her mom finish preparing the pumpkin, pecan, and lemon pies, and already they were smelling fantastic. The longer he waited in the living room, the more those pies taunted his nostrils.

The three women weren't just working on pies, they were cleaning dishes while Denise was somewhat 'initiating' Valerie into the family. They were also talking about the great opportunity she was going to get working with Rachael. Even though she was having doubts, due to the attack on Freddie's family the week prior, she had everyone telling her to go. There would never come another opportunity like this, so nobody was going to let her pass up such a great opportunity.

Jonah crossed his arms over and smiled as he listened to his son's laughter. Michael would make an awesome grandfather to the baby, and hopefully, he wouldn't end up being a tyrant like Tyrone was with Freddie's family. Although, as far as being supportive went, it was amazing that _both_ families were supportive of Jonah and Valerie. He looked to the den and saw Vincent Williams working on a project of some kind, sadly he had to work through the holidays. It was frustrating, because he wanted to give his daughter full attention before December 1st came around. That would be the day Valerie left with Rachael. After that, the family was going to tape _everything_ that Rachael Ray would be on, because most likely, Valerie would be shadowing her wherever she went.

Valerie's sisters were somewhat envious, but yet, immensely proud. When she'd reached her lowest moment after the explosion last week, thinking she shouldn't go and she should be there for her friends, it was her older sister, Vanessa, that told her straight out that she shouldn't pass up the opportunity. That had great impact on Valerie, because Vanessa was the sister she _always_ looked up to, no one else had quite as much power in their words. He chuckled to himself as he remembered the earlier conversation between the two sisters.

_Cradling Aaron in her arms, Valerie was beside herself with guilt and uncertainty. Jonah was trying to tell her that she'd already told Rachael she was going and that it would be great for her future and the future of the family as a whole if she went, but she was more concerned with wanting to be there for her friend. "I just don't know, I mean Aaron's going to need his family…not only that, but after Freddie and Sam lost some of Zamira's family, it worries me…would that happen here?" Pacing the floor, she had come to an almost abrupt halt when she saw Vanessa walking into the room._

_ It was one of the first times that Jonah had actually seen the nearly twenty year old college student. She looked almost exactly like Valerie, but a slight bit older. Moreover, she appeared as a mix between Sasha and Valerie. Vanessa took Aaron in her arms and cradled him gently as she met Valerie's eyes. "Valerie, you're going to take this opportunity and we're going to help ensure Aaron has everything he needs while you're gone."_

_ "But-"_

_ "There are no buts here Valerie. You're my little sister, yes I get that you're the second born and I treat you like the 'baby' of the family, but I would give you the same words as I'd give Veronica, Victoria, or Vixen. I know you're worried about your friend, I know you're worried about your husband and about your son, but Rachael's already stated you can visit them every month, two times in some months, along with holiday breaks. If you're going to just give the opportunity to go on this apprenticeship, you give up the chance to really put your name out there…do you know how difficult it is to just go out with only a culinary arts degree? You can put your name out there by taking this apprenticeship, you can learn _so much_, so I stand by my words when I tell you, there is no way I'm letting you give this up. Not for a moment." Valerie seemed to freeze up and her eyes had begun to well with tears. After a second of silence, her lips curled upwards and she slowly nodded her head._

_ "I understand sis. You're right, I'm not going to give this up. I mean, I get to work alongside my idol!"_

_ "Exactly!" Vanessa smirked and tilted her head. "Seriously though, day in and day out, constantly watching the food channel, I think mom, dad, and all our sisters will be somewhat glad to have the television on other things." Valerie's face turned red as Jonah's eyebrows rose curiously, she really _was_ a food network superfan. "Granted, knowing Mom and Dad, with you going on the food network, it's likely the television will still be on the food channel 24/7. Besides, you won't have to worry about Aaron. He's got six aunts, including Jonah's little sister, to spoil him. Four grandparents too."_

_ Valerie closed her eyes and emitted a nervous chuckle. "I know, that's what worries me. Jonah's going to have to deal with ten people spoiling the heck out of his son." Jonah blinked and felt everything inside of him start slipping downward, it seemed he'd have to take his parenting skills to the next level. All of Valerie's younger sisters were younger than fifteen, which meant, they would most likely spoil Aaron to bits. "Just remember, Aaron is usually breastfed, but he _can_ be fed from a bottle. His primary care physician, Dr. Arca, handles _all_ of his needs and can tell you everything that should be done, Jonah knows-" Vanessa cleared her throat and cradled Aaron with one arm, placing her free hand onto Valerie's shoulder._

_ "Relax, we've got it all under control."_

The baby's giggling brought Jonah back to reality and a smile to his face. He was actually planning to put doctor appointments around some of Valerie's visits back home. Not _all _of them though, she would most likely want to be able to spend some time with her family and friends without having to worry about medical stuff. As much as Jonah wanted to go with her, he had to focus on college. He hoped to go into the military afterwards, then into the medical field. A military doctor fit his agenda for the future.

Suddenly he was nearly pushed to the ground by Valerie's 15, 13, and 11 year old sisters. That was Veronica, Victoria, and Vixen respectively. He regained his balance and took a few steps back as the girls surrounded Aaron and started cooing over him. He almost wanted to step in and ask them not to crowd the baby, but it seemed Aaron was overjoyed with the attention. He chuckled nonchalantly and slowly walked into the den where Vincent had all of his papers spread out on the table. The man glanced up and raised his eyebrows as he set his pen down, finally tiring of all the work. "Come on in son, have a seat."

"Sure." Jonah walked towards the table and sat in front of Vincent. The man was the only blonde, besides Vixen, in the family. All of the others had brown hair like their mother. Vincent smiled at Jonah and looked him in the eyes. "So, Valerie's going to be going away for a few years. I'd say you and I are going to become closely acquainted with one another." His eyebrow rose and his subconscious started to rise, he knew Vincent may have supported them, but the father had _not_ been overly pleased with Jonah getting his daughter pregnant. He at least needed to find a way to get on this man's good side, if he wasn't already. "You think you're ready to be a father?"

"Do I? Honestly? No, I'm scared I'll do something wrong, that's why Valerie and I are getting all the advice and help we can from our parents…"

"Right, and I think that's very noble of you to admit to." Jonah nodded graciously as Vincent took his pen and started writing on his papers. "All this paperwork, this is what I get for adding on to my workload."

"You had to, didn't you? For your family, I know I would." He watched with mild anxiety as Vincent's lips curled upwards and he looked up with pride.

"Yes. I wanted to be able to provide for them. After Viola became unable to walk, I had to start bringing in more money to support my girls. Now you have to support your son while your child's mother is gone. Understand me when I say it is no easy task. You _will_ get stressed out and you _will_ get tired. So don't be afraid to as your parents or us for help. Got that?" He placed his strong hand on Jonah's shoulder and smiled at him. Jonah nodded carefully and smiled nervously as the sweat ran down his neck. He didn't know the first thing about being a father, so what was he going to do?

"Yes sir." Jonah smiled as Vincent lifted his eyebrows and moved his eyes over to him.

"Don't call me 'sir' it's way to formal. Call me Vincent."

"Yes s-" Jonah stopped himself as the man waited patiently. He quickly corrected himself and smiled gradually. "All right Vincent."

"Good catch, I think we're going to get along great."

"Yeah, I think so too." At least he _hoped_ that was the case. He carefully rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at the doorway as Valerie walked in and hugged her father around the neck.

"Hey Daddy! Are you and Jonah getting along?" She looked at her husband and grinned. Jonah tried not to seem nervous at all, he'd met Vincent several times before, but he was still trying to get used to the guy. Hell, his own dad was already friends with him, so why was it so difficult for him? Then again, he had to figure that Vincent expected high marks from Jonah. He would have to do everything he could to prove to this man that he would be a grade A father and husband. "Dad's not scaring you any, is he?"

"Nah, we're doing just fine. How are you? In about a week, you'll be starting your apprenticeship and finishing your schooling…uh, where's the network located again?" Valerie's eyes seemed to sparkle as she thought about the direction her life was headed, no going back now.

"Chelsea Market in New York City." He smiled proudly and hugged her waist. She looked into his eyes and lifted her eyebrows. "Are you sure you and Aaron are going to be okay? I mean, I guess Freddie and Sam will be around to help, as well as our families, but-"

"We'll be fine Valerie." He kissed her forehead and felt her body begin to relax. "I guess you'll be finishing up school in New York, then?"

"Yeah, Mom and Dad gave Rachael power of attorney to enroll me in a private high school up there." She rubbed her nose briefly and turned her eyes downcast. Jonah felt his heart sink and for the first major time it was hitting him what was really happening. "I'm so scared, I don't want to leave everyone, but I want to do this. I know this will also be better for us, better for Aaron."

"Our son should be our first priority, Valerie." He lowered his arms as her eyes lifted to meet his. He could feel Vincent's eyes upon him, monitoring and studying him. "I know you're nervous, and I'm scared too, but this has to be done. We need to be able to provide for our son, and we've been given an opportunity that not _many_ people in our situation actually receive. That is, our parents helping us and you with a great mentor. Valerie, things can only go so well if we utilize everything we can to provide a good life for Aaron. Yes, we're going to miss each other, yes you're going to miss Aaron, and yes we'll only see each other maybe once or twice a month, but…in the long run, just think. Four and a half years from now you'll be done, maybe opening your own restaurant, I'll be going into the military…Valerie, I'll say again, most teenagers that wind up parents, sometimes end up dropping out of high school to raise that kid. Sometimes they only get a high school education, maybe it happens that they go through college, but the fact is, we're _able_ to go the distance. So while you're on that plane to New York, think about Aaron and our future. Let that be what guides you through the rest of the years."

He kept his eyes with Valerie's tender, quivering orbs. He knew Vincent was beside himself with pride, he could feel it radiating from the man. Valerie slowly smiled and nodded her head, then she hugged him tightly. Tears leaked from her eyes, though she was happy. "I will, Jonah. I will." He smiled back, his heart was pounding inside. He didn't know what he was going to do when she stepped on that plane next week, but he knew one thing. He would _definitely_ need his best friend there to help him through it.

"I know you will." He moved his arms up and slowly rubbed her back. After a second, Vincent cleared his throat and the couple quickly parted arms. Valerie wiped her eyes and looked over to the door.

"So um, the pies are ready for anyone that wants some." The two men nodded as Valerie hastened to the kitchen. Jonah bowed his head momentarily, then lifted his gaze to Vincent. His stomach had butterflies fluttering about inside, though he knew it wasn't even half of how he'd feel on the day she would leave. He felt his father-in-law's mighty hand rest upon his shoulder. Maybe he would have that empowering, commanding figure one day, who knows? He could hope.

"I'm proud of you my son, you will make a fine man. My daughter's made a good choice to place her faith in you." Pride shot up like a geyser inside of him and his eyes widened as the elder man walked from the room. He would take only a moment to regain his composure, then he would go for pie. For now, he rather enjoyed the shock. After all, the man just praised him!

* * *

The thanksgiving arc has one more chapter after this, I think you'll enjoy it because it's some Freddie/Sam romancing after a long time. I felt it was necessary to include, though I like the ending of the chapter best XD. REMEMBER: Old readers desiring to comment should do so anonymously until the chapter count reaches 157. Don't worry, it won't be long, though I'm making no promises on how long it takes the story to reach its end :P By that I mean, I don't know how many chapters it's going to be, I'm just so excited to be working on this again XD.


	141. Temptations at Thanksgiving

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 140 (Temptations at Thanksgiving)

Inspired by seeing the biker earlier, Freddie made his way towards Sam's place. He was sneaking and glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching him, he couldn't be too sure these days if Tyrone would be following him or anyone else, for that matter. Hell, even after Jake's death, he was nervous about whether someone would go after Jonah. Sam told him it was something Valerie had been worried about. Jonah himself was the one who was constantly telling her not to worry too much about him, that he could handle anyone and anything that came his way.

He parked his car around back and potted Kyle, possibly up to the same thing. He chuckled and waved his hand. "Hey man, what are you up to?" Kyle looked over and smiled as he walked over to Freddie.

"I was sneaking up to say hi to Melanie. You doing that for Sam?" Freddie quickly put his finger to his lip and glanced over his shoulder. He had to make absolutely sure no one heard Sam's name spoken out in the terms of a relationship.

"Shh, not so loud. There are people out there who don't approve and would like to tear us apart, if they knew who I was with, they'd take her away. So you're surprising your girlfriend too? Great minds think alike, don't they?" He chuckled and walked with Kyle around to Sam's window, which was open. The girls were inside, chatting about random things that most men didn't want to know about. Kyle's eyebrows lifted up as Freddie placed his hands to his mouth and called out for Sam. "Hey Puckett, you in there?" The sisters screamed in shock and quickly ran to the window, their eyes widened in excitement when they saw their boyfriends.

"Freddie? Kyle? What are you two doing here?"

"Surprising you." A playful smirk tugged at his lips as he folded his arms over and leaned against the wall. The two girls squealed and quickly fled from the window, as though they'd done that sort of thing before. Both men were astonished and taken by surprise when the girls jumped into their arms. They laughed nervously and glanced at each other, now it was time to part. With that, Kyle took Melanie around the house while Freddie remained there with Sam. "So…"

"So?"

"How's your thanksgiving going?" Sam's eyes lit for joy, immediately melting Freddie's heart. His lips curled upwards as Sam turned around and leaned back against his chest, then pulled his arms around her waist. She let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes, feeling his warm breath gracing her neck.

"I couldn't have asked for a better one." He moved his lips down and gently caressed them upon her neck, feeling her shudder to the touch. He hadn't had his arms around her or a moment like this in so long, things had just been too hasty lately. It was nice to have some time to take a break from such a busy life. He felt her melt back and tilt her head backwards, gazing upwards at him. "Freddie…why do you have to do that?" He lifted his lips just mere centimeters and smirked.

"Because I know it turns you on."

"Ah. That's not fair."

"Is this fair?" He moved his lips to her earlobe and nibbled gently on it, giving off a small and seductive growl. He felt her shudder and sigh with pleasure. This was to his delight.

"N-No." She gasped out and he moved his embrace around her waist tighter. This was the thrill, it had never left them. Just the _thought_ of what would happen if one of her relatives walked out right now, the danger of the situation was remarkable. It sent the adrenaline pumping through his body in preparation for such an event, as he was sure _one_ of them would wind up chasing him off. "Oh god, it has been a while…"

"Hasn't it?" He moved his hands to her wrists and slowly brushed them along her arm. Tiny little bumps started to form as his fingers gently brushed over them. He moved his chin to the top of her head and gently kissed her cranium, taking in the smell of her sweet shampoo. "You took a shower today?"

"What of it?" He could feel her body heat rising as he watched with joy as her cheeks started to glow bright red. "Freddie, I swear, if I didn't love you…I'd probably knock you upside the head."

"I bet you would, but I wouldn't care." She let out a shuddering breath and started to turn around to kiss him, but Freddie stopped her and held on to her arms. He smirked as she released a whine turned whimper. "Ah, ah, I don't think so."

"Why must you tease me like this?"

"Because I _can_." She moaned as he reached down and kissed the nape of her neck. He felt her squirm in his arms and let out a rich, cheerful laugh as she whined once more. "Now what do you need to say? I know you want to say something."

"Can I…" She paused and his eyebrow rose. "No, no you don't get the satisfaction this time!" She crossed her arms and huffed her nose into the air. He smirked gently and slowly guided his fingertips down her soft and warm arms. She bit her lip and whimpered softly as he moved his lips to her ears and whispered. He was enjoying this far too much.

"Then _you_ don't get the pleasure."

"I _refuse_ to beg."

"I guess that's your choice." He watched her adams apple rise and fall very slowly as he lowered his arms from her. She bit her lip and moaned as he started to walk away from her. "I don't mind at all, I mean…I came to say hi to my girlfriend. I think I fulfilled that desire." He closed his eyes and put on a smug grin as Sam reached out and called his name.

"Wait!" He glanced back momentarily and watched her perfect fingers play with each other at her waist. "Please Freddie…would you kiss me?" Her cheeks shone a perfect red and her eyes shot to the side. He turned around and held his hands out.

"I don't know…It sure took you a long time to ask."

"But I _want _a kiss! Please!"

"Well maybe. I think we have to know if you've been a good girl lately."

"I have! I have been a good girl!"

"Is that so?" A dangerous glint shot through her eyes, and he could instantly see that she was plotting revenge for his making her beg. Whatever the case may be, his eyes fell upon her perfectly plump and tender lips. He had to have them. It had been so long since they'd really shared a _deep_ kiss, they'd just had no time at all. He slowly licked his lips as Sam started to beg.

"Just one little kiss Freddie, anything at all will suffice! Please, oh please, I just want to kiss my fiance, would you give me that-" No more talking, no more games, he grabbed her waist and instantly crashed his lips into hers. She gasped out in surprise as he pushed her against the house. "Freddie!"

"Yes, love?" He continued his fury against her lips and she let out a moan of pleasure as the flames roared throughout their body. He moved his lips to her neck and felt her tilt her head back. His teeth grazed her skin and she gasped sharply.

"No Freddie, not there! I don't want it to be too obvious!" He moved his lips from her neck and lifted his eyes to hers. She was panting and had her arms draped around his neck, her right leg was locked around her waist and her body was leaning back. "If someone were to see the hickey…"

"Could be problematic." He remembered the very first time he gave her a love bite, they got chastised by his mother and told that it could give away who Freddie was supposed to be with. He scanned her body to see where else he could leave his mark. As his eyes fell upon her chest, he smirked at the two dots pushing through her shirt. "No bra there, Sam?" Her cheeks flushed and she playfully smacked him.

"Hush, you!"

"It's okay, I won't tell anyone." He pressed his body against hers, pushing his hip against her. Sam let out a yelp and stared into his eyes.

"We shouldn't even be doing this, not here."

"Who's going to know?"

"Well for one thing, Melanie."

"This is true. Kyle's keeping her busy, though." Sam chuckled and her eyes drifted to his lips. Suddenly, her lips crashed into his in a firey blaze of passion. Freddie's eyes widened as he felt her pressing against him and seductively grinding her hips against his. He had been caught off guard, and that gave enough time for her to push him down to the ground and straddle his waist. He clenched his teeth together and swallowed hard as he watched her roll her arms along her body and through her hair above her head. She slowly leaned forward and placed her hands onto his chest and moved her lips mere centimeters from his. He sighed as her hot breath landed upon him.

"I hope you have an extra pair of pants, because I'm about to ruin this pair. This is what you get, Benson." Shit, this was what she had planned! His eyes widened as he felt her press her groin sharply against his. He grasped at the green grass furiously and arched his back as she continued to rub her hips with his. The blood rushed through his body as his excitement began rushing forward. He grit his teeth and clenched his hands.

_"Hold it in, hold it in!"_ She pressed against his chest and kissed his lips. He groaned as pleasure spiked up inside him. He heard her squeak and lifted his eyebrows curiously. "Did you just squeak?"

"Not important!" His lips formed a smirk and his head tilted to the right.

"You did, you just squeaked."

"It's not my fault your thing just shot up and hit my sensitive spot!"

"Oh isn't it? Who's the one rubbing my crotch right now?" Her cheeks turned red and he found his opening. Thinking fast, he placed his hands upon her shoulder and quickly pushed her over. She sqealed out with laughter as he pinned her to the ground. Her arms shot up and landed upon his firm chest and her eyes froze into his. Her chest rose and fell slowly and her skin started to become hotter. "I don't know about you, but I'd like to keep my pants in good clean state for the rest of the day."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Well…" He smirked teasingly and slowly moved his hand along her body, purposely sending chills throughout her. She gazed up with eyebrows raised as he moved his hand to his thigh, thinking of his own sweet revenge for the torture she'd just subjected him to. "I assume_ you_ have clean pants inside, and since you just tried to mess mine up, I'm going to dirty up _your_ pants." She gasped and narrowed her eyes, daring him to continue, her lips tugged into a small smirk.

"You wouldn't _dare_."

"Want to bet?" Her eyebrows rose as his hands moved to her crotch, she moaned out and growled. Freddie was reeling in triumph as he looked over and met her eyes.

"Mark my words, I-oh god-I will get you!" She gasped for air once more as clenched her eyes shut as she grit her teeth. He moved his fiddling fingers away and Sam quickly rose up to meet his lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gently fell back against the grass, pulling him down with her. She parted momentarily and kept his gaze. "You really shouldn't tease a girl like that."

"Oh? And exactly why is that? After all, wasn't it you that teased me?"

"Maybe so, but now I'm going to have to pay you back somehow." His laughter glistened with a rich tone as Sam slowly titled her head and moved her hands to his shoulders. "I love you, Freddie…"

"I love you." Just then, Melanie ran around the side of the house and stepped next to the two, pausing momentarily as she stared at them. It wasn't too surprising, she and Kyle had been in a similar situation.

"Uncle Morris is coming." Sam smacked her forehead and quickly rolled out of Freddie's grasp, chuckling nervously. Thinking fast, Freddie rose to his feet and spun around just in time to see Morris rounding the corner. His firm left hand was on Kyle's shoulder, the boy was smiling sheepishly while Morris's lips were turned upwards with a scheming mind. Freddie could feel the sweat running down his neck as Sam stepped to the side and whistled an innocent tune. Did she just sell him out? Morris held out his hand and motioned Freddie over with two fingers.

"Come here please."

Three hours later, Freddie and Kyle were _still_ walking back and forth from the house to an open area allowing for the chopping down of trees to retrieve firewood. It was _almost_ a two mile walk and the logs they'd been carrying had to be about five pounds or more, per log. They were told to store up enough firewood to last through January. The two men looked at each other and chuckled. "Freddie, next time we decide to surprise the girls…"

"We make sure their family isn't going to catch us in the process?"

"Exactly."

* * *

Heh, I liked this chapter. Haven't had a lot of Sam/Freddie action in a while, so I figured it'd be good to do this. Unfortunately Uncle Morris caught them and now they have to carry firewood for several hours XD. He needed to get a bit of that 'dad' vibe out XD


	142. Farewells and Hellos

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 141 (Farewells and Hellos)

A couple days later found Jonah, Valerie, and their families waiting at the airport. Valerie's heart was racing with excitement and uncertainty, it was exactly like standing on the edge of a deep black hole and looking in, knowing full well she would have to jump into the abyss. Though as long as she had Rachael with her, she knew she wouldn't have to be scared. She would be meeting Rachael at the gate, 1A, going towards New York City. Valerie had asked that she wait there, but that would mean she'd not get to talk to the family since they couldn't go through the detector and everything.

Sam and Freddie were there as well, to pick up the pieces of their best friends and to say goodbye to Valerie as she left for a long time. The first time she would really be able to visit, since she had to finish off the semester of high school while dealing in her apprenticeship, would be spring break in March. Her body was tense with worry as she walked in silence with everyone, nobody really knew what to say. Hell, they were all afraid as well of letting her go off into the big world, and that was normal anywhere rather than just the Big Apple!

In her arms she cradled Aaron and held his eyes, humming a soft lullabye to him. She whispered to her son, promising that she would never abandon him and that she was only leaving for education purposes, that she would provide. She lifted her head to Jonah and smiled as she continued to cradle her son. She was _still_ going over the steps to take care of Aaron, even though she'd told everybody a million times over, it just wasn't enough. "You're going to make sure you record every moment, right? I don't want to miss a thing!" Jonah smiled and nodded his head, giving her a feeling of relief that everything would be just fine.

"You know I will, Valerie. I'm pretty sure that Sam and Freddie wouldn't let me get away with missing anything if I wanted to."

"Well good!" She grinned at her friends and they acknowledged her with a smile. "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you guys around to keep Jonah in line." Jonah laughed and tilted his head curiously.

"And what does that mean, sweetie?"

"Oh nothing at all." She tapped Jonah's jaw and lightly pecked his cheek. They made it to the line and Valerie felt a sense of nervousness buffer her once more. All of her suitcases, as they'd packed for four years, had been shipped to New York. Granted Rachael lived several miles north of New York City, plus she actually filmed in _Manhattan_ about once or twice a week, so it was a long drive. She managed to get some of the top notch chefs to come by the airport when they would land. Valerie had _some_ luggage on baggage. She wouldn't be meeting Guy Fieri like she thought she would, but she would be meeting Paula Deen and Bobby Flay. She liked Mrs. Deen on the food network, Bobby Flay seemed to be a bigger star than the not nearly as popular, Ricky Flame. Of course, Ricky's show _was_ just a ripoff of Mr. Flay's, she needed to ask Rachael why that was.

"This is where we get off sis," Vanessa said as Valerie tearfully handed Jonah their son. She hugged Vanessa closely and sniffed, she really was afraid of all that she would miss, but at least she knew she'd be able to see them again.

"I'm going to miss you!"

"Yeah I know." Vanessa smirked and rubbed Valerie's shoulder gently. "Don't let New York change you too much."

"I won't!" She turned to Jonah with tears in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and hugged him. Her eyes moved to Aaron's and she relaxed. She felt his arm wrap around her shoulders and gazed up with a smile. "Look at us Jonah, a perfect family, right? You, me, your little sister, all my sisters, our parents…I can't believe I'm about to leave you all."

"Are you having second thoughts?" Could she _afford_ to have second thoughts? Chances were, she couldn't. She carefully wiped her eye and slowly shook her head as she thought of a possibly bright future.

"No, I know I don't want to leave you all behind, but I know that right now it's best for my education." She turned her eyes to Sam and took a step forward, gently taking Sam's hands in hers. "You'll take care of the café, right? I know our boss is putting you in charge of the kitchen. It's a big responsibility! Remember Sam, if you need me to, I'll always come right-"

"It'll be fine," Sam interjected with a rapid tone. Valerie's heart sank just slightly, but she still had the utmost faith and confidence in her friend. She felt her friend move forward and quickly she joined in another teary eyed hug. "Now get going. We're all going to miss you, but if we take too much time here you'll miss the plane! Besides, Rachael's waiting on you." Sam then turned to Jonah and took Aaron into her arms. "Now let me hold my godson, you two need to say your goodbyes. We've all had our chances while coming here." Valerie hiccuped once and wiped her eye as she smiled and turned to Jonah, who immediately swept her into his strong arms. She met his eyes, not a word was needed. She let out a soft sigh and rested her head upon his chest.

"You'll be sure to watch Rachael's show every time it's on, right? I don't want you to miss me assisting her."

"I promise you, I'll catch every show."

"And what you can't catch, you record. Okay?"

"Yes dear." He smirked playfully and continued to hold her as she moved her eyes to his. They held their gaze for several seconds, perhaps minutes, they were not entirely sure. She heard his soft whisper hover to her ears as he gently placed his forehead against hers. "I love you Valerie."

"I-I love you too." Her voice broke and she fought the urge to cry. Why was this so hard? They weren't breaking up or anything, they could talk every day if they so desired. Granted she'd be busy and he was going to be getting a job somewhere, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be able to connect with him! She cleared her throat and slowly closed her eyes. What more was there to say? She'd stay in his arms all day if he asked her to, even though she knew there was no way she could miss the flight.

"This isn't goodbye, Val." Her eyes flew open and she gazed almost mournfully into her husband's strong brown eyes. He was shaking, his heart racing. He wanted so badly to tell her not to go. Freddie placed his hand upon Jonah's shoulder and he slowly exhaled. "This is the start of a new beginning in our lives. It's not a goodbye, so…it's an 'I'll see you later', how does that sound?" Valerie wiped her eyes and nodded as she took a step back. She scanned the eyes of her family and her friends for one last time, they were all mixtures of joy, sorrow, pride, love, and so many other emotions. She knew the next time she saw them, and as the years passed along, things might be different, but those feelings they had would only become stronger.

"Okay then." Her lips curled up as her heart started to rise, she no longer had any time left to say goodbye. "Not saying goodbye, but…I'll see you later."

"Be sure to call us when you get there!" Viola said with joy sparkling off each word. She nodded and looked over as her mother-in-law, Denise, gave her a hug just before motioning her towards the metal detector and the security officers. Valerie's lips formed an 'O' and she quickly removed her shoes and any metal objects. She hurried through the metal detector and wiped her eyes with one hand while waving at her family with the other. They waved back and didn't move, instead, they stood their watching with proud, but tearful eyes until she disappeared around the corner, eager to get the nearly five hour flight over with.

After some time, Valerie and Rachael were in the air. She was sitting next to the window and had been staring out of it for a very long time. She was already wanting to hold her son or to be nestled into Jonah's arms. Even with all the emtions that racked her mind, she was still overcome with the awe of seeing the large puffy white clouds below her.

On her lap, she had a cookbook that she'd been studying, it was propped open to a page about stuffed turkey, the same recipe she used during the Thanksgiving break. She tore her gaze from the window and looked to Rachael, who was reading a book of her own. She was starting to feel a little lonely, so she thought to make conversation. "Hey Rachael." The woman smiled at her and set the book down on her lap.

"Yes?"

"When we get there and we meet Mrs. Deen and Mr. Flay, are we going to go to the studio?"

"Yeah, are you nervous?" She placed her hand to her stomach and sighed, she didn't _want_ to be nervous. Rachael closed her eyes and placed her hand onto Valerie's arm. "It's okay to be a little nervous, all the chefs are eager to meet you!"

"Really?"

"Yes, I told them a lot about you." Valerie's eyes lit up with wonder and she sat up attentively. She wanted to know more about the other chefs and what they thought of her. It finally hit her that she wasn't just meeting her hero, she was going to meet _everyone_ on the Food Network. At least, in the four years, she hoped to meet them all. "Paula and Bobby are going to take us to the studio and we'll show you around. After that, we're going to head over to my place up in the Adirondacks. Beautiful lakeside villa in upstate New York." Valerie's eyes grew large and her heart pulsated inside her, was this where she'd be staying? No, surely Rachael wouldn't have that in mind for her, or would she? Rachael smiled and folded her arms over, smiling proudly. "It's a nice quiet place where my husband, mom, and our dog and cat are…it'll aslo be where you'll stay throughout your apprenticeship."

"R-Really! I don't know what to say, I mean…"

"Well I want you to be my assistant, so why shouldn't you get your own room there? How am I going to teach you anything or even learn from you if you're not with me?" This was true. Valerie was speechless, but entirely grateful. She hugged Rachael, not realizing what she was doing until a second later when she pulled away quickly.

"Sorry!"

"About what? I don't mind a hug or two." She felt her cheeks go red and slowly glanced to the side. She really needed to remember that Rachael, along with these other chefs, were just as normal and human as the rest of them. Then again, some celebrities were often a lot harder than that and didn't like to be around those who were affectionate, but she had forgotten that Rachael was so down to earth. "So what do you think of that? Mom and John will have your room all set up by the time we get there."

"I think it's wonderful that you're doing all this for me. You don't have to, but you are, and I really admire that." Rachael smiled as Valerie rested her head against the headrest. "I'm glad that the other chefs want to meet me, does that include Mr. Flame?"

"Eh…" Valerie's lips fell slightly as Rachael tapped her chin, she suspected Ricky probably wouldn't be too thrilled. An apprentice meant more popularity, and everyone knew Ricky was just so set on stealing ideas. "Not so much. He's always been a bit on the jealous side, so determined to be better than the others."

"Yeah, why is he still around since he copied Mr. Flay's idea?"

"Because the producers and the food network like his crazed energy, but they're getting a little tired of him. We _all_ are."

"You weren't even going to take an apprentice. I mean the other chefs did, but you weren't going to…why did you?"

"Because I liked you." Valerie almost jumped out of her seat, and if her eyes got any wider, they might fly from her sockets. "I saw a little of myself in you and when I tried your cooking, it just…I figured I _had_ to take you under my wing."

"It really means a lot to me. Do you think it'll set off Mr. Flame though?" Rachael shrugged and moved her eyes to the side. "I mean, he didn't take an apprentice and he's always competing with you isn't he?"

"So what if it does. He can't do a whole lot, the chefs are already talking to the network executives about possibly firing him." The chefs knew what an apprentice would do for their ratings, everything would go up. Some probably did so just for ratings, while others just wanted to hand over their spatula to someone else. The older chefs that did that, like Paula Deen or Bobby Flay, might be considering retiring and want to hand off to a new generation. The younger ones, like the guy from the Iron Chef, probably, would have likely done it for ratings.

Their plane landed in a couple hours and the two were making their way through the large crowds, of course Bobby and Paula probably hadn't managed to find the terminal just yet, but Rachael had them on her phone. Valerie was astonished by the size of the building, so wide and spacious, she'd never _seen_ any place so huge!

"This way, they're down the hall!" Valerie glanced over and nodded, grinning widely as she followed Rachael. She hardly had time to stop and gaze, but there might be plenty of time for that. As they continued their search, her eyes froze upon two people in the distance. There they were. Bobby was standing with his arms crossed and eyebrows raised up while Paula was waving her free arm in the air, her other hand was holding the phone to hre ear. Excitement flooded Valerie as she watched Rachael hang up the phone and smile at her, motioning for her to move ahead. She just couldn't believe that it was actually _them._

"Oh my god…" Rachael laughed heartily as the two other chefs walked up to meet them. Following behind them were their apprentices, one female with short blonde hair going to her shoulders and a boy with curly red hair and shiny blue eyes. They were the same age, it seemed, though a few years older than Valerie was. The two apprentices walked forward and shook her hand before their mentors. The girl was the first to speak.

"Hi, I'm Penny and this is William, we just started as apprentices yesterday!"

"Yeah, Mrs. Deen and Mr. Flay?" The girl nodded and looked up as her mentor laughed cheefully and shook Valerie's hand.

"Please, call me Paula." Valerie nodded and glanced over as Bobby waved his hand and gave a slight smile.

"And you can call me Bobby, I don't mind. It's good to meet you."

"Thank you, it's really good to meet you and I really appreciate this opportunity!"

The greeting exchanges continued on for a couple minutes before they heard someone clear their throats. When they turned around, they saw Ricky Flame himself, staring them down with angry eyes. Valerie chuckled nervously and Rachael put her hand out in front of her.

"She's mine, Rick."

Confusion shot through Valerie's eyes and William scowled a bit at Ricky. "What's going on?" William turned his head to Valerie and decided to explain, hoping to fill her in on some less than appealing exchanges that had been going on.

"Just the other day Ricky called Rachael in a rage, he said he wanted her apprentice for himself because he was too late in getting one on his own. So he figures he'd steal the one from his big rival, I guess." Valerie's mouth fell and she started to become angry, she wanted to put her best foot forward and say there was no way she was leaving Rachael's side! Though, she knew better than to do that, it was best to just let the chefs fight their own battles.

Paula and Bobby stepped next to Rachael and crossed their arms, leaning in towards Rachael. Ricky took a step back and frowned as Paula wagged her finger in the air. "Ricky, you leave Rachael and Valerie alone, do you hear me?"

She was cheering for Paula now, in her mind at least. Penny nudged her side and she quickly turned her attention over to her. "Careful though, he apparently likes to play dirty. Anyway, the host of_ Chopped_, Ted Allen, wants to have a friendly battle with the network chefs and their apprentices working as a team…in the form of his show."

"Really?" Her eyebrow arched up in surprise as Penny nodded her head with a smile.

"It doesn't mean much, except the winning chef and their apprentice will get a whole three hour block introducing their apprentice and cooking several different meals. It would be _amazing_, and of course…Ricky's not getting the chance now since he opted out of the whole apprentice thing."

"Why did he?"

"Oh, because Rachael wasn't going to. He's always been constantly battling her. When she announced that she'd taken you in, he got steaming mad! He'd probably do anything to get you."

"Fine, Ray," Flame said with mild irritation. He stepped forward and threw his finger towards the ground. "How about this, you and I go at it head to head on my show and the winner gets your apprentice!" Valerie gasped and Rachael slowly narrowed her eyes. Valerie could see the woman wasn't about to accept, but so could he. "If you don't accept, then I'll go onto my show and tell the world how you were too afraid to put your cooking to the test."

"I know my cooking is good-"

"I'll lie." Rachael's eyes widened and Paula's hand cupped over her mouth. Valreie's eyebrows rose as Ricky slowly walked around the three chefs. She could see that Bobby looked just about ready to tear this man's head off, and rightfully so! How dare he attack one of their best chefs! "The world might know that one of your cakes decided to fall flat at the last minute." Rachael growled and closed her hands. She was about to speak, but Bobby stepped in for her.

"She'll accept, but under _my_ conditions." Rachael raised her eyebrow and Ricky let out a low growl. "If not, I'll expose your true nature to the world and everyone will see what a greedy little snake you really are." Ricky's eyebrows flattened and he huffed.

"Fine. What are the conditions."

"One, this will be a contest so the apprentice can see how well the food is cooked, the style, and the attitude of the chef. _She_ will choose who she wants as her mentor." Valerie's jaw dropped and the two apprentices beside her grinned. Thank god for Bobby Flay. "Two, the apprentice will choose the meal, since she's the topic of this. Also we'll pull in a few apprentices from the other chefs to be the judges." Ricky tilted his head as Valerie began to feel her pride coming up inside of her, she was very pleased to see how well the true to heart chefs stuck up for one another. "And finally, the loser of the cook off will bow out give their segment to the winner for a whole _week_." Rachael's eyebrows rose some more and Ricky narrowed his gaze as Bobby smirked and leaned back. "Come on Rick, what have you got to lose? Nobody's ever beat you on 'Food Fight', right? You're _bound_ to win. Right? All you have to do is impress the judges with your behavior and your cooking, not a problem at _all_, considering most of the apprentices don't exactly know how your behavior is. You also win a week of your own segment and an extended time slot. That should enhance your popularity, with or without an apprentice, am I right?"

"Bob, what are you doing?" Paula asked in a hushed whisper. Bobby kept his eyes locked with Ricky's, daring him. Challenging him. His lips tugged into a smirk as Ricky's eyes darted from him, to Valerie, to Rachael, and back to Bobby.

"Fine. I accept those conditions. Nobody can extinguish the flame!"

"Good, I'm glad." Bobby shook his hand and smirked triumphantly. "A deal is a deal, can't back out now."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Bobby leaned over to Paula and gave her a wink.

"Trust me on this. I know what I'm doing." He swirled around to Valerie and met her eyes. "Okay Valerie, it's up to you, what meal routine would you like the chefs to attempt?"

Suddenly she could feel the pressure as all the chefs eyed her quietly. The sweat rolled down her arm and she quickly brushed it off. What could she do, really? Perhaps something from her grandparents' hometown? Her eyes dazzled and met Rachael's eyes with pride. Could she do it? Yes, Valerie had shown her how to make the entire course, with a few special 'secret' additions, or substitutions, that had been done by her grandmother.

"I have it! The perfect meal." Rachael and Ricky faced her and awaited the dish. Valerie tilted her head and grinned. "Now I won't help you any from this point, but Rachael already knows this recipe. My grandparents, Valentine and Vala, came over here from Italy, and with them, they brought their entire recipes. This is a full meal of Chicken Marsala with Quinoa Pilaf and Italian Pasta Veggie salad as appetizers, roasted brussel sprouts as a side dish, and a delicious Italian Cream Cake for desert!" Rachael's eyes sparkled as she recognized the full course meal as one of those that Valerie had shown her, now she would be able to do Valerie's grandparents the honor of using their recipe. Surely Ricky would not know the full recipe, so he would be making the foods the normal way, without the substitutions.

Ricky stood firm and rubbed his chin, nodding silently as Valerie met his gaze. "Yes, I recognize those meals. I visited Italy once and watched some of those, with the exception of the pilaf, prepared. Either way, it won't be long. I accept the meals." Valerie smiled widely and slowly nodded her head as Ricky grumbled and turned away from the group. "Anyhow, I heard you all were going to show your apprentices around the studio, I thought I might help with the tour."

"Do what you want," Paula said with mild irritation. "As long as you don't bother anyone, no one will bother you." The others nodded and began walking. Valerie followed with pride as the group discussed exactly _when_ this competition would take place. Her grandparents' cooking never failed to satisfy, so hopefully it wouldn't let them down.

* * *

So we see Ricky Flame, and he's jealous as ever. Valerie's finally beginning her apprenticeship and already she's met good people and not so great people. See what happens next!


	143. Food Fight

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 142 (Food Fight)

A couple of days later, it was on. Rachael Ray and Ricky Flame had been practicing nonstop for this moment. Valerie had not helped either contestant, and assuming Rachael remembered the appropriate substitutions, then she would surely gain some points. As for the three apprentices, they were greatly looking forward to a full course meal prepared by the chefs. Valerie had her family watching this and told them that she'd be appearing on Chopped sometime before Christmas.

As far as all the apprentices were, she was becoming fast friends with most of them. There was Penny for Paula, William for Bobby, and just a few others. Guy Fieri's apprentice was a stocky man in his twenties named Gene. Tyler Florence's apprentice was Jamaican. Valerie enjoyed her conversations with him, he really enlightened her on the cooking of his hometown. So much so, that she actually wanted to make something Caribbean. He was a college student, mastering in Culinary Arts, and his name was Tyson. Then there was Aarón Sanchez, his apprentice was a young Mexican man named Emmanuel. She hadn't met any other apprentices yet, but as far as she knew, that was it. In which case, Gene, Tyson, and Emmanuel would be judging the competition. They didn't know her too much, nor did they know Ricky very much, so it would all come down to the food's presentation and taste. The Brussels sprouts were the one thing omitted, due to the fact that they took so long to prepare, so that meant the contenders had to do the extra items justice.

She sat at the judges table with the trio, considering the meal they were making was her grandparents' hometown specialty. She wouldn't be grading them as the other judges would be, but she would definitely be tasting and seeing just how well the food would come out to be. She pursed her lips and clasped her hands together on the table as the judge came out and stood between the two kitchen areas.

"Hello and welcome to Food Fight!" The announcer's voice rang in a cheerful, upbeat tone, almost harmonic. "Tonight we have something special planned for you, and it is a game of high stakes! Ricky Flame has challenged our very own, Rachael Ray, to a fight!" Valerie gazed over nonchalantly as Ricky came trotting onto the stage, he looked way to confident for a meal of this caliber. She knew he'd probably never cooked Italian in his life, so this had to be harder on him than he was thinking it would be.

"I'm Ricky Flame, of course I'm going to win!"

"Good luck to you," Rachael stated with a careful nod. Ricky laughed and moved over to his station. Valerie watched as her mentor walked over to the stove and checked on something, her eyebrows rose as Rachael turned and smiled at everyone. "I was allowed to begin just a few minutes early to make time for the Roasted Brussels Sprouts and the Pilaf." Ricky's jaw dropped and he jabbed his finger at her while Valerie began bursting with pride.

"Can she do that? Can she do that!"

"This is not _Chopped_, so I'll allow it," The host stated with a firm nod, there were no rules saying you couldn't start a little early. The show was thirty minutes long and the Pilaf took about 35 minutes before it was done while the Brussels Sprouts took an hour.

"But the Brussels Sprouts were omitted!"

"I never omit anything from my recipes." Rachel moved over to the sink and smiled subtly. "I believe in honoring and keeping true to family traditions. If Valerie's grandparents included them, then I'm going to include them." Valerie cupped her hands over her heart and felt it leaping for joy. She breathed in and watched Ricky shrug. Her eyes narrowed spitefully and quickly darted off, she did not appreciate his arrogance.

The host introduced the judges and the contestants, then introduced the chefs who were their mentors, they were going to oversee the judging and see just how much their apprentices already knew about tasting and foods.

During the entirety of the preparation, Ricky seemed more focused on quantity and finishing quickest. The apprentices seemed to waver between his hurried and rushed movements over to Rachael's patient and calm movements. She just seemed naturally appealing and easier on the eyes.

"Did he just ignore the mushrooms?" Gene asked while pointing a finger at Ricky. The group looked over and sighed, while working on the pasta veggie salad, Ricky put the sack of mushrooms back in the cabinet without even thinking. The recipe called for half a cup of chopped mushrooms. Emmanuel clicked his tongue and leaned in.

"I'm noticing he's forgetting a lot of the main ingredients. He's pulling them out, but putting them right back on the shelf without using them."

"Maybe he's working too fast. Meanwhile, look at that scrumptious cake that Mrs. Ray's got out already!" Valerie's eyes fell upon the cake and her heart rose as she spied the beautifully decorated cake that she just wanted to sink her teeth in.

After some time, Rachael and Ricky had their meals ready and in front of the judges. Valerie took a bite of the meal and intense flavor shocked her into a tearful silence as the pure essence dripped down her throat. Because the three judges were of age, they were offered a glass of red Sangiovese wine. Valerie, of course, was not. It didn't matter, she felt Rachael's food was prefect enough, just like her Papa and Mama Williams always made. As she bit into Ricky's food, she tasted nothing but bland food. The Pilaf just felt overly cheesed, the appetizer was missing its mushrooms, and the chicken was undercooked. She looked to the others and they were each eyeing Ricky's chicken with the same scrutiny. The look on his face was no longer portraying the same confidence he'd had prior to. As for his chicken marsala, it was as if the entire main course was no longer applicable, because everyone knew better than to eat undercooked poultry.

"Rachael, explain what you did for this meal please," Tyson asked while taking a bite of her chicken marsala.

"Gladly. This is a meal created by Valerie's grandmother, Vala Williams. It seems that it is a family tradition, I am honored to present their recipe, which is a little piece of their home. Valerie's grandparents came from Italy, of course." The apprentices nodded and ate a few bites of the salad while Ricky simply glared at the food. "What you have first is the appetizer. That is the small Italian Pasta Veggie Salad with a fat-free Italian dressing. It calls for fusilli pasta, onion, green bell peppers, chopped mushrooms and the Italian Dressing that you have."

"I can really taste the flavor of this appetizer," Emmanuel said while hovering his hands above the salad. "The mushrooms compliment the salad very well."

Gene cleared his throat and turned his head towards Ricky "Something I wanted to point out. While you were running about, one of the items you neglected was the mushrooms. You had them out and ready to use, but then you put them back just a few minutes later." Ricky's eyes bugged out and his hand flew to his forehead, how could he miss something so important? "Other than that, your presentation on this plate…It just looks like you threw a couple noodles down, threw together a couple peppers and just moved on your way."

"Speaking of presentation-I'm sorry to interrupt-" Gene glanced over at Tyson, who was grabbing some of the pasta up with his fork. "I wanted to commend Chef Rachael, you've surprised me with the fullness of the plate. I prefer a large salad as an appetizer, taste is a very important factor too and it appears you've matched both."

"Thank you."

"Can you explain the steps you took on the sides? I can't help but notice your loyalty to the recipe in your desire to create these Brussels sprouts. It is surprising, they have a very sweet, yet salty taste to them. What did you do with them?"

"The recipe itself calls for one and a half pound of Brussels sprouts, their ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed, along with olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. I preheated the oven to four hundred degrees, placed the ingredients together in a sealed plastic bag, shook it and poured them onto the baking sheet. After that, you should roast them for thirty to forty five minutes, shaking the pan every five minutes for an even browning. They should become dark brown, almost black, and that gives them their crispy taste."

"I see, I am very impressed with this side, especially considering I never thought I'd eat any Brussels Sprouts in my lifetime." Ricky slowly glared at Rachael. Valerie bit into the crispy vegetables and sighed heavenly as her mouth danced with sheer joy.

Emmanuel poked the Pilaf slightly while looking to Rachael. "I'm a fan of this Quinoa Pilaf that you've made, I really feel like I'm eating from Italy." Anymore praise and Valerie just might die from pride.

"The Pilaf requires a right amount of vegetable oil, chopped onion, carrots, rinsed quinoa, vegetable broth, chopped walnuts and chopped fresh parsley. If you have too much of any one thing in here, it could offshoot anything. Now, what I did differently here, as I called up the original creators of the recipe-"

"That's allowed?" Ricky shouted in aggression. The host nodded their head and motioned for Rachael to continue. It was always good to research whatever food you were presenting.

"I fried the onion with garlic, added about a quarter of a cup of white wine, then later added in the walnuts.

"Mmm, very good!" Ricky rolled his eyes as Gene moved on to the Chicken Marsala. "Now please tell us about your main course."

"Gladly! This is a lightly coated chicken breast braised with Marsala wine and mushrooms. It takes approximately 30 minutes to finish the meal completely."

It all came down to the cake, both cakes looked relatively good, but when Valerie bit into Rachael's cake, fireworks rang out. Her eyes widened with delight and she quickly looked up to her mentor. Ricky's cake seemed to fall a bit flat and was lacking in flavor. "Please tell us about this cake."

"Initially you should reheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease together three to four eight inch round cake pans. Beat together five egg whites, add sugar, beat I the egg yolks, and further ingredients necessary. Afterwards, bake for twenty five to forty minutes, combine the cream cheese, margarine, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl, frost the cake with the layers together and sprinkle the pecans on top or include them in the frosting."

"What is this lemony flavor that I'm getting?" Tyson asked as he took another bite of the cake.

"Keeping true to their traditional recipe, I've added some lemon curd in between the layers and on top of the cake, as it brings about the presentation and tart flavor to complement the sweetness of the cake." The judges nodded their heads and began to speak amongst themselves, it seemed a rather unanimous decision.

"Based on presentation, flavor, and overall fullness, I found Rachael's meal to be more appetizing and interesting," Emmanuel commented with a knowing smile. Ricky rolled his eyes as Valerie met Rachael's gaze. A sense of pride flowed freshly through her veins as she listened to Tyson go about his commenting.

"I found Ricky's meal to be decently cooked, but I don't think he researched his food as well as Rachael did, at least she made an effort to contact the original creators of the recipe. Also, I couldn't help but notice the lack of several crucial ingredients, plus the undercooked poultry was a bit of a disaster for him." Ricky's face fell as Tyson turned his gaze to Rachael. "I'm going to have to side with Rachael on this one."

"I agree," Gene commented while taking a bite of the cake. "I just simply cannot get enough of this cake, it is fantastic! She kept her meals well balanced, wasn't in any hurry, made sure to pace herself and include everything necessary for the full flavor. If you ask me, she's got my vote." Ricky's eyes widened as the host gasped into the camera, clutching the microphone tightly.

"Oh my god, you saw it here! Our very own Rachael Ray has defeated Ricky Flame! This means he must hold fast to his side of the deal that he made with Bobby Flay and hand over his hour block to Rachael for one week while bowing out gracefully." Ricky stepped back and put his hand to his stomach, his skin was beginning to turn green as he watched the group eat the meal before him. Rachael and Valerie raised their eyebrows as he began shaking his head. "Mr. Flame, do you know what this means?"

"I-" He babbled and whined, his voice was incoherent and his eyes were starting to water.

"Also, I do believe a part of the wager was Valerie Brown must choose who she wants as her men-"

"I'm with Rachael!" Valerie rose joyously and ran over to Rachael's side. Her mentor smiled brightly as Ricky began to pale.

"There he is!" Bobby's voice rang out throughout the area. Everyone glanced over to the doorway to see him walking onto the stage with three network executives behind him. The executives had black suits and black shades, though the head of them did not. He wore a brown sports jacket with khaki pants and no shades. "As you can see, he took the idea of my show, _Throw down with Bobby Flay_, and created it into his own show…how that passed regulations, I'll never know. He threatened to lie on national television in order to try and take Rachael's apprentice from her, and his behavior is unsightly. How many times have you been notified about his egregious actions and not done anything about him?"

"I see," Said the manager with a quiet voice. Ricky's eyes widened in horror and everyone else froze. What would happen next? Nobody could be too sure. The manager stepped forward with one executive on his right and one on his left. He narrowed his eyes and spoke out in a rough tone. "Ricky Flame, you are a disgrace to our network. Since it appears Rachael has already won the hour block left over by your show, that means her show will run during that time until we find a suitable replacement for you."

"R-Replacement? But sir, you can't…"

"Hand over your spatula and your apron, Mr. Flame." Ricky gasped as the two executives extended their hands. Slowly, he pulled the spatula from his apron and gave it to the man on the right. He turned his angry eyes towards Bobby, then Rachael. Rachael gazed back at him with sadness, it was always a shame whenever someone was to be fired, even if they were an arrogant asshole. Valerie moved her eyes down and pressed her lips together as her heart started to sink. "The apron too, Flame."

"I know, I know." He sobbed once and handed his apron to the second executive, who promptly threw it onto his shoulder. Rachael closed her hands and stepped forward, catching their attention.

"Sir, with all respect, I know he's probably broken so many of our rules, but…I think it would be wrong to just leave him on the streets. As cruel as he is, this is New York, there's bound to be crueler…" The man rubbed his chin as Valerie smiled, she loved that the woman was so kind, even to Ricky. "Maybe give him a job as something…whatever that may be."

"Well…" Ricky's eyes darted up and he quickly nodded, begging for a job, any job at all. The manager let out a sigh and clasped his hands together at his waist. "Fine. Ricky Flame, you will work within the Food Network studios as a custodian." Ricky's jaw fell and Valerie's eyebrows rose in surprise. It was better than nothing, sure. "Take it or leave it. You won't be offered any other job." The fallen star slowly closed his hands and bowed his head, this was the path he'd chosen. "Think about it Flame, if your greed hadn't become who you were, you might have potentially become a bigger star than you already were. It's a shame it's come to this."

"I understand sir." His voice broke and caught his throat, the tears started to sting his eyes. "I-I'll take the job…"

"A good choice." The manager turned to Rachael and gave her a fatherly smile. "And congratulations on your win and your new time slot. As for you, Valerie, I hope you will learn all you can under your mentor's wing."

"I will, I'd be honored to." She burst with pride and looked up to Rachael, there was no way she was leaving this woman's side for the next four years. The executives nodded and started on their way out, dragging Ricky along with them. Valerie looked at Bobby and almost wanted to hug him, but she respected the calm silence that surrounded all of them. "Mr. Flay, er…Bobby, thank you for everything you've done." The man smiled with pride and nodded his head.

"Ah thanks, we chefs around here have to stick together. I didn't think it was right of him to try and take you from Rachael. Just one more thing he wanted to take away from the chefs, I wasn't going to let that happen."

"Good. I think I'm going to have a great time with all of you."

* * *

Quite the match up, tell me how you felt about it. Oh and remember what I said before: Until chapter 157 if you want to comment you have to comment anonymously because of 's odd standards.


	144. Sam's Concerns

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 143 (Concerns)

Freddie and Sam sat in a booth at _Sherry's Kitchen_, it was her day off but she still enjoyed going there on dates. They had a private booth so no one could see them. She turned her eyes to the television on the wall to her right and smiled, it was set on the Food Channel for them. Rachael Ray and Valerie were on, it was Valerie's first time being on the show and she did not betray her nervousness. "She doesn't look nervous at all, does she, Sam?"

"Nope, I'm proud of her." Sam turned her eyes to Freddie's and smiled as she lifted her glass up and sipped it. She'd talked to Valerie just a day ago, it had been a week since the Food Fight with Ricky Flame. Valerie told her she was extremely nervous and would start out helping Rachael on the show, Sam told her to just act naturally. "She's not all that camera shy, so I'm impressed. You know they're going to go onto _Chopped_ soon? Their appearance should come onto TV in a couple days." Freddie's eyebrows rose as he started stirring his spaghetti noodles.

"I still think that's going to be fun to see, _Chopped_ has never done something like that before. It's always four _single_ contestants." Still they were looking forward to the show, it had promise. Sam moved a bite of her veal to her lips and glanced up as she heard Valerie ask Rachael a question about the spices, she was proud that her friend wasn't afraid to ask questions. It was all a learning process, so it couldn't get any better than that.

"I'm still going to miss her." She took a deep breath and returned her gaze to Freddie for a second, watching him as he ate his food. She put her elbow on the table and rested her cheek against her hand as she drifted her eyes through the tiny slits in the brown wall that surrounded them. To her, it represented that same wall that surrounded them for years, that oh so secret wall. Now that Valerie was gone, she would hardly have anyone to really talk to about Freddie. She moved her eyes to her food and poked at it for a second. Freddie looked to her and set his hand on the table.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing really…" She closed her eyes and old memories came flooding to her mind. Their first kiss, in the studio while looking for those baby ducks. All the role plays, the danger of being caught while they made out on Carly and Spencer's couch, it was all so thrilling back then. Now, why now it just seemed lackluster to her.

"Sam." His voice was firm and he was gazing at her knowingly, he'd always been able to tell when she was feeling down about something. "Something is on your mind, do you want to talk about it?" She took a deep breath and slowly nodded her head. She felt a pit inside her as she thought of all the times running from Tyrone and the fear of being torn from Freddie.

"I don't get it, why we have to continue to keep our relationship secret from everyone. I mean sure, Tyrone is a problem, a big problem, but by now if he can't learn to accept us…then that's his problem. He could either deal with it or not." Freddie pressed his lips together as Sam leaned back into her chair and folded her arms over. She wanted to kick Tyrone where it hurt, she wanted to go up to him and tell him it didn't matter what he thought. "We have a right to love who we love, right? I mean, who is he to say anything otherwise? It's not fair, it isn't right and it isn't like it's any of his business! Why should we be afraid of him?"

"I know what you're saying and I agree, but he really is a risk. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I know. It's just…it's like how Sasha had been so long ago with Spencer…" Her mind went back to when they found Sasha and realized that Spencer had _already_ been dating her. They'd had a secret relationship as well, but never told anybody about it. "Sasha _hated_ it, and I think Spencer did too, that's why he kissed her. In order to bring it out into the open…Are we going to run from Tyrone _forever_?"

"You've never brought this up before. Why not?" She watched him wipe his mouth with the napkin and turned her eyes back to her food. She circled her fork in her sauce and shook her head as her inner anxious feelings started to rise up inside her. It was a struggle just to push them down. Freddie was mistaken, she'd brought them up before, just never with him. How was she to do that anyway? She never wanted to burden him. "Besides, we're not strictly secret. Both our families know about our relationship, our two best friends know it. We're not all that secret at all."

"I know, it's just…" Her head lifted and her fork slipped into the veal. "I've talked about this before with Valerie several times. I never wanted to bother you with it because I didn't know how you'd feel about it." She knew he'd be fine with talking about it, they should always be able to talk about these things.

"I agree, I'm tired of it too, and no we can't always run from Tyrone." She sniffed once as he moved his hand over hers and gave it a light squeeze. Her chest rose as the warm contact of his hand gave her some comfort. "I promise you, one day, we won't have to be so secret anymore. Believe me, I can feel a positive coming soon enough." She blinked and stared down at the table with questions running through her mind. "You know things will work out, I'll make sure of that." Her eyes darted over to him and her fingers slid into her palm.

"You promise?" He tilted his head and released her hand, gesturing her over to his side of the booth.

"Come over here."

"Okay." Carefully she moved from her booth to his and leaned back into his chest as he wrapped his strong arms around her. She moved her hand to his forearm and closed her eyes.

"I know you're worried about how things are turning out. Valerie's in New York, we can't talk to Carly about us because we don't yet know if she'll tell her grandpa, be it out of resentment or just not really understanding the severity of the situation. Sure Tyrone's got a gang out there that seems to come around and threaten to scare us apart, but no matter what, we'll always be together. You're strong, you're capable, I'm not letting a thing happen to you, so secret or not, I _know_ there's nothing to worry about."

Sam smirked lightly and leaned her head back on his chest, turning her eyes up at him as she kissed his chin. "Don't make promises you can't keep." He looked down and smirked at her.

"Oh you don't think I can keep that one?"

"I think you need to kiss me." She turned herself over and met his eyes with a light smile. He chuckled and shrugged in return.

"Okay fine." In a quick move, he placed his hands on her waist and pressed her against the chair, causing her to gasp out in surprise. "At least this time I won't get in trouble with your uncle."

"Oh really, you think so?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and stared back at him with a smug grin. "You better make this good then, or else I'm going to tell Uncle Morris how you made out with me in a public place." Freddie wagged his eyebrows and leaned in close, grazing the tip of his nose against hers.

"I'll take my chances." His breath fell upon her lips, prompting her to separate them and breathe in his warm air. She sighed as his hands slid down her waist and his lips graced hers with gentle passion. Her eyes fluttered shut as his body pressed down against her and he kept his arms delicately around her. She arched her back and moaned lightly as she kissed him back with a longing for escape from her daily worries.

Her hands slid up his neck and grasped small tufts of his hair as her head tilted back and his lips moved to her neck. She released a guttural moan as he scraped his teeth down her neck, sending seductive shivers throughout her body. "F-Freddie really?" Her body started to heat up as he started kissing her shoulder, the sensation was wondrous and the thrill of doing this in a restaurant was just enormous, but risky as hell. "What if our waitress comes back."

"Then she'll go away."

"Freddie." He was moving down her sternum, slowly and sensually. She moaned lightly and quickly cupped her hand to her mouth, hoping to avoid disturbing anyone nearby. So this was what the private booth was for, although it wouldn't be good for her boss to find out. "I work here you know, I don't want to get fired for PDA. Valerie would be a bit disappointed at that."

"True." He rose up to meet her lips and kissed them roughly, pressing her hard against the cushion as he did so. She moaned into his lips and felt him rubbing against her. She pulled back briefly as he started to suckle her neck. Her eyes fluttered shut as she rocked her hips in motion with his.

"C-Careful, don't leave too large of a hickey…"

"Oh my, whatever will your Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie think?"

"Ooh you asshole." She moaned once more as Freddie smirked and sucked harder, biting down gently on her neck. Her eyes shot open and she quickly turned her head to Freddie as he pulled his lips away from her. She breathed in heavily and stared at him as he leaned back, looking smug as ever.

"All done, I'd say I left a nice little mark." He brushed his finger over the bruising flesh on her neck, which stung her for a brief second. She yelped and her hand flew to her neck. "Sorry."

"It's fine, but damn…" She pushed him back semi aggressively and positioned herself to lay back on his chest, a position she adored. She took his wrist and moved his arm around her shoulder, smiling as she did so. "There. I like this."

"Yeah, so do I." He leaned forward and grabbed her plate, pulling over to his side. She smiled at him and rolled her head onto his shoulder. "So, how do you feel now?"

"You talk a good talk, you may think you have the lips of a god, but it doesn't change a thing." She wasn't all that distracted from her prior concerns and was still wanting to figure a way that it could be okay to come out and talk about their relationship, at least to Carly. She sighed and gingerly reached over to her silverware, grabbing it and forking a bite of her veal. "You still have Jonah to talk to. If I do something stupid or tensions become rough, you got him to vent to. My best friend just went to New York and I'll probably only see her once a month, if I'm lucky!" She felt the hum in his chest when he sounded it off, it vibrated and gave her a bit of a tingling feeling that she wanted to get out of her body.

"Well you're definitely not planning to replace Valerie I hope."

"Of course not, I'm just saying…Carly's a close friend too."

"She does deserve to know about us."

"And the only reason we don't tell her?" She watched him reach his strong arm around and grab a bite of his own meal. He brought it to his lips and swallowed as she shifted her body weight to cuddle a bit closer to him. She felt more comfortable the closer she was.

"Because we don't know how she'll react?" He nodded slowly and Sam shrugged her shoulders lightly. "I don't understand, she seems to be handling things just fine now. Isn't she?"'

"One thing at a time, Sam…She's still dealing with the news of the family she never really had. She's taking in a _lot_ of stuff."

"True. Won't she get mad that we kept it this long?"

"Probably, but you know…she's dating a guy who rides a motorcycle and it's apparently a secret relationship." Sam's eyes widened and her blood started rushing at a faster rate. This was a shock to her, how come Carly didn't tell _her_? Then again, she wasn't upset, she was just stunned.

"Oh my god, really? Since when!" She turned her eyes to Freddie, hoping he'd have an answer for her. He chuckled nervously and shrugged his shoulders.

"I have no clue, honestly. As far as I know, she's been with him a while. I only found out cause he snuck over on Thanksgiving." She raised her eyebrow as Freddie's lips curled into a small smirk. "And yes, that was my inspiration for sneaking over to your place that day."

"Go figure." Her eyes dropped and her lips tugged back into a frown, she was actually happy about the memory, but it was still the furthest thing from her mind. Freddie tilted his head and gave her a look of concern as she slowly shook her head, trying to get rid of the nagging emotions inside. "I'm sorry, it's just…I miss Valerie. I didn't think it'd be this difficult."

"I know baby. I know." He slowly rubbed her arm as she turned her gaze to the television. She smiled as she watched Valerie running to the spice cabinet and grabbing some basil for Rachael.

"I hope she learns everything she can possibly learn."

"I think she will. She's smart. In the meantime, how about you and I finish our meal and get home. Or at least, get _you_ home."

"Yeah, I think that would be great. Any idea what we're doing for Christmas? I mean it's coming up soon. I know I want to spend it with you, but I know that Carly's going to be there too. Not only that, I want to spend it with my family also."

"Hmm, you're right, Christmas is going to be different this year. Last year it worked out, but this time…Who knows." Sam swallowed hard as she grabbed her drink and brought it to her lips, stopping momentarily and tapping the glass on her lower lip in thought.

"I've _never_ spent Christmas with my family."

"Let me correct you there."

"Huh?" She turned her head and stared at his raised index finger. What was there to correct? She'd never spent a Christmas with them, that was the truth.

"You've never spent a single holiday with them, save Thanksgiving this year. Maybe this Christmas you should be with them."

"But…But I want to be with _you_." She threw in a small whine and pouted her lip out, causing Freddie to laugh. She loved his laugh, it always had a specific richness that made her spine tingle whenever she heard it. Her lips curled up into a smile as he gently kissed her forehead.

"I know I want to spend it with you too. I think we're going to have to share you with your family this year, but be with them. Okay?" She moved her eyes to the side and gently bit her lip. She knew he was right, she really wanted to spend it with them as well. She could probably see him this year too, but for the most part, it would be better for her to remain with Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie. Not only that, but it would throw off Carly's suspicion that there might be something more going on.

"Okay I will, but I still want to see you this year."

"You will."

"Do you think Valerie's coming home for Christmas?" There was actually a very small chance that she would, because she'd _just_ gone up to New York. Next year and every year following, she would, but just not this year.

"I don't think so, she's got responsibilities."

"Yeah, I guess…" It was okay, though. They all still had some time to really think about the upcoming holiday. With that, another thought came to her mind. What about Zamira? Her heart dropped and her eyes fell, she really prayed that Zamira would wake up for the holidays, but she knew it was going to be hard on the woman to deal with her entire family dying off. "This is going to be one hell of a Christmas, Freddie. Or better yet, it's been a hell of a year."

"Yeah, yeah it has…"

* * *

Guess what guys, the Audition arc's coming pretty soon. What is that? Oh it's going to be the much hyped arc where Jonah and Freddie get the band started again! The only thing is, they'll need a drummer. Prepare to see some familiar faces and by the way, take a guess here: Try to guess what important person from the show is going to soon take a very important role in this story.

Oh, and yes, I'm making things happen in this story, giving a nod to episodes and characters that happened in the iCarly seasons, latter half of season 2 closer to present. Does this mean that Victorious will ever come into play here? Hmm, we'll have to see. Got a big thing involving Carly coming up that nobody saw coming!

Oh, and next chapter should be hilarious for you. Freddie gets to learn how to crack walnuts the old fashioned way, along with Kyle. Stick around!


	145. Lecture and Punishment

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 144 (A Lecture and Punishment)

As the two made it to Sam's front door, Freddie spotted Uncle Morris working on the side of the house. He was repainting a portion of it where it had become a bit weathered due to the placement of the sprinkler system. He'd finished repositioning the sprinklers so that they wouldn't constantly hit the house and wear down the layer of paint. He looked over at the two and smiled. "How was your date?"

"It was great Uncle Morris!" Sam proclaimed, her voice held a spark of joy that poured happiness into Freddie. Morris set his brush down and walked over to Sam, giving her a hug. "I had veal and Freddie had spaghetti, which was fine, considering we have the _best_ spaghetti in town over there!"

"Good, good, I'm glad you had a great time." Freddie watched Morris inspect his niece and winced inwardly. Somehow, he knew he was in trouble. Morris's lips flattened as his eyes glazed over the poorly concealed bruise on Sam's neck. It was small, but the makeup just didn't cover it all at the same time. The older man cleared his throat and curled his lips upwards. "So, let's go inside. Kyle's here, he was just visiting Melanie to say hello."

"Awesome! He's a good guy, I like him for Mel." Sam gave Freddie a quick peck on the cheek, but he could hardly feel it due to the ever protective eyes of her uncle. He closed his eyes and breathed in, he was a _dead__man_. Sam hurried inside and Freddie started to turn away to head towards his car, but was halted when he felt the man's firm hand upon his right shoulder.

"Come on inside son, you, Kyle and I are going to have a talk."

"Yes sir." He kept his calm composure, but inwardly he was screaming. This was _not_ what he had in mind for the end of the date. Morris pat his back and led him inside where he saw Kyle sitting on the edge of the couch, twiddling his thumbs together. The poor guy, he must have done something too. Sam was messing with something on the end table when Maggie came out from the hallway.

"Hey Maggie, will you and Melanie take Sam to clean up that mark on her neck?" Sam chuckled nervously as Maggie looked over with astonishment.

"Of course, come on Sam. Melanie's in the bathroom getting cleaned up." Freddie clicked his tongue and watched as Maggie hugged her niece and led her away with a smile on her face. He met Kyle's eyes and saw that he had a mutual look of nervousness and mild fear. It just goes without saying, an uncle was no different than a father when it comes to their niece. Especially the _paternal_ uncles, like Morris.

"Have a seat son."

"Yes sir." He rubbed the side of his neck and walked over to the couch, sitting on the other end. He understood that just because he was engaged to Sam, it didn't mean he didn't have to obey certain proper rules and regulations. There were certain things that needed to be dealt with and some things that needed to be avoided. Sex was likely the biggest issue and as far as he knew, he'd failed that a long time ago by having sex with Sam. To top it off, they didn't even use protection. He watched quietly as Morris moved to the kitchen. When it was clear, he turned his head to Kyle, wondering what he was in for. "So what did you do?"

"I was caught making out with Melanie. We were in her bedroom, kissed, one thing led to another…"

"Dear god, you guys didn't-" Kyle moved his hands defensively and his face twisted into a look of panic and concern. Even Freddie knew doing that in the home of your relatives was inappropriate.

"Only had our shirts removed and her pants were coming off, that was _it_. We just got a little carried away. Aunt Maggie walked in on us, she wanted Melanie's help with something. When she saw us, damn I knew I was in for it. Melanie's taking a shower and I was told to wait around for Uncle Morris to get done painting. All I know is I'm in for an earful."

"Me too…I left a hickey on Sam's neck." Kyle's face twisted in pain and Freddie slowly nodded his head. His stomach turned over inside and his heart dropped down. He knew they were likely to have a lecture on respecting boundaries. "It isn't the first time I've done it either…nor the first time I've done some stupid things." He watched Kyle droop and lifted his eyebrows up curiously.

"I'm sure nothing quite as bad as nearly having sex."

"Au Contraire, we've done that a long time ago." Kyle's jaw fell and Freddie slowly nodded his head. "I'm not doubting that mom's probably told Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie either." He chuckled nervously as Kyle clicked his tongue and shook his head, no wonder Morris and Maggie might be pissed at them.

"Well then, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens." The two turned their heads towards the kitchen as Morris came out with a bowl of walnuts, a plate, and a metal nut cracker. Their eyebrows rose as he sat the bowl on the coffee table along with the plates, then sat down in the chair. "Hey sir, how's it going?"

"Pretty good. Boys, I want you each to take a walnut out of that bowl and set it on the table." The two quickly did as told, but were definitely curious as to what Morris was going to have them do. Freddie glanced over to see Morris cracking open a walnut with the metal nutcracker and immediately he got a sinking feeling of the torture that was about to be imposed upon them. "There are three ways I like to use to crack a walnut _without_ one of these things." Morris held up the nutcracker and smiled slightly. "One way is the hollow hand technique."

"The-"

"Put one hand over the walnut." Freddie and Kyle did so and watched as Morris set the cracked shell on the plate. "Now ball your other fist and slam it onto your hand." They immediately did as ordered, letting out a quick yelp of pain, they had to hit hard because walnuts are usually hard to crack. "Now please move the cracked nut to the plate."

"Yes sir." Freddie moaned as he grasped the shell with his throbbing hand and moved the nut to the plate.

"Now take another nut and set it down. Here's another way to do it. Ball up the same fist and slam it down on the nut like a hammer. Remember, strike hard, because these are fresh walnuts. That means the shell is going to be a lot harder than usual." The two boys moaned and did as instructed, yelling in pain as they cracked the second two nuts. "Good."

"Why?"

"My father had me do this as punishment when I was young." Morris grabbed one of the walnuts and moved it to his mouth. Freddie's hand shook as he instinctively took another nut. He hoped it would be the last one to crack, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't be. "This next one, you use your elbow." He paled and exchanged nervous glances with Kyle, what kind of punishment was this? Then again, it beat what they _thought_ they'd get, shot at by the man. "Proceed."

"Yes sir." The two boys clasped one hand over their shoulder and closed their eyes tightly, screaming as they slammed the elbow down on the nut. Freddie winced as searing pain shot through his upper arm, but it brought him great pleasure to hear that walnut's shell crack open beneath his elbow.

"Now, you have an option of choosing which of these three techniques to use." Freddie's jaw fell as Morris grabbed two walnuts from the bowl, positioned them in his hand with his middle knuckle popping out a bit. Using his other hand, he slammed down on the knuckle, cracking the two nuts together. It was a less painful technique, but the men were not allowed to use that one apparently. "I've put about thirty nuts in there, you've just cracked about six of them and I've now cracked three. So, if there's twenty one walnuts left in there, three of us, how many nuts will each of us crack?" Kyle raised his hand up and Freddie turned his eyes over to him.

"You want us to crack seven nuts each?"

"Good job, Kyle! Now remember, whichever technique you choose is the one you must remain with. If you choose one of the hand techniques, you have to use that hand for the entire time." Freddie moaned as he stared at the bowl of nuts. If it wasn't bad enough that he had to envision his own nuts when he saw Morris snap those two nuts in his palm, he now had to use his already throbbing arm for seven more difficult nuts to crush. "Get started men, we'll talk after you're done. Oh, and for further punishment, you must imagine these as your own balls." Freddie's face turned a image of white as the painful urge to cup his testicles and cry stung him.

"Y-Yes sir." He reached over for the first of the seven nuts and set it down. He opted for the hammer technique, because it seemed easy enough. He moved his eyes to Kyle's walnut and saw he was going for the hollow hand technique, not surprising, neither of them wanted to go for the elbow.

For his first nut, Freddie readied his fist and let out a shout as he slammed it down on the nut, wincing as it shattered under his fist. He could not say which was more painful, imagining his own testicle shattering beneath his fist or the walnut sending it's painful revenge through his fist. "Remember boys, I have already spoken with _both_ your parents about this form of punishment. It has been approved."

"Great…" Freddie's tone was sarcastic as he grabbed the second nut. Go figure, his own mother would allow this. There wasn't really anything wrong with it, it wasn't unorthodox or as bad as smacking someone around with a belt and it really made people work.

"Any sass and I up the ante."

"Sorry sir!" He swallowed hard and slammed his fist down on the second nut, but it only slid out from under his fist, causing him to smash down on the table. All the energy normally should have been absorbed by the nut, but without, he was now taking the full force of the table. He pulled his arm back and screamed out in pain as Kyle looked over worriedly.

"Go grab the nut and try again. Ignore the pain, Benson."

"Yes s-sir!" Tears poured from his eyes as he ran for the nut and grabbed it with his throbbing and reddened hand. "You're sure you said _seven_ nuts?"

"Builds character, get to smashing or you get nothing to snack on during this conversation. You're basically making your own snacks."

"Yes sir." He heard another walnut snap under the metal nutcracker and sighed as he set the nut on the table and slammed his fist down once more, moaning inwardly as pain shot through him yet again.

By the time he reached the sixth nut, his fist was already numb, the pain could hardly be felt. The nuts had slipped out from under him, gone every which way, he went so far as to _miss_ the nuts. Eventually he realized that, stupidly, he chose the _harder_ of the two techniques. Kyle was already _done_ with the nuts. The plate was full of brown nuts and the bowl was full of the shells.

He moved his eyes to Morris and watched the man tapping his foot lightly on the floor. Sighing, he quickly smashed the sixth nut and brought out the seventh. He couldn't take this much more, so he was indeed thankful that this was the _final_ nut. He was questioning just how badly his own balls shriveled up during this punishment, he had to say, this method of punishment really did work.

The girls were still in the back rooms, probably talking with Maggie about random stuff. They'd come out a couple times to see why the guys were in pain, but they were not allowed to stay out and interrupt anything. "Come on Freddie, we don't have all day here."

"Sorry sir." Freddie took a deep breath and sighed as he slammed his hand down on the nut. He heard it shatter, but couldn't actually feel it. His hand was tingling so much that the pain just wasn't absorbed. He picked the edible parts out and set them on the plate Kyle brushed the shells into the bowl.

"Okay good, you're both done. Don't worry about that numbness you feel, it'll go away in a few minutes."

"Yes sir."

"Now, we need to talk. Go ahead and grab a few nuts, you've worked hard for them." The boys nodded and leaned back in the couch, they were too exhausted to reach over. Freddie rested his fist in his lap and slowly rubbed it, nursing it. "Okay. So Kyle, Freddie, I understand you both are dating my nieces. I imagine you've never actually had this talk we're about to have."

"No sir."

"Freddie, let me start with you." He slowly nodded as Morris leaned forward and locked their eyes together. "You see, Sam and Melanie are both very precious to us. We love them dearly. Unfortunately they weren't able to know their father or their mother very well, so they're spoiled, yes. We don't want to see them hurt, we don't want to see them in pain. You guys understand that?" Kyle and Freddie nodded their heads as Morris grabbed one of the nuts and brought it to his mouth. "Okay, so you understand that we value them greatly, they are our world."

"I would never do anything to hurt Sam."

"Same way with myself and Melanie, sir," Kyle added with a knowing smile. Morris nodded his head and leaned back, a gleam struck his eye for a split second as he released a breath.

"Good. Freddie, I know that you and Sam have, well, you've had sex." Freddie nodded as Morris's eyebrows rose. "I'm glad to see that you will not deny that."

"It's been a while, but yes, we have and I wouldn't deny it."

"Good. You're a good man, but do realize how delicate she is. You have to _respect_ her, respect her family. Cherish her, love her. I know you two are going to marry in a few years, but try, try to understand, that isn't for a while. You're both still very young and very impressionable. You have a lot of growing up to do, a lot of life to learn, you can't afford to slip up and have a child just yet. Your best friend has a child, and while his family is helping out, how limited is his life now?"

"He's always got to watch over his son…so it is a bit difficult."

"Yeah it is, and now he has to miss out on some aspects of life that people his age _shouldn__'__t_ miss out. Would you want to miss out on those opportunities too? Having a child is a great responsibility and it _can_ take away certain opportunities, like going out with friends and going to parties with others your age. Would you want to miss out on those opportunities, Freddie? Kyle?"

"No sir…"

"Not at all…"

"I didn't think so. Kyle, you're lucky Maggie ran into you, and Freddie, be glad that you and Sam only slipped up once. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that sex is bad, because it's _not_, but if you're going to have sex…you absolutely _need_ to be ready for the consequences it's going to lead. Also, as an uncle, I'm not ready for _either_ of my nieces to wind up pregnant."

"I'm sorry, I got a little carried away," Kyle admitted while bowing his head. Freddie agreed and bowed his head as well. Morris stared at the two and folded his arms over, breathing in and holding his breath for a bit before releasing it.

"Now we need to talk boundaries, but first. I want you to know…I know ten different techniques for cracking these nuts with body parts." Freddie and Kyle both exchanged nervous glances and sat up straight, they definitely wanted to listen to this man right now. "Any time you overstep your boundaries and you mistreat my nieces or disrespect them, or even disrespect myself or my wife under our roof…" He looked over to Kyle, who immediately withdrew and shrank. "You will be told to perform one of these ten techniques for a certain number of walnuts. Am I clear? This will be your punishment."

"Yes sir."

"Loud and clear, sir."

"Good. Now a woman is a delicate flower, an angel, and their bodies are meant to be respected as such. You can't just go around putting hickeys all over them or getting rough with them, it isn't right. You need to respect them, especially you Freddie. Sam's going to be with you for the rest of your life. Love her, don't strictly lust after her, but _love_ her."

"I will sir."

"At sixteen, seventeen, there _are_ important boundaries that need to be set. I don't want to see you all over my nieces, Maggie doesn't want to see it…Hell, _no__one_ wants to see it. You can't just go crazy in a public place, you can't do this sort of thing under our roof, and at all costs, avoid sex if you can. Neither Maggie or I are ready for Sam or Melanie to be pregnant."

"Okay." The two decided to finally grab some of the walnuts and eat them, they tasted really good and really flavorful, oddly addictive. Morris smiled at the two and pressed his fingertips together.

"Now, continuing on…" They had a _long_ lecture coming their way, but that was okay. They were both willing to listen _and_ enjoying these walnuts. They wanted to respect Morris and to be able to follow his words of wisdom, they really wanted to respect their girlfriends above all else.

* * *

Whoo, Morris is a protective Uncle ^_^. Man, I'm feeling GREAT about this story again, god I'm so glad I decided to fix this. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stick around for the next, Jonah and Freddie will be having a chat, and then begins the audition chapter. Oh, and by the way, where I'm at writing wise, Carly knows now ;). My original plan went well, but you'll have to see what happens. Stick around!


	146. Discussing the Band

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 145 (Creating a Plan)

Jonah and Freddie made their way to their usual athletic gym, it also had a room where people could take a break from their exercise routines and shoot some billiards or take a dip in the gym's pool and hot tub. Aaron was with Jonah's parents and sister right now, which enabled him to hang with his good friend. Freddie had given him quite a story of the lecture that Morris gave him and Kyle, it seemed fair to him. Uncle Morris wasn't crazy as he was just protective and concerned about his nieces. Freddie admired that. "What did the girls say to the whole walnut thing?"

"Nothing really, they rubbed our hands for us but the numbness had already gone down by the time Morris was done with his lecture." As they walked through the doors, they showed the person at the front desk their gym badges. Freddie looked to his hand and chuckled as he flexed it, there were no broken bones, no sign of swelling, just mild redness that was going down. "I'm impressed, I never thought of cracking walnuts as punishment. Nor have I ever thought of carrying firewood for a two mile hike would be punishment either."

"Morris was born in the 1960s, right? I guess it would make sense to carry over punishments used when he was a kid or when his father was a kid."

"Yeah." The duo walked towards the equipment and first headed to the benches. Freddie was going to go first, he opted for the 46 lb barbell with an extra seventy pounds. He relaxed his back onto the blue cushioned bench and gently gripped the metal bar. Jonah positioned himself in the spotter position behind the bar and signaled him to begin. He had to do three sets, ten to twelve reps each. He had his bottle of water on the side and a white towel around his shoulders. "I know better than to just make out with Sam and give her hickeys all the time. Sure I'm young, but I guess I have to be a man too."

"There's a time and a place. Is that along the lines of what the guy said?"

"Yeah, a time and place for everything. Sam's workplace was _not_ the time and place." He saw Jonah visibly wince and chuckled as he moved the bar from the start position. "Count me off, Jonah."

"Got it." Freddie brought the bar down to his chest and let out a grunt as he pushed it up into the air. Jonah counted off the first rep and Freddie closed his eyes and continued onto the next. This was an extra ten pounds than he was used to, but that was the point of exercising, to increase strength. Jonah could do more than this, but that was due to the fact that he wanted to go into the military.

"You know, Sam brought up the fact that she's worried about the whole secret relationship. Apparently it's kind of eating her."

"Makes sense, I mean, most people tend to start really feeling the effects of a secret relationship after a while, you know."

He pressed his lips together and pushed the bar up for his third rep. His arms seemed to tighten, a sign they would likely start burning by the fifth or sixth rep, this was good. "Yeah I know…" Jonah counted off the rep as Freddie started working on the next. "I have the same basic thoughts, too. I mean, it doesn't seem right that we would have to hide our relationship from people. The only ones that know are our family, people at school don't even know, really."

As Freddie brought the bar down, he clenched his teeth to push up the bar. Jonah put his hands beneath it in case his friend dropped the bar under the strain. "True. I remember when you guys told us about it, Valerie wasn't surprised, but it was a great relief to Sam wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but a relief to me as well. I mean think about it, both of us had someone that wasn't directly involved with the whole thing to talk about, a close friend. A confidante…Now Valerie's gone to New York, Sam's worried she won't have her best friend to talk about."

"Certainly not like we are now. I mean, they could talk over cooking or whatever, but now it's kind of hard." His lips fell as he did yet another rep. He thought on those words and sighed, he wanted Sam to be happy but at the same time, coming out with their relationship could be extremely dangerous. "There's still Carly, Sam's been getting close to her…"

"You still don't trust Carly?"

"I don't trust Carly's individuality from her grandfather, that's what I _don__'__t_ trust about her. I also don't exactly appreciate her saying I would cheat on Valerie." Freddie did another rep and let out a small sigh, disbelieving that Jonah was still wounded about that argument he and Carly had a month ago. He had every right to be upset about it, but it did give him a bit of a biased thought.

"She apologized for that, didn't she? I mean, I think she understands now." She didn't, he knew she didn't. It wasn't her fault either, she really wouldn't understand until she was told that Sam and Freddie were together. When that would be, he really didn't know. "I think we have to feel like she won't tell her grandfather this. She's hyperactive and if she gets pissed off at us, she's liable to go tell her granddad without thinking. If that happens, Sam and I are in trouble."

"Yeah." He did his last rep and brought the bar to rest on the bench arms. He tore the towel from his shoulders and sat up, wiping the sweat from his face. "All right, time for my ten. Let's get an extra twenty on this bar."

"Got it." The two switched their positions and prepped themselves after Freddie took a swig of water. "Anyway, I think Uncle Morris wants me, Kyle too probably, to start helping him maintain the house and yard work. Evidently there's plenty to be done." Jonah chuckled and grasped the bar, quickly taking it off and tearing through the first rep. Freddie raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. "Are you going to attempt to outdo me?"

"Yep, I'm going to get through my first set faster than you."

"Show off." Jonah laughed as Freddie leaned his hands against the bench arms. He had a thought he wanted to bring up with Jonah, but wasn't really sure if it would be appropriate or not. Carly and Sam both brought it up to him once before and he said he'd talk to Jonah about it, but he was really nervous about the idea. "Hey bro, got something I think we ought to talk about."

"What's that?"

"The girls were talking about how we should get the band started up again, but there's nobody to do drums…" He watched Jonah flinch for a split second and bring the bar to rest, he had been on his seventh rep already. Jonah slowly sat up and looked over to him.

"The band? We haven't done anything with that in a long ass time…"

"I know. There's no replacing Jake, but if we start up a band, we need a drummer." They had the lead singer, Jonah took up the guitar. He tightened his lips together and leaned sideways against the bench arm. He wanted to start the band back up, he knew T-Bo at the Groovy Smoothie would _love_ having them back there performing every so often. "Maybe we run some auditions for the drummer, see if anyone's got what it takes?" Jonah wiped his face off with his towel and laid back against the bench, grasping the metal bars firmly and preparing the last reps.

"You're the leader of the band, man. It's up to you." Freddie slowly nodded as Jonah brought the bar off the rest and down to his chest. "I wouldn't mind, I had some fun times performing at the Groovy Smoothie every week. Honestly, yeah there'll be some memories, but what better way to remember Jake by continuing on with the band?"

"Yeah, I agree." It wouldn't take much to get it started back up, just auditions and talking to T-Bo for their first event after almost a whole year. Jake's death did bring their performances to a screeching halt, but people constantly asked them whether they'd ever come out of 'retirement'. "Maybe it _is_ time to come out of retirement."

"Let's finish up our workouts, go to the hot tub and plan things out, then go from there."

"All right."

After a while of working out on the bench press, then going over to work the calves, the two were resting in the hot tub. Hardly anyone was there, so it was obviously one of the gym's less busy days. It gave them ample space and privacy they needed to plan out their next move for the band. They actually used to have Jake play the guitar and Jonah was the drummer, since before Jake's death, Jonah started learning the guitar. Now, he was more of a guitarist than a drummer.

The two were in the hot tub on opposite sides with their arms propped up on the ground and the hot tub raging at full blast. Freddie had his head back and eyes closed while Jonah slowly pat his hand up and down on the concrete. "Okay, so let's talk drummer, I have one person in mind that I think would be great at the drums." Freddie raised his eyebrow and looked over to him, he was curious to who Jonah had in mind. Someone from the school probably, there were a few people he could think of that were good drummers, but not much. "You remember the talent show, think Gibby Gibson."

"Him?"

"Yes, he's probably the best drummer in the whole damn school. I suggest we get him interested in auditions."

"He didn't want to be in the band before, so what makes you think he'd want to be in it now?"

"One word." Jonah lifted his index finger and smirked. "Drums. I know I used to play the drums and now I play the guitar, so we need a drummer. Why not try to get the musically inclined? Even if he does audition, we'll give the others fair game, if someone else drums better than Gibby, then that person will have to do."

"Got it. So after the drum auditions, we're going to talk to T-Bo about doing a weekly thing over there? Maybe once or twice a week?" Jonah nodded as Freddie's lips curled upwards, they had this whole planning thing down. In truth, there wasn't much they needed to do, but at the same time, there was a _lot_ they had to do.

"Twice a week could work. You're the leader, so that's up to you. I think whatever the better preference is, we should go with that." Freddie nodded his head and looked down at the bubbles. He brought his arms in and sighed as the warm bubbles slammed against his body, if he could, he'd stay there the whole damn day. "I do have a suggestion though. For our first 'coming out' gig, we should open with a song in Jake's dedication."

"Are we going to incorporate drums into it? If we're looking for a slow song, then we need to know what we can use the drums for."

"Plenty. Do we want to do original songs or do we want to be a band that sings out popular songs?" Freddie rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes in thought. On one hand, they could easily write and do their own songs, and on another hand people enjoyed hearing their favorites. Maybe they could incorporate that.

"No reason we can't do both." Jonah nodded his agreement and glanced off to the side. This was going to be a big thing, they both knew it would probably start out as taxing on them, but they'd have to do this. "Auditions first…I think we should shoot for doing a few gigs at T-Bo's starting _Christmas_. Everyone loves Christmas music."

"And we put a bit of a rock tune to that?"

"Yeah, ever rocked out to Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer?" He smirked and folded his arms over as Jonah laughed. Just imagining Rudolf in the form of a rock song, it was just perfect! "We can do any genre, but I think Rock should be our primary. What say you?"

"I agree, I like rock the best. Maybe some classical, contemporary, I say stick with the geniuses. Get some original songs out, so someone should be the writer for the band."

"Right. First things first, however…getting ourselves a drummer." Jonah nodded and laid his head back on the wall behind him. Freddie breathed in a yawn and did the same. Now they would really have to start getting to work. Hopefully they could get Gibby to audition for them. If not, then they couldn't consider him.

* * *

Drummer is needed, and so begin the auditions


	147. Searching

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 146 (Auditions: Searching)

Next Monday, December 12th, was the start of the auditions for the week, but first they finally had a chance to catch T-Bo while he was on break. While Jonah talked to T-Bo, Freddie was busy trying to locate people off the list that he and Jonah _wanted_ to convince to come to auditions. Sam and Carly were helping to post flyers about the auditions. Currently, Freddie was at Principal Franklin's office, talking to him about the auditions. The principal was smiling and leaning back in his chair, he seemed excited about the possibility of Jonah and Freddie forming a band.

"You said the auditions are to be held where, exactly?"

"The auditorium. Jonah and I have a couple songs we want each person to attempt, that way we'll pool in all the results and see who we think sounds the best. We also need to be sure that the person will get along with the band." Hopefully they would have a green light from the man to use the auditorium. If not, then they'd find somewhere else. Adapting, it was a fine thing for them, no trouble at all. "We just need your permission to use it this week, auditions are every night after school this week."

"I see." Principal Franklin rubbed his chin and Freddie quickly set a list of people down in front of him. "What is this?"

"These are the ones we're _trying_ to get to come to auditions. We want there to be a fair game for everyone, but we know some of these guys here have skill and are curious to see how far they could take it. Also, just if they want to be in a band. Jonah is also trying to talk to T-Bo about the possibility of doing our gigs there. If at all possible, we should have this whole thing up and running by Christmas. Think you'd come see our grand re-opening?"

"Of course, I think it holds a lot of promise." Pride ran through Freddie's heart as he smiled and nodded towards the man. "Of course you can use the auditorium, just let me know if I'm invited to the gig when you get started." He nodded his head and grabbed the list of people from the desk. With a smile, he made his way to the door, saluting the principal briefly.

"Can do, everyone's invited." As he made his way out, he spotted Sam fighting a flyer, he smirked and walked up to her. She was pushing the flyer up, but the adhesive on the back wasn't sticking well enough. "Having a little trouble dear?"

"This damn thing won't-" As she lowered her arms, the flyer sat for a second. Freddie raised his eyebrows and Sam started to cheer, but froze when the flyer began peeling away and she let out a scream of frustration. "Damn this thing!"

"Just use tape." He had some tape in his backpack, which was slung over his right shoulder. He pulled it off and opened the small zipper on the side, pulling out some tape for her. "Here." She stared at the tape for a second and quickly swiped it.

"Thanks, you're the best."'

"You know it." He gazed at the greenish yellow flyer with a sense of pride. It had an image of their instruments at the bottom, their band name was well decorated at the top. _The__Seattle__Beasts_. It wasn't the _best_ band name in the world, but it was better than some high school band names at least. It had all the information about the auditions and people were already starting to read the flyers. "I'm going to go check the bulletin board to see if anyone's signed up, then I'm going to go find the people on this list."

"Okay, have fun." Sam turned around and eyed the people around them, nobody was looking. She took the opportunity to plant a quick peck on his cheek then rush off. He chuckled slightly and moved towards the front of the school where the bulletin board was, when he arrived, he found their audition sheets stapled together and posted up on the large brown square. They had ten pages, each with ten lines.

"Okay…let's see…" He reached up and started sifting through the pages, at least four of them were already filled up! His eyebrows rose and he started going through the names, three people who appeared on the sign up list were on the list of people that he wanted to contact, so that was good news. "Didn't think people missed us all that much…Gibby's still not up there though…" He pulled a pen from his jean pocket and started to mark off the names of the people who already signed up. There were about eight people he definitely wanted to convince. With three, that really helped his work haul. "Let's see here. Gibby, Duke..." He blinked and tapped his eraser on his chin, recalling the overgrown oaf that helped them with the chicks. That kid could drum, so Freddie was really looking forward to having him on stage. "Griffin." He didn't think Griffin was a drummer, but he wanted to know a bit more about this guy. Carly didn't have to know. "Rebecca Berkowitz." She was an okay drummer and always seemed to be playing in the band hall during lunch hours. "Nate Garner." He was a lanky guy who played the drums as well with Rebecca, so clearly he had to be included on the list.

The three people on the list that already signed up were Jocelyn, she could drum with her own hands. Although, usually she used her fists, which may explain why she was still in high school, she opted for brawn over brains. There was Gary Wolf, a once popular kid who was lately always drumming on the desks. Then finally was Cort. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but damn the kid could strum a beat. Freddie marked their names off his paper and put his pencil to the first name his eyes spotted, Nate Garner. Nate and Rebecca would likely be in the band hall.

He folded the paper up and pushed it into his pocket while making his way towards the band hall where he could hear the drums being sounded off. It was interesting to him, one of these two could very well be their next drummer.

They had four songs that they wanted the people to try to drum to, each had its own level of difficulty, starting with the easiest: _Highway__to__Hell_ by _AC/DC_. The next was Stone Sour's _Come__Whatever__May_, a popular favorite for him. After that, just a little bit more difficult was Phil Collins, _In__the__Air__Tonight_. The most intense drum, noted as one of the hardest to master, was Mars Volta _Wax__Simulacra_. If someone could play that song perfectly, then screw the rest of the auditions, they were in. Well, chances were there might be some who could master that insane drumbeat.

As he made it to the door of the band hall, he glanced through the window and saw Rebecca pounding away on the drums while Nate tapped his foot and clapped along with the beat. He smiled and gently knocked on the door, watching and waiting as they stopped what they were doing and came over. Nate opened the door and leaned against the doorframe. "What's up?"

"Hey, you know. We're having auditions for a drummer in our band, I was hoping you two might come audition. I've heard you guys play, I think you have great skill." The couple looked at each other and grinned. His pride rose up as they nodded at him, agreeing to show up. "Awesome, I'll tell you more later. The sign up sheet is on the bulletin board in the front."

"Awesome, we'll sign up," Rebecca said with a quick jump. Freddie chuckled and thanked them as he moved on his way. Two down already, three more to go. Now Griffin wouldn't be hard to find, he was almost always hanging in the back of the school, beating on the old trash bins. However he and Carly met, Freddie was curious to know.

When he made it out the back of the school, he was not surprised to see Griffin beating on some metal bins with a few sticks. He closed his eyes and pocketed his hands, chuckling as he made his way towards Griffin. Who was this guy anyway? What was he all about? It was a bit concerning. "Hey, how about you trade those twigs for some real drumsticks and trade those bins for some actual drums. Feel like it?" He watched him freeze and swirl around, chuckling nervously. Obviously Griffin recognized him, but clearly he didn't think Freddie did.

"What do you mean?"

"Jonah and I are auditioning drummers for our band, _Seattle__Beasts_…We're coming back out, I think you have some talent. I'd like to see what you can do with a real drum set in front of you rather than those old trash bins. Would you be interested?"

"You're serious?" He raised his eyebrow as Griffin dropped his sticks and grinned widely. "Dude! I was a fan of you guys years ago! It was horrible when Jake died." He frowned as the memory hit him in a tender spot. Breath crept into his mouth and he gently exhaled.

"Yeah, it was pretty rough. It's the reason we took a long break, but we're back and we need a drummer."

"I thought Jonah was the drummer?"

"He was, but he plays the guitar now. Auditions are each night starting tonight through Friday right after school. You interested?"

"Of course! I'll be there!"

"Great, see you there. Sign up's in the front on the bulletin board."

"Awesome!" Freddie smirked and started walking back towards the school as Griffin began pounding away on the bins. It sounded almost like racket, but perhaps it was just because of the tools being used. Hopefully Griffin could put some kind of melody in those drums at the audition.

As he made his way through the halls of Ridgeway, he kept his eyes peeled for the bumbling oaf, he thought for sure Duke would attend the auditions. They would at least spend the next few days weeding out the weaklings, surely Duke would manage to last for a while. It didn't matter when anyone auditioned, they couldn't all audition on the same day and some people might just want to watch before auditioning, scaling out their competition.

"Freddie!" There it was, Duke's voice. He closed his eyes and waited for it, and it came. Within seconds, Duke had managed to grab him in a bear hug and lift him up. He winced and tightened his muscles, but was certain he heard and felt _something_ pop inside. "I haven't seen you in a long time, what's happening!"

"Duke…crushing…" He gasped for air and Duke kindly set him back on the ground.

"Sorry about that."

"It's fine. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to audition for the drummer position on my band. I think you'd make a great addition, should we choose you." Duke gasped and hugged Freddie once more, lifting him off the ground and screaming out his delight. "I'll take that as a yes then."

"You bet, I'll be there!"

"Wouldn't doubt it for a second…please put me down?" He asked in a pitiful tone, but it was enough that Duke set him back on his feet. After taking a minute to catch his breath and explain what the auditions were all about, he was already out to find Gibby.

It wasn't a difficult search, Gibby was often all over the school, but when it came to lunch time, he was in the cafeteria. As Freddie strolled into the cafeteria, he met Gibby's eyes. The man was chewing on a hamburger and had a rather nonchalant expression on his face. He'd been friends with Freddie and the others before, but it had still been a while since he associated with them. At least, it had been a few years since he'd been on iCarly.

"Hey Gibby, what's happening?"

"Nothing much." Freddie sat at the table as Gibby swallowed and set the hamburger down on his plate. "What brings you over here? I know it's not iCarly. I still think you should bring that back, but oh well."

"Yeah man, there isn't much we can do about that. I'm sorry." He felt Gibby's pain, the youth had been promised a bit more of an involvement with the webshow before it ended and the ending _was_a bit abrupt. "But you know, I was thinking maybe you could get involved another way-"

"What? Your auditions?" Gibby's tone dripped with nonchalance as he picked his hamburger back up and bit into it. Freddie wasn't sure what to make of it, whether Gibby's tone was good or not. "I think it's good you're starting the band up again. It really shows perseverance and drive, I guess."

"Yeah, thanks…So you know about the auditions?"

"Yeah, I know you need a drummer and I know when you're starting and whatnot. I'm not too sure I really want to audition."

"We could really use you. I mean, you're one of the best drummers in this school in my opinion."

"Yeah, and I prefer practicing in my garage rather than performing." Gibby ate the last bite of his hamburger and stood up with his tray. Freddie's color started to leave him, but he could bounce back from this. He watched as Gibby slowly carried his trash to the trash can. Had Gibby refused the audition opportunity? Fair game for everyone, that's what it was, even though both he and Jonah really wanted Gibby to join. "You guys getting paid?"

"Yeah, T-Bo's willing to pay for what we do in the shop." Gibby let out a grunt and walked back to the table, grabbing his soda and bringing it to his lips.

"My uncle can get you better deals than a smoothie shop, but if that's how you roll, then that's just you guys."

"Maybe starting out, I mean…"

"I'll think about it, maybe talk it over with my girlfriend. I don't really know how I feel about auditioning. To be honest, you probably will have some great drummers who would be able to bring more to your band and give you a better experience." Freddie slowly nodded as Gibby took another sip of his drink and started to walk off.

"That's fine and all, but if you change your mind, let me know." His heart sank as Gibby waved his hand in the air, dismissing him. He took a deep breath and set his paper on the table, then started marking off the people who agreed to show. All but Gibby. "Well…that sucks…"

* * *

Gibby turned them down? Damn!


	148. Preparations

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 147 (Auditions: Preparation)

Freddie met with Jonah, Sam and Carly in the auditorium, he had good news and some bad news for the group. As for how his hope to recruit Gibby went, he prayed Jonah fared better with T-Bo. "Well Jonah, how'd it go?" He saw Jonah smile and it lifted his spirits up tremendously, he just knew it went well. Sam and Carly smiled as well, they had been hoping for the best. "I assume you got us booked at the Groovy Smoothie?"

"You got it! For the weekend of Christmas, from the 23rd to the 26th, and then on the 31st, going into midnight. During the Christmas weekend, we'll be performing later in the day so everyone has had a chance to be with family." It all sounded good to him and warmed his heart to see things going so well. He turned his gaze to the large stage, drifted his eyes to the booth where he would be sitting with Sam, Jonah and Carly. Carly wouldn't be a part of the decision-making process because she wasn't all that interested in voting. That, and, she didn't want to be the one casting an even vote without a tie breaker.

He moved his eyes from the booth with the black tablecloth and microphones, to the several chairs of the school auditorium, it had potential to be packed if they ever performed at the school. They weren't too sure they wanted to become _big_ or anything, rather just keep it small. He folded his arms over and sighed. "Okay, so we have a full sign-up sheet, so we'll have a full house tonight. Bad news, however. Gibby has apparently, not in so many words, declined auditioning." Jonah frowned and the girls exchanged sorrowful looks. Freddie shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. They had just a little more time to get ready and only a couple hours of auditions. "Well, either way it's a loss to chalk up. Let's perk ourselves up and get things set up. We've got this auditorium for the whole week, may as well make it look pretty."

"Yeah." The group hurried onto the stage. The girls ran to either side of the curtains and began pulling the ropes, bringing the curtains back to the wall. When they were close, the girls tied the curtains with a large ribbon. Freddie had an old friend, Jeremy, working on the lighting. Freddie stood in the center to help guide the lights where he wanted them.

"Just a little left there, Jeremy!" The lights moved over him and stung his eyes to the point he had to cover them. After the blindness went away, he cleared his throat and stuck his thumb up in the air. "Great job, Jeremy…You just blinded our drummer."

"Wait, you're drumming?" Jeremy called out questionably. Freddie chuckled and shook his head.

"No, I'm just saying, those lights are pretty damn bright. What intensity do you have them set on?"

Jeremy moved away to check them, while he did this, Freddie had to squint and continue to cover his eyes up. "The highest. I'll bring them down a bit!"

"Good idea!" He waited as the lights lessened their intensity. The spotlight never needed to be that intense, but the stage lights did. "Now the stage lights." Jeremy nodded and flipped them on, filling the stage with red and yellow. He looked to his right, then to his left, and practically bounced with satisfaction. "Perfect! Great job man." He stepped out of the spotlight and folded his arms as he eyed the location of the spotlights. Directly center stage, that was where he wanted the drum set. "Okay guys, bring out the drums!"

"Drum's coming bro!" Carly called out. He looked to his left and saw the girls carrying out the large drum set and stool. He smiled as they set them down in the spotlight. The cymbals were attached and Jonah was bringing out two standing cymbals to put on the edge of the drums. "Okay, we need the fog machines."

He raised an eyebrow as the girls ran behind the stage once more. "Fog machines?" Jonah looked up from the drums and blinked as the girls returned with two fog machines, much to their surprise. They slid the machines next to the drums and grinned. "Okay, fill me in. Why the fog machines?" Sam flipped on the machines and smirked as the fog started to fill out the stage.

"To give the people auditioning the feel that they're _actually_ performing, it might make them feel a little more comfortable and at ease. This way, they can perform to their fullest. We probably would do strobe lights if we could." Freddie rubbed his chin and looked to Jonah with inquisition. Jonah simply shrugged his shoulders and rolled his head to the side, possibly trying to envision the stage lit up like a real performance. Freddie attempted to comprehend it himself and could see the strobe lights, the foggers, the amplifiers, the whole enchilada. It seemed nice, but at the same time, it did seem a bit too much. "I'm not saying we _do_that though."

"Actually you can do it, but I think that would be a bit much. If we overdo it, the people auditioning may still feel too nervous and uncertain, as if there's a lot expected of them. There's really not much expected of them."

"I guess. Though you have them trying to drum some major piece that would be hard for just about anyone to perform…"

"A true test on that one, they have to get at least three quarters of that song right or else they're cut. They're expected to at least get the whole thing right on _Highway__to__Hell_, I mean come on...easy."

"Yeah." No way anyone would miss _that_, but as sure as they were of that, they were certain there'd be people screwing up that song to bloody hell. "So let's hear the music. How do you have it set up?" Freddie looked up to the tech booth and snapped his fingers, Jeremy was asleep. Sam cupped her mouth and called up at him. "Hey Germy! Wake up!"

Jeremy's eyes shot open and he practically fell out of the tech booth. "Huh? What! Where am I?" Sam groaned as Freddie slowly shook his head. Jeremy chuckled nervously and smiled at them.

"Hey sorry about that, what is it?"

"We need you to play the songs!"

"Got it!" One by one Jeremy clicked the songs. The group listened and made their way to the chairs at their table, it appeared the drum was blotched out and the ones auditioning would have to fill in the blanks. Granted, the drums in the music were actually dulled, but they remained there. "How's that?"

"Great Jeremy, just perfect!" Freddie tapped his foot to the music and watched as Jonah walked over to the stage and sat at the drums. He chuckled and folded his arms over. "Hey Jonah, you filling up with nostalgia over there?"

"Not really, I just want to see if I still got it." Jonah grabbed the drumsticks from the holder and began to beat the drums lightly. He matched the beats of _Highway__to__Hell_ and thrust his drumstick in the air when the song was done. "Awesome!"

"Aw come on Jonah, that was the _easy_ song."

"I know, that's why I went with it." He laughed slightly and shook his head as Jonah began to freestyle on the drums. Once he finished, he stood and bowed, taking in the applause from his friends. "So, what's Carly here for?"

"She's here to take our place if one of us can't make it. Namely you, considering you have your son to look after." Jonah nodded and started moving off the stage.

"Yeah, I won't be able to be here every day. Besides that fact, I still would have homework and stuff like that. Anyway, it'll be fun to be in the band for the last half of my senior year. What do you think Valerie will think?"

"I think she'd be impessed and maybe a bit too joyful. After all, I can see her hyped up and wanting to see our performance."

"Maybe we should record our first performance for her and send it to her." Sam and Carly exchanged glances and grinned widely as Freddie's lips turned downward. He could read their eyes rather easily, they still wanted iCarly to continue on. Though he thought Sam wouldn't want it as much as Carly, but he had to admit, even he missed it just a little. "Okay girls, I know what you're thinking. I said video and you mind went there. I have no intention of starting up iCarly, do you?"

"Not really." They looked to the auditorium doors and sighed, everything was set up for the most part. Perhaps they needed to make a few touchups, but for the most part, everything was right where they wanted it.

"Okay, everyone get to your seats." The group did as such and Freddie grinned while walking to the door, he was definitely anticipating this. "So, everyone ready to let them all in?" Jonah lifted his thumb up and called out.

"Bring on the stampede!" Carly took the clipboard from in front of her and looked at it quietly, they each had a copy of these pages. At least they could easily mark off the people that didn't make it versus the ones that did. There might be extra people, and that's what they had the notebooks on the table for. Freddie placed his hand on the door handle and took a deep breath as he listened to the cries of the people outside waiting in to audition. This was it, now or never. "Everyone get ready."

Sweat rolled down the back of his neck and he quietly turned his gaze to his friends, usually they would help in the case of a stampede, but damn the way they were sitting and watching him with those sly grins, he wasn't getting any help here. He stepped to the side and pulled the doors open. At that, a rush of adrenaline filled teens charged right into the area, practically knocking Freddie over. He cleared his throat and quickly caught his balance while closing the door, it was now or never. They would have the new drummer soon.

* * *

Here we go, you're going to find quite a bit of twists in this arc, by the way. Some real plot stuff takes place and watch as this band becomes the next big thing. GS is really taking off again.


	149. Auditions: It Begins

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 148 (Auditions: Auditions Begin)

Freddie walked forward a little and frowned as he watched all the teenagers jumping around and chattering amongst themselves. They seemed to be practically bouncing off the walls, it was frightening! The more mature ones were just standing around, chatting quietly with each other. Fortunately the seven people that he had contacted were just off to the sides and were doing their own thing, not bouncing everywhere. "Okay, everybody have a seat in the chairs, we will call you up." The students clearly didn't hear him, they continued their erroneous uproar. A few of them did hear and were on their way to the auditorium seats. "Everyone, take your seats!" Once again, a few people moved to the chairs, but the majority didn't hear him.

Jonah met his hopeless eyes and laughed once before rising up with an air horn in his hand. Freddie's eyebrows went up in surprise as his eyes landed on that horn. Thinking fast, he followed the girls' move and covered his ears just as Jonah pressed the button on the horn, silencing the crowd. "Everyone take your seats within the next minute, whoever's still standing will not audition." At that, everyone ran for the seats, some of the more mature ones just waited a bit for the excited ones to get out of the way, then they made their way to the chairs.

Taking a deep breath, Freddie made his way over to the table where the others were. He sat down on Jonah's left, with Sam to his left and Carly to her left. "Okay, I think the mature people and the ones that sat down the first two times get some brownie points." Jonah and the girls agreed, it seemed to them that they would be the ones to get along better with the band. "Is Jeremy ready up there?" He looked to the tech booth and saw Jeremy looking over the controls, he was ready. Sam reached under the table and rested her hand on Freddie's leg, hoping to relax him a bit. He took a deep breath and stared down at the list of people. "Okay guys, get ready for them to either exceed expectation or completely butcher a great song."

"Have some faith," Sam interjected with a smile. Freddie looked over at her with an arched eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure some of them will be able to carry a tune. If not, well then we'll keep looking."

"Yeah, you're right." He shuffled the papers on the desk and felt like he was being watched. He shifted his eyes to the side and spotted Carly staring at him with a bit of curiosity. He was getting along with Sam, and that surprised her. "Hey Carly, would you mind introducing us?" She paused for a brief moment and nodded her head.

"Sure, I'll go ahead."

"Thanks."

He leaned back in his chair as his soon to be step sister stood up and waved her hands in the air, albeit embarrassing. "Okay people! This is your chance to shine. The _Seattle__Beasts_ have come out of retirement, and with a new name. Freddie Benson, the lead singer and a guitarist, Jonah Brown is the bass, and they need a drummer. Fellow bandmate and friend, Jake Krandal passed on nearly a year ago…A tragedy, but now they've collected themselves and are ready to go back out there and rock. So, welcome, it's great to see all of you here! As they say, rock hard, or not at all." Freddie's eyebrows rose and he exchanged a stunned expression with Jonah. She definitely delivered.

"Thank you Carly." He slowly stood up and turned around, holding the list in his hand. As he glazed his eyes over the people in the chairs, he was overcome by a feeling of horror, there were so many people to go through and this was only the _first_ day! He stumbled backwards a bit and caught his breath. "Wow…Well, I'm glad to see you all here. Unfortunately only one of you is going to be able to be our drummer, we have to know you can get along with us as well as play a decent tune. So, we've devised a test of four songs with a specific amount of beats you have to get correct on them. Jonah?"

"Right, our first song is _Highway__to__Hell_ by AC/DC. You need to get at least 90% of that song right. It's easy, you'll do fine. Next is _Come__Whatever__May_ by Stone Sour, about 85% of that song you should hit well, it's another easy one. Then there's _In__the__Air__Tonight_ by Phil Collins, try to get 75% of that. Then finally _Wax__Simulacra,_by Mars Volta." Freddie heard a rushing cry through the crowd as these musician wannabes knew the song well. "An intense drum beat in which we'll be nice to you, only 65% of correct beats are required. However, strive for 100% on all of these, but most of all, have fun doing so! We don't want an uptight drummer that's always business strict, we want a drummer who can be friendly, fun, and knows their song."

"Do you guys think you have what it takes to be our drummer?" An immaculate applause rang out and Freddie chuckled lightly. "So, let's get started."

"We have about one hundred on this list," Sam said as she looked up to Freddie. He nodded and stared at the audience once again, there had to be more than one hundred people here. "Want me to get rid of some of them?" Freddie nodded and rubbed his chin as Sam slowly stood up. "If your name isn't on the list and you're here to audition, please come down here and let us know so we can put your name down. In that case, we also ask that you come back tomorrow, as we only have enough time hopefully go through the hundred who have already signed."

At that, several people started getting up from their seats and walking down to the booth, it looked like there was another hundred people signing up. In just two hours, they didn't think they would get through more than half of the first list. This really was going to take up a lot of time! Sam, Carly, Jonah and Freddie worked quickly to write down all the names of the students who were here.

Freddie turned his eyes to the people still sitting down, some were either people who already signed up, or people who were here to watch the auditions. He put adjusted the microphone on his collar and cleared his throat. "If you're here to watch and not audition, please move to the back of the auditorium. If you're already signed up and waiting your name to be called, please move to the front of the seats."

It took about ten minutes, but everyone did as instructed, he felt a sense of pride in the fact that at least they were listening. "We're going to try to get as many as we can today, if we can't get to you, please come back tomorrow." He was starting to sound like a receptionist at a business office, and quite frankly it irritated him. He took his seat and looked at the drums on the stage, he figured they may as well get started. He looked to the first person on the list and called him out.

"Okay, first person is Aaron Albert." Jonah raised his eyebrows and glanced over as a seemingly lanky looking guy walked to the stage and on the drums. Freddie leaned back in his chair and watched as the kid sat down and grabbed the drumsticks without actually inspecting the equipment to see if everything was there. It would be too depressing if the majority of people did as such. "Okay, now the reason we have already selected songs is just to gauge your skill level, but feel free for a fifth song, to perform any song at all. Now if it's an original, please let it make sense, don't just randomly beat on the drums."

"Got it!" The boy said with a quick grin. Carly looked up at Jeremy and signaled him to begin the music. Highway to Hell started playing and the person auditioning just sat there, staring out at the four people with wide, nervous eyes. Freddie felt a sense of awkwardness coming over him as he slowly turned his eyes to Jonah, who was mimicking the same uneasy expression.

"Jonah. He's just sitting there…staring at us…"

"Yeah I know." Jonah tapped his foot with the beat where the drums were supposed to be and Freddie turned his attention back to the drummer. The guy was still staring at them with his drumsticks raised. Hit a cymbal, bang a drum, do something, anything at all. Stage fright was understandable, but they couldn't work with that. The person had to be comfortable. "Hey, Albert, the drums started a long time ago."

"I'm sorry!" He called out with an anxious tone. "I'm just so nervous." Freddie would have probably given him another chance, Sam probably would have too, but Jonah was the Cowell of the group here.

"Okay Jeremy stop the music!" The music cut and Albert quickly stood from the drums, chuckling nervously. "Have you ever played the drums before?"

"Yes…"

"Have you ever performed in front of people?"

"No sir…"

"Okay. You're done here. Set the drumsticks down and go home." Sam frowned and Freddie slowly turned his eyes to the list of people as Albert dropped his shoulders.

"No need to be so hard," Sam said with a gentle smile. She met Albert's eyes and placed her hands together. "Now we appreciate you auditioning, but the band is going to be performing in the Groovy Smoothie in a couple weeks. Unfortunately, stage fright is something that they can't have in their drummer. You have to be ready _now_, I hope you understand."

"Yes ma'am, and thank you."

"Please don't ever give up on your dreams though, okay? Keep practicing and maybe one day you'll be able to be a part of a real band. Just right now, Jonah and Freddie don't have room for you…" Freddie nodded and put a mark next to the drummer's name, an X to signify that he wasn't satisfactory enough for them.

"The drummer has got to pull his own weight, Albert. We can't pick up for you, you have to pick up for yourself. Surely you understand." The drummer nodded his head and with a smile, thanked them and started to walk off the stage. "Well, we're definitely going to have a lot of interesting auditions guys…" The others nodded and prepped themselves for the next person.

* * *

I feel bad for that guy, bad case of stage fright. Hope you caught the Easter Egg. Think about it: Who is Aaron Albert?


	150. Auditions: Running into Trouble!

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 149 (Auditions: Running into Trouble)

Within the hour, several people had performed and not one of them fit the bill. They did well on the first two songs, but when they got to Phil Collins, they choked. A couple people seemed to do badly on _Highway__to__Hell_ for Pete's sake! Freddie was rubbing his temples while Jonah was nonchalantly sipping some water. Sam was looking over the list of people and Carly was busy brushing her hair with a brush she carried around in her purse.

Freddie opened his eyes and moaned lightly, his head felt like a million hammers were striking down on his head. "We can't use the 'we'll call you' excuse anymore, can we? They're on to us." Jonah chuckled and Carly stopped what she was doing and stared at the stage. She nudged Sam, who promptly covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, then nudged Freddie. When he looked at the drums, he saw Principal Franklin seated at them. The corner of his lips twitched upwards as he straightened himself up. "What the…Principal Franklin, what are you doing?"

"He's here to audition, I think." The kindly principal looked up and smiled happily.

"Nah, I'm just here to liven up the beat, it seems everyone's tired out, so…I was in a band once." A chill ran down Freddie's spine as the color flushed from his face, he had a feeling this would lead to embarrassment. He didn't say anything and just waved his hand in the air, letting the Principal have his fun so everyone could relax. Principal Franklin looked up to Jeremy and called out to him. "Okay Jeremy, play the song!" Freddie raised an eyebrow and the others slowly looked to him as the tune _Let__the__Drummer__Kick_ by Citizen Cope started to play from the speakers. He tilted his head to the side and listened as the Principal began to play, hitting the notes rather well.

"Well hell, he can play." The others murmured their agreements, the Principal was the best player thus far. Sure he wasn't auditioning, but as Freddie looked at the audience, he could see them cheering on and strumming with the beat. So the man's attempt to liven up the house really was working. He smiled and leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head. "All right, let's just relax for a few, then…"

"For the record, I love this song," Carly stated with a bright smile. Freddie's eyebrows rose and he chuckled, impressed that she knew the song. Citizen Cope was a fantastic band, at least in his eyes, a very inspirational one at that. They turned down their microphones so people didn't have to hear them, usually they kept it that way whenever someone was performing for them or when they just wanted to chat amongst each other. Carly leaned forward and looked over to Jonah. "You like this song?"

"It's fine," Jonah responded vaguely. Freddie stifled a snicker and slowly shook his head, amazed that Carly was still trying to figure out why Jonah didn't really seem to like her all that much. Then again, he seemed to be getting a little better with her and she was just trying to be friendly with him. "I'm impressed that the Principal can play the drums, that's all I'm going to say on the subject."

"I guess it goes without saying, older people_can_ play musical instruments." Sam looked to Freddie, showing him the curiosity in her eyes. He smirked and shrugged his shoulders, he knew she was curious about Carly's attempt to get to know Jonah. "So Jonah…Have you heard from Valerie?"

"Yep. She's doing just fine." Jonah's arms were folded across his chest and he appeared to be focusing on the Principal. "What about you, you doing all right these days? I got a question, how do you like surprises?"

"Yep, I'm doing fine. Surprises? Like what? I love surprises." Jonah nodded and leaned in towards Freddie, who had his eyes closed and a big grin plastered on his face. He already knew what Jonah was going to say, that Carly was in for a bigger surprise than she thought.

"Just wait till she sees Griffin on that stage." Yes, Freddie was going to enjoy that moment. After all, the very minute Griffin would step on that stage, he was certain Carly would die of shock. She'd have to try to not reveal anything crucial, such as the guy being her boyfriend. After all, if she wanted to succeed in the whole secret relationship thing, she needed to know how to do so. Experience truly would be the best teacher. "How do you think she'll react? Hugely, or not at all?"

"If she's smart, which I'm pretty certain she is, then she won't react at all." Jonah nodded and Sam snickered just a second. Carly stared at the three curiously, having not heard the conversation. She lifted her hand up to ask, but then brought it down. Chances were, whatever the joke, it was between them and not her. "Carly, you do know Jonah doesn't hate you, right?" Carly perked up momentarily and Jonah rolled his eyes to the side.

"He doesn't trust me, I know that."

"It's not so much you that he doesn't trust, but that's a conversation for another time. All right?" Carly pressed her lips together and slowly nodded her head, not wanting to get into any kind of debate or argument. He looked over to Principal Franklin and rubbed his chin skeptically. "How the _hell_ does he know that song? I'm serious, the guy's been holding out on us."

"Well he's definitely loosening up the audience," Jonah commented. "I don't know why we didn't think of that before." After another minute, the principal finished and stood from the drums, bowing and smiling as the audience clapped for him. Freddie stood as the man walked over to him and shook his hand.

"Thanks for letting me do that, I was hoping to relax. Saw people getting a bit tired, so I figured I could go ahead and do that."

"Sure, thanks. It loosened everyone up well enough."

"Good. Continue on with your auditions, I hope you find a good drummer to help your band out." With that, the Principal departed and Freddie took up the list. He turned to the audience and gave them a pleasant smile.

"Well, that was relaxing, I hope you enjoyed it. We have next on the list…" He turned his eyes to the page and raised an eyebrow. "Stanley Howard?" He turned back to Jonah, who raised an eyebrow back at him. "Isn't that-"

"Okay children!" Mr. Howard's voice rang out from the stage and Freddie flinched his muscles. He twitched and slowly turned to the stage to see Mr. Howard with a red bandana, sleeveless jacket and denim blue jeans. "I'm going to teach you how to rock, _old__school_."

"You're joking…" He winced as Mr. Howard sat and began smacking the drums and cymbals with the drumsticks. Hearing the students groan, Freddie quickly ran around the small booth and to the front of the stage. "Hey! Hey, no, no, get off the drums!"

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you! I'm too busy rocking out!" He moaned and rolled his eyes. Was the teacher _trying_ to ruin the auditions? Mr. Howard started beating the rightmost cymbal, causing Freddie to cup his hands over his ears. "This is how you rock out on the drums!" The old teacher then began blasting away on the large drum in front of him. "Pay attention in class students, especially music class, and one day you may be as good as I am!"

"Oh god."

Jonah looked back as the girls started trying to contain the audience, which was now starting to bellow out their displeasure. "Freddie! Do something already!" Freddie nodded and smacked his hand on the stage.

"Don't make me get up there!" He looked to the side and saw a few students actually walking _out_ of the auditorium.

"Is that the best you can do?"

"Nah…" He moved his eyes frantically around the auditorium, trying to think of a way to get rid of Mr. Howard. He narrowed his eyes devilishly and slowly looked up to the tech booth where Jeremy was frantically holding his ears. He snapped his fingers and called out to him. "Jeremy, raise the intensity of the lights now!"

"What did you say? My ears are bleeding!"

"I said raise the damn intensity of the lights!"

"Oh! Okay!" Jeremy moved his hands away and quickly worked the controls. Mr. Howard looked up and shrieked as he fell backwards from the drums and on the floor. Freddie smirked and motioned Jonah over as the teacher started rolling, moaning in pain. As the students watched, Freddie and Jonah grabbed Mr. Howard by the arms and started dragging him out the doors.

"Sorry teach, this is a _serious_ thing we're doing, we don't have any time to let you ruin the auditions." The man moaned as he stumbled out, rubbing his eyes vigorously. Freddie and Jonah gave each other a high five and went back to the booth as Jeremy lowered the intensity of the lights. "Okay guys, I'm sorry about that, I did _not_ expect Mr. Howard to show up. Now, another thing…Jonah and I would prefer our drummer to be about our age, so if you're younger than fourteen and older than twenty, please leave. I know it seems harsh, but this is a high school band for a reason."

Some of the people in the auditorium did get up and leave because they were either too young or too old, but it was okay. Everyone understood and after that fiasco with the teacher, no one else wanted a repeat. Freddie ran his hand through his hand and sighed, they'd gotten through about seventy of the applicants and not one of the seven people he _wanted_ to hear. Perhaps it was time to call on one of them and hear what they had to give. He decided to start with the three that were on his personal list that already signed up. "Okay, our next guy is Cort. If you're in the house still, you're up." Someone stood up and Freddie took his seat next to Jonah and Sam. "All right, let's see what this kid's got."

"He's one of the ones you wanted to see?" Sam asked curiously. Freddie nodded his head and she leaned back, anxious to see how good this person would be. "Awesome."

* * *

Damn Mr. Howard! Well, he's out for now.


	151. Auditions: Drummer 1, The Brilliant Cort

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 150 (Auditions: Drummer 1, The 'Brilliant' Cort)

Freddie leaned back as Cort walked towards the stage, the guy was tall and thin with short brown hair. He hadn't really talked to Cort, but he did get the chance to see the guy play on his own. He looked cool, a lot of girls had been fawning over him earlier in the day. Perhaps the band could use someone who wasn't already either married or engaged. "Okay, so you're Cort?" Cort stood in front of the drums and nodded his head.

"Yup, that's me. I think." He paused as Cort rubbed his hair for a moment, then looked at his hand. "Hey, my hand is still clean!" Sam and Carly leaned their heads back and Jonah slowly looked up to Freddie. Freddie chuckled helplessly and crossed his arms over. _Please_ let Cort be smarter than he was acting, that was the only thing he could think at the moment. He watched as Cort pointed at the lights. "Ooh colorful!" Jonah closed his eyes and chuckled, his vain tone battered Freddie in a soft spot. Sighing, he put his fingers to his forehead and breathed out.

"Cort, um, could you-" Cort put his hand to his forehead and Freddie cringed as several girls behind him squealed out and crooned. After a second, Cort smiled and waved at Freddie. He clicked his tongue and stared, pondering whether he should really give him a chance. When he heard Cort playing the drums solo, he knew he was good. Jonah once more looked to him and he shrugged his shoulders. "Well, maybe if he can play the drums well enough…" The girls looked up at Freddie as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay Cort, you're going to play the drums. I want you to first attempt Highway to Hell. Can you do that?"

"Highway to Hell? Sure!" Freddie smiled as Cort swung around to the drums and grabbed the drumsticks. The first thing Freddie took note of was Cort holding the drumsticks backwards. Judging by the groan that came from Jonah, it was clear he noticed it too. Was this some kind of joke? Cort held up his drumsticks and grinned a toothy white grin. "Highway to Hell!" The girls behind them cheered and Jonah quickly rubbed his ear, shouting out painfully.

Freddie lifted his eyes up and waited as Cort started smacking the drums and cymbals. It was the same repeated motion of striking the drum with one hand and the cymbal with the other. He slowly bowed his head into his hand and dropped his shoulders down. It was clear Cort wasn't playing the right song. "Jonah. What song is Cort drumming?"

"Uh…" Jonah looked up to Jeremy, who was staring at Cort with wide eyes. "Jeremy, what song is that?" Jeremy stopped playing the Highway to Hell song and played the song he thought the drums fit. As the music of _Oh__Susanna_came to Freddie's ears, he twitched and slowly lifted his head up.

"I don't get it. We asked him to play one song and he's…" Freddie cleared his throat and held his hand up, to which Jeremy automatically stopped the music. "Cort." Cort continued to drum, which further irritated Freddie. "Uh Cort, hey…" He waited and still the drummer kept on drumming. "Cort! Enough drumming!" With that, Cort smacked a cymbal and looked up with a grin.

"How was that? Highway to Hell!" The girls in the audience screamed while Carly and Sam both moaned in pain. He turned his head to the audience members and saw the majority of the guys in the audience were looking either bored, frustrated, bemused, or flat out pissed. He sighed and turned his head back to Cort.

"Okay Cort, um, buddy…that was _not_ Highway to Hell." The applicant gasped and lowered his drumsticks. "Plus, you're holding your drumsticks backwards." He rubbed his thumb along his chin as Cort's face scrunched up with sorrow. Not wanting to offend him, he knew he should at least give him another chance. "You get three chances, Cort. That was your first. You screwed it up."

"Dang, do you have to be so hard on him?" Carly asked with sudden curiosity. "I know we've had a long day and all, but clearly he has something missing up there. Take it easy."

"If I did that Carly, he'd think being pampered was appropriate." Freddie moved his hands behind his waist and breathed in deep. "Okay Cort, this time make sure it's _Highway__to__Hell_ that you're drumming to. Got that?" Cort let out a big grin and held up his right drumstick, which was now properly positioned, though, his left drumstick was incorrectly positioned. Jonah smacked his forehead and Freddie closed his eyes as Jeremy started the music.

As the music started playing, Cort started off smacking a cymbal. Freddie's eyebrow arched up as Cort continued to smack the right drumstick on the drum every other second while hitting the cymbal over and over again. Occasionally Cort would smack one of the other cymbals with his usual drumming stick. Freddie held his hand out, baffled and curious. This was obviously _not_ the right song. "Now what's he playing?" Jonah nearly smashed his hand on the booth as Sam's head fell backwards in the air. Carly sighed and looked up to Jeremy.

"What does it sound like to you?" Jeremy sighed and quelled the music for a moment. To Freddie and Jonah, it sounded like the drum beat to _I__Shot__the__Sheriff_. Much to their chagrin and not surprisingly, that was the very song Jeremy decided to play. Freddie snapped his fingers in front of his chest as he looked down to where Carly was sitting. She met his eyes and shrugged. "Okay, so he's not quite getting the song. Maybe it is nerves?"

"Nerves? Well I can understand that…" He leaned forward and placed his hands on the booth, staring quietly at Cort. Could they even use him, really? If he was told to perform an actual song at a performance, would he know what he was performing? "After all the first guy who applied couldn't even play due to stage fright."

"Maybe try putting some sheet music in front of him to read off of?"

"There is…" They had a stand up for any drummers who didn't quite recognize the songs. They could play off it if they had to. Carly clicked her tongue as Freddie held his hand up. "Okay, okay! Enough, stop the music!" Jeremy cut the music and Cort, once more, continued on with his drumming. Sam smacked her forehead and Freddie slowly walked onto the stage. He'd had enough of this. If Cort wasn't playing the right tune, how could they depend on him where they would really need it? "Cort. Cort, man…" Still drumming.

He sighed and leaned forward, grabbing the sticks from Cort, who continued moving his arms in a drumming motion for a second afterwards. Once the drummer realized nothing was happening, he stopped and looked up at Freddie with a wry grin. "How was that?"

"You want honesty, or do you want me to sugarcoat it?" Cort winced and held up two fingers, smiling nervously.

"Maybe a little of both?"

"Okay, first off, you're not a bad drummer at all. However, you seem to have this problem with drumming the songs we _need_ you to drum. Why? Are you serious about this audition?"

"I am, I'm very serious, I swear."

"Okay, so what's the problem then?" Cort bit his lip and stared down at the drums while Freddie absently tapped one of the drumsticks on his left arm. He watched Cort think and hoped maybe he could figure out if this was truly just nerves. "If we have a gig and you need to perform something from Skillet or Savage Garden, how can we trust you not to play something from Sonny and Cher, for crying out loud?"

"Well, I don't know. I usually play what comes to my mind."

"We ask you to play Highway to Hell and you pull out _Oh__Susanna_?"

"I can do Highway to Hell, I can!"

"No you can't."

"Yes I can!"

"Then _show__me!_" Cort narrowed his eyes and glared ferociously in Freddie's eyes as he took the drumsticks back and started smacking the cymbal and drum. After a few beats, Freddie smirked and looked over to Jeremy, nodding as Cort rapidly began smacking both drums to his right as the song played from where he was. "Good! That's what I _want!_" He looked over to Jonah, who was flat out astonished. The girls were surprised as well, Cort actually knew the song well enough. "Now if you can just do that…Then maybe I'll be a miracle worker." He moved his eyes to the drumsticks and sighed, Cort was smacking the drums with the opposite ends of the sticks.

He waved his hand in the air dismissively and started to walk off. "Just as long as you don't start pulling the Bee Gees out of your ass midway through, I'm happy." Just as Freddie stepped off the stage, Cort's drumming changed to _Stayin__' __Alive_ by the Bee Gees. "The hell…" He turned around and stared at Cort with a blank expression. "Okay so we've figured _that_ problem out…Apparently he needs someone next to him to guide him or motivate him into a song. Great." He slowly turned around and walked back to the booth. He met Jonah's tired eyes and looked up to Jeremy, moving his hand across his throat. With the gesture, Jeremy flipped off the song and Cort stopped playing.

"I _told_ you I could play!" He put his hands behind his waist and turned to face Cort.

"Yeah, but you also get distracted easily and need a lot of help with-" Instantly Cort started playing around with something on his jeans. Freddie's eyes became bewildered as he turned his head to Jonah and Sam. "One of you guys want to try to talk to him? I'm pretty sure if I do, it's not going to end well." Jonah laughed, sarcasm dripping from his voice as he waved his hand through the air and turned away.

"Hell no man, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be as nice as you." Freddie narrowed his eyes and Sam started to curl the bottom of her hair with her finger, a sign that he was on his own. "Even you, huh?" As soon as his eyes moved over to Carly, she through her hands up and chuckled sheepishly. "Gee, thanks sis." As he turned around to speak, Jeremy spoke out before him.

"Hey Cort!" Cort looked up from the drums and wildly around the room, as if trying to find an invisible voice. "Up here. Cort, up here!" Cort eyed the ceiling and gasped.

"God? Is that you? Or is it my conscience?" Freddie groaned out and the others sighed. Jeremy cleared his throat and crossed his arms.

"Uh, yeah, I'll go with conscience. Cort, you have a different destiny than this." Jeremy spoke in a slightly mystical voice. Freddie found it amusing and the girls perked their heads up. Jonah raised his eyebrows as Cort slowly stood up.

"Then…then what would you have me do, God? I don't understand, what is my purpose?"

"First of all, I said I'm your conscience. God is a lot higher than I am, but I know God. God and I are good friends. He talks with me, he walks with me, we're best of friends, and I have to say. He has something much better in mind for you. I say it's time to put down the drumsticks and find your true calling!"

"Y-Yes, yes, I will! I will do as you say conscience-god-person!" Cort ran off the stage and quickly shook Freddie's hand. "Thank you for having me, but I have to take away my audition request. Something just came up!" Freddie was taken aback and had to keep himself from laughing. He watched with bemusement as Cort ran off to the doors and stopped to look back and throw his hand in the air. "I'm coming god-conscience-person! I'm coming!"

"Keep going! Keep going and don't stop." As soon as Cort left, the whole auditorium erupted with laughter. It was nice to end it off with a light bang. No one wanted to tell Cort he'd been rejected. Freddie glanced up at Jeremy and he simply smiled back. "Someone had to send him out. Figured you guys didn't want him, so I just went ahead and did you a favor there."

"All right, all right…" It was late and everyone was exhausted, so Freddie figured it would be best to pick up where they left off tomorrow. "Everyone go home for the night, auditions will be at the same time tomorrow night. Hopefully we'll see some of you guys then." It didn't take long for everyone to disperse, leaving Jonah and Freddie to compare notes.

Carly grabbed her backpack and looked at the three, Freddie could see a bit of longing in her eyes, as though she wanted to see someone. "Hey guys, I'm going to head off, all right?"

"All right, have fun." They watched her run off. Freddie slowly shook his head and grabbed some of the papers off the desk. "She probably went to see her motorcycle boyfriend."

"You don't know anything about him?" Sam walked around Freddie as he slowly shook his head. He felt her hands on his shoulders and raised his eyebrows up. "You're tense, let me massage your back."

"Okay, thanks." He curled his neck back as she started rubbing his shoulders, her smooth hands glided across his broad shoulders and pressed down in the tender locations. He sighed gently and closed his eyes as his mind continued to rest upon the drummers they saw tonight. "I'm guessing we didn't see anyone that really stood out?"

Jonah clicked his tongue and went over the applicants. "There were some that stood out. Though others stood out like a sore thumb, but not in a good way. I'm surprised Jeremy knows anything about drums actually."

"Yeah…" Jeremy already took off, so they couldn't ask about his knowledge there. He was constantly busy, so they couldn't really ask him to be their drummer. "Ah well, tomorrow's another day. We'll find someone by the end of the week, no matter what."

"Well, we kind of have to."

"Yep." He felt Sam slide her hands under his arms and around his chest, bringing them to rest as she rested her chin on his shoulder. With a smile, he looked back at her and gently kissed the corner of her lip. "Hey there."

"Hey there…I love you."

"I love you. How do you think tomorrow will go? Any luck?"

"Hopefully better than tonight was. We'll see." She closed her eyes and rested the side of her head on his shoulder, possibly falling asleep. He wouldn't mind if she did, not at all. Jonah smiled at his friends and chuckled as he started walking towards the door.

"I'll see you guys later, I have to get back to my son and make sure my parents and Olivia haven't spoiled him too much." Freddie and Sam nodded and waved him off, they were happy with a little time to themselves before leaving. It never hurt anything.

* * *

Whoo, Cort wasn't too good there, though I'm not sure who I felt worse for. The band, or Cort. Seems pretty damn painful that the main person they want at auditions most of all just isn't there!


	152. Auditions: Break, and Rough News

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 151 (Auditions: A Break and Rough News)

That night, Freddie decided to find out a little more about Griffin and just who this guy was. As Carly's older brother, he needed to ensure the person she was dating wasn't crazy. He didn't usually trust bikers, especially not ones who looked like Griffin. The guy had muscles, he was constantly cleaning his motorcycle, usually wore black and often had muscle shirts. Oddly he didn't get a bad vibe from him, he was just concerned. Maybe a bit overly concerned, but concerned nonetheless.

Griffin was actually around the back of the school like always with his motorcycle. When he got there, he saw Carly sitting cross-legged on the rear of the bike while Griffin worked on the front tire. "So what's the big surprise you have for me, Griffin?" Griffin looked up and smiled at her, but shook his head. She pouted her lower lip and crossed her arms. "Fine be that way, don't tell me. I'll find out though, you know I will." He shrugged and continued to spin the jack. Carly leaned forward against the seat of the bike and stretched her arms out along it. "Come on, _please_ tell me?"

"Nope, you'll have to wait." Freddie chuckled briefly and leaned back against the wall. He tilted his head to the side and folded his arms over. Part of him felt guilty for spying, but he knew his reasons. "So we'll be coming up on our year anniversary pretty soon here. You want to go out to where we met?" Griffin rose up and moved over to her, smiling as she flipped onto her back and held on to the seat above her head. She giggled and swayed her body to the left.

"Maybe..." She bit her tongue and bounced her hips upwards. Freddie's jaw fell momentarily and his eyebrows rose, he _knew_ that move! Sam did it all the time, it was a tempting move that she used to try and seduce him. It was definitely something her Uncle and Aunt would frown upon, she didn't do it so much anymore though. "So Griffin, how was your day today?" He smirked at her and put his hand on her forehead, slowly sliding it through her hair as he bent down and kissed her lips.

"I had a _great_ day, and you're not tempting me." Carly smirked back and watched as Griffin moved back to the tire.

"Well I know you're into girls, so that's not the reason you're not falling for it. Is there another girl I should be worried about?"

"Not at all." He grabbed his wrench from the ground and started tightening the hubcaps. Freddie was impressed that Griffin didn't give into the temptation, now the question was why. "I know your family wouldn't appreciate it very much and I don't think you want to do that kind of thing, knowing the risks." Carly sighed and slowly sat up, nodding her head.

"True, Sam hasn't had sex yet, so I'm sure she'd frown upon me if I did." Freddie's throat caught him and he slowly rubbed it while making the mental note to not tell Carly that he and Sam actually _had_ done it. "I don't want to seem like a prude, but you're right…I'm just not ready for that. Most guys don't even care, they just go for it."

"Yeah. I'm amazed you'd even try that." Freddie raised his eyebrow as Carly shrugged her shoulders and brought her feet to the seat and her knees to her chest while wrapping her arms around her legs. "I always thought you hated sex."

"I don't hate it, I just value it. I'd rather it be with the right person you know. Not some jerk who would hit and run two girls in separate states…" He froze at that and slowly looked over to see Griffin get up and hug Carly. Her words stabbed him like a knife in the gut. Had Carly had sex before? He moved his eyes to the ground as a cold chill ran down his spine and his heart came screeching to a halt. When had she dated anyone? He never knew about it, nor did Sam, otherwise she would have said something.

"Where do you think he is now anyway? I mean, it's been what, a couple years now?"

"Around the time Jake died. Everyone was so focused on that whole thing. We dated like a week…" Freddie felt his heart sink as he looked out to her. Her face was hard and eyes were misting up with tears, she didn't seem like she'd ever really talked about it. "We were sitting together and he started kissing me." Griffin's eyes grew a bit and he sat next to her, holding her hand in his and holding his arm around her shoulders. "One thing led to another, it felt so good…I wasn't thinking about anything at all. We were at his place and he led me to his bedroom. We kissed, I started undressing him and…goes on from there."

"Carly…it's okay." He held her close as she sobbed once. "You don't have to talk about it now." Freddie looked up, his stomach was churning inside of him and blood was starting to boil in his veins.

"No, I have to. You deserve to know, I mean…you're my boyfriend now. I know you wouldn't ever ask me to have sex like that…I mean." She wiped her eye with her wrist and clenched her hand up. "What really was fucked up about it, what really hurt, was how it ended. We fell asleep on the bed, this was just before he was supposed to visit his father down in LA…so I wake up the next morning and he's _gone!_ All he left was a note that said he was late for his fucking plane. 'It was a good fuck, wish I could have said bye, but I'm late for the plane'! What kind of _asshole_ does that to his girlfriend?"

"Carly…"

"No, no, what's really fucked up is he left something on his dresser…A sheet of paper talking about a girlfriend he had in L.A. Tori Vega or some shit like that. I tried to call him, tried to talk to him, but he never responded. I find out a few days later, he's _moving_ to LA, not coming back!" Carly's face was flushed with hurt and betrayal, and Griffin was doing all that he could to console her.

Freddie turned to the side and placed his hand over his swirling stomach, swallowing down the bile that was making an attempt to rise up his throat. How _dare_ someone do that to his sister! He knew he shouldn't have heard that just now, but maybe he should have. Maybe there was a reason he needed to. Carly had been hurt and nobody was able to be there for her. The guilt was intense and the shame was great.

"The thing about it…I have something else to say, but…"

"What is it?" Carly paused and bit her lip with uncertainty. Freddie glanced back as Griffin gazed seriously into her eyes. "I'm right here Carly. Nothing you can say will change my feelings for you, okay?"

"You sure you wouldn't hate me?" Freddie's eyebrows rose as he brought his hand to his chin. What was she about to say? Steven didn't get her pregnant, he hoped. If that was the case, then the bastard was really in trouble. Though how would that be possible? Nobody could have missed a _pregnancy!_

"I promise you Carly. I love you, no matter what. You know this. You mean more to me than that collection of mine." She chuckled vainly and slowly shook her head, the fear was very clear on her face, but her eyes were filled with bravery. She _had_ to let it out, she had to tell somebody.

"Promise me you won't hurt me, Griffin. Promise me you won't leave me…"

Griffin stood from the bike and slowly pulled her off of it, embracing her closely. She gingerly placed her fingers on his shoulders and looked into his eyes, searching them. "Carly, I promise with all my heart, I will never leave you. We can be honest with each other as long as we can deal with the consequences."

She gazed at him for a minute, her tears streaming down her cheeks. Taking a brave, deep breath, she held it for a moment and released in order to speak. "You know how Spencer's a guy right? I didn't share intimate stuff with Sasha, so I never told her, but…I missed my period after that night." Griffin's eyes grew and Freddie's heart stopped completely. Everything around him quieted and the world became very, very still. "I had been pregnant due to Steven. I found out a couple months later when I began experiencing some stuff I've never dealt with…when I took the test, it came back positive, but…I miscarried, Griffin. I had a _miscarriage!_"

Freddie's muscles tensed up as he felt the fiery fluid running through his body. He turned his eyes to see Griffin holding Carly close as she cried, he was telling her how much he loved her and that he would never leave her. Freddie swallowed hard and slowly closed his fists. How could that have been missed? Carly kept it so well secret that nobody even noticed? She must have been a strong woman to do that.

_"__He__'__s__a__dead__man,__"_ Freddie thought as he slowly began walking away. He was fighting the bile, which was stronger now. He growled and carefully made his way to his car. What was he supposed to do? Who was he supposed to talk to? He knew he couldn't just tell his mother or Robert, they'd probably go just as ballistic and it wouldn't show much if he just came out with something she'd been keeping to herself all this time. She would have to come out with it on her own, but that definitely didn't mean Freddie couldn't have his fun. If that man could be found, then he would find him, and he would teach him a good hard lesson in decency and courtesy. Cheating on her and leaving her behind was bad enough, never answering her calls was irritating enough, but leaving her pregnant? He was an asshole deserving of far more than anyone letting him get away with his crimes.

As he made it into his car and started driving off, he thought of his band. First things first, he did have to deal with that, and then the upcoming holidays, but there was no way he was forgetting that Steven guy. A special place would be reserved for him in Freddie's mind.

* * *

Shattering news, Carly was left pregnant by her boyfriend and cheated on, then had a miscarriage. It's enough to make someone spiral into anger and hatred, especially a brother. Hey wait, doesn't that sound familiar? Hmmm.


	153. Auditions: D2 Trust and Truces, Griffin

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: I post this early for ONE reason, and that reason is this: This chapter was originally part of the last chapter, however it ran long, so I thought I'd break it for you and give it to you the next day.

* * *

Chapter 152 (Auditions: D2, Trusts and Truces, Griffin)

"He did _what?__"_ Sam's shout echoed through the house as she jumped from the couch. Jonah winced and started rocking Aaron a bit more in his lap, the poor baby had been sleeping just a moment ago. Freddie had called them both over to the house to talk to them, he was going over the top in his anger and needed someone to help calm him down. "She never even told me she had been dating back then…I can't believe she dated an asshole like that!"

"As far as I heard, they dated for a week or so. He basically got what he wanted." It wasn't so farfetched an idea to believe that this Steven guy had been lying about any kind of relative being in Seattle. "Now I'm telling you two in confidence because Carly doesn't even know that _I_ know." Jonah and Sam slowly nodded and narrowed their eyes angrily as they bowed their heads, they wanted to beat the shit out of this guy. "It's been a year, she may have coped since then, she may not have, I don't know. What I do know is she hasn't told anyone other than Griffin, so we'll just have to respect that."

"You know something I found that really works?" He lifted his eyes to Sam, who slowly took her seat on the sofa. "Putting butter in a sock and smacking someone with it. _Cold_ butter, I call it a butter sock." He moved his head back in surprise, he'd never heard of this before. She smiled innocently and shrugged her shoulders. "I thought of it a while back for if I ever ran into Tyrone and needed to get out. People don't expect butter, so when it hits someone, it would surprise them, stun them, catch them off guard…leaving ample time to run." Jonah turned his head to stare at her for a minute and Freddie lifted his eyebrows up, chuckling to himself. The butter sock did seem pretty entertaining, to say the least. "It is also not so painful and can be a less violent way of dealing with people. My secondary is always the mace I carry in my purse."

"I can see it working. As for that ex boyfriend of Carly's, I was thinking something _worse_ than butter or mace. Though we'd need a reason to hunt down that guy…" What was more a reason than knocking up someone's sister and running away? It was enough to turn a man's blood cold, enough to darken their world and teach them the value and meaning of _hate_.

"Well we have to focus on the band right now," Jonah interjected. He was right, priorities were priorities for a reason. They couldn't just ignore the auditions, they couldn't ignore the gig. "Well, I'm guessing since Griffin's dating your sister and he's on the list of drummers-"

"I don't want Griffin as our drummer, and Carly doesn't even know we know, so she wouldn't expect us to make him the drummer." He leaned forward and tapped his fingertips together in front of himself. "I only wanted Griffin so I could ask him some questions, to find out more about him. Now that I know a bit about him, I have some things I want to say to him…" The only question was how and when. He closed his eyes and scowled as he thought about Steven, a deep part of him made him want to kill that bastard. "Ever learn from history?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Cause for some reason I feel like this happened before…" Sam and Jonah raised their eyebrows as Freddie opened his eyes and stared directly ahead of him. "This burning hatred for the guy that got my sister pregnant…granted she had that miscarriage…"

"I don't know, I'm sure it's happened at some time in history many times." Freddie shrugged and heard an engine drive by the house. The other two glanced over at the door and waited, they knew it was Carly being dropped off by Griffin.

"She's about three hours late to being home…" It was seven when the auditions ended, it was now ten thirty, nearly eleven. Sam smirked at him and as he felt a protective feeling coming over him. His eyes darted over to her and he let out a gruff grunting sound. "What is it?"

"You. I think it's cute. You're becoming a protective brother." The thought didn't faze him much, but he still never imagined himself a protective brother. In some ways he was a protective older brother. "I think I like this side of you." He smiled briefly and turned his head to the door, pressing his cheek to his hand. He was curious to see what excuse Carly would have for being home so late. When the door opened, Carly stopped and stared into the living room, her face was frozen in shock, she hadn't anticipated Sam and Jonah being there.

"Hey Carly, where have you been so late? Sam, Jonah and I were just discussing the band." Carly slowly nodded and closed the door behind her. Sam could see some redness to her face and frowned. She stood up and walked over to Carly, giving her a quick, semi abrupt hug. "We were getting a bit worried."

"Oh, I see." Carly hugged Sam back and took a step back, smiling warily. "I got a bit caught up with some stuff. I went to see T-Bo at the smoothie shop, then decided to walk around. I guess I forgot to call home…where's mom and dad?" Freddie pointed his index finger to the hallway and breathed some air out of his nose.

"Bedroom, they're still up, just talking. They were worried too." Carly nodded and slowly walked down the hallway to the bedroom. The three watched in silence, anxiety growing within them. Freddie moved his hands to his knees and sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Okay, who all is going to be at the auditions tomorrow? Jonah, I know you said you were staying home to take care of Aaron, right?"

"Right."

"Sam?"

"I'll be there." Freddie tapped his knees with his fingers and slowly stood up, he needed that audition to keep his mind busy. "Will you be all right till then? Cause I need to get home…"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." He smiled and hugged Sam, kissing her lightly on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow, and do tell your Uncle nothing happened." His voice fell flat as Sam laughed, every time she was out late, Uncle Morris would ask her if anything happened between her and Freddie. Most of the time, he would be joking, so really there was nothing to worry about.

"Okay I'll tell him." She moved her hand to his and gazed into his eyes. He smiled at her and gave her hand a light squeeze. "Goodnight Freddie."

"Goodnight. I love you."

"I love you too." She pecked his lips and hurried out the door. He felt his legs go weak and sighed as he struggled to stay afoot. Jonah snickered mildly as Carly walked back into the living room. The two men looked over and saw her frowning a bit.

"Sam left already?"

"Yeah, she just left. I can run out and get her if you need her for anything."

"Oh…I was hoping to talk to her, but don't worry about it." She smiled lightly and started to turn around. Jonah met Freddie's eyes and he quickly cleared his throat, causing her to stop and look back at him. "Yeah Freddie?"

"Go on and talk to her, Carly." His voice was soft and caring, he wanted her to know that he valued her as a sister. He turned his eyes to the window and smiled. "Lights aren't on yet, so she hasn't left completely."

"I wouldn't want to bother her…"

"Trust me, you wouldn't be bothering her."

"Are you sure?" He nodded his head as she eyed him skeptically, but right now too much was on her mind to make her even think about why Freddie would know this about Sam. Instead, she hurried outside to find Sam sitting in the car. After a few minutes, Freddie received a text from Carly.

_Gone __driving__ with __Sam. __Tell __Mom__ and __Dad, __I__'__m __going __to __sleep__ over __with __her __if__ it__'__s __okay__ with __them._

The next evening, it was just Sam and Freddie at the auditions. Carly hadn't felt like showing up today, so she stayed home. This was also the first time Sam and Freddie had been able to see each other, both had been extremely busy with various things. "So what did you two talk about last night?"

"She confided in me what you told us…" Freddie's eyebrows rose and a sense of pride was birthed in his heart. "She said it felt good to have a friend to talk to. She didn't tell me about Griffin and I didn't ask. We talked about other things, but I didn't tell her about you…"

"I see. So she told you about Steven and the miscarriage?"

"Yeah, she said she'd coped with the miscarriage, even though she still thought about it from time to time. It still hurt her that Steven did that to her and she also said if she ever had the chance to confront him in L.A., she would." Freddie laughed slightly as Sam started to grin. "I told her that we should."

"Why?"

"Think about it. If Steven did that to Carly, then there's a chance he'd do it to that Tori girl, and any other girl he ran into." This rang true. Unless they actually had a change of heart, it was difficult to change a cheater. "But Freddie…she told me something else…"

"What?"

"That role play thing, of course she's aware that the whole thing with Jonah and with Valerie, those were fake…she said that the reason she'd been so abrupt with Jonah back then was because of what happened to her, it was a blow to her when she found out Jonah was actually not like that, but at the same time, she admired him for it. I think she really wants to be his friend now."

"Yeah, but that might take a while. I don't know…anyway, let's get these auditions out of the way."

"Right." Freddie stood up and silenced the talking audience, they'd spent the last fifteen minutes filing in and taking their seats.

"Okay! Today Jonah's taking care of his kid and Carly's not feeling too well. So it's just myself and Sam, although our tech up there will help with the judging process." Jeremy waved for a second before blowing his nose on a napkin. Freddie was thankful they never needed him on actual performances, he wouldn't be able to stand relying on a radio to crank out his tunes.

After several people went up to drum, he decided it was finally time to call up Griffin. When he did, the shocked boy stood from his seats and walked over to the drums. Sam put her hand over Freddie's and he gave her a brief smile. "Wish me luck." She nodded and watched as he stood up and walked to the stage. Griffin turned around and lifted up his eyebrows. "Hey Griffin."

"Freddie, I was kind of hoping to do this when-"

"Come with me for a minute." Griffin frowned and quickly followed him backstage. After a minute of nervousness under Freddie's gaze, the band leader finally spoke up. "Okay, look. The reason I wanted you here was so I could find out a little more about you."

"Huh?"

"I know you're dating my sister." Griffin started to pale and Freddie put his hand upon his shoulder. "Found out when you showed up on thanksgiving. Not quite as discreet as you and Carly were likely hoping for, but that's fine. I respect that. You don't need to let her know that I know, okay?"

"Okay…"

"Can I trust you? I mean, you are dating my sister. Hopefully you would be trustworthy. At least by my standards, I need to know you would never do anything to hurt her."

"Yes! And no, I would never hurt her."

"Good, because if you did…I would find you. You don't want to know what I would do if you were to ever hurt her." Griffin slowly nodded his head and closed his eyes.

"I guess you're not interested in me drumming then, huh?"

"Honestly? I have someone else in mind. I think that it would be a bit much to have you as the drummer, and a bit odd right now…considering Carly's in a _secret_ relationship with you. Trust me, having you so close to her brother would be an issue for her." Griffin furrowed his brow as Freddie pat him on the back. He wanted to tell Griffin that he understood the whole thing about secrecy, that he and Sam were in one themselves, but he wasn't sure if he should. At most, Carly probably told Griffin that he _was_ in a relationship. "However, do drum, I still would like to see how well you can play." Freddie smiled as Griffin nodded politely.

"I'll do that."

"Great." Griffin folded his arms over his chest as Freddie started to walk away.

"Hey, what about you?" He stopped and glanced back momentarily, what was Griffin about to say? Griffin walked up to Freddie and met his eyes. "I haven't told Carly this because I figure there's a reason she doesn't know, just like there's a reason you don't know about me…"

"Oh?"

"I know you and Sam are together." The words hit him hard as he stared back in surprise. _How_ had Griffin found out? Weren't they careful? He lifted his finger up and shook away the baffled expression.

"You think-"

"I _know_. I found out a few months ago actually." Stunned, he turned around and crossed his arms, eager to hear more. Griffin sighed and kept their eyes locked together. "It was around the time of your reunion that I found out. I followed because I was curious about something Carly said regarding you and Sam together. I was there when you all talked about her being related, and…" Griffin's hands closed up as Freddie felt a drop of sweat go down his neck. If Griffin had been there, then he obviously heard about Lionel. "That serial killer, going after all the Shays…do you think he'll hurt Carly?"

"No. We're not going to let anything happen to her. Tyrone either, even if he _is_ a bastard."

"Yeah, but he's just misguided…you know it isn't his fault, he's just stubborn and got his head shoved up his ass because of some fight he and Arian had all those years ago." Freddie pressed his lips together and slowly nodded, he knew a little about all that, but not much. "I understand he can't be trusted, though. I know Carly is also a bit overly temperamental and yeah, she might be upset about you and Sam not telling her you were together. I can understand the worry that she might get pissed and tell her granddad, he _is_ just about the only person she's ever had that deep connection to, but only because he _made_ it that way…"

"So he is manipulative."

"Yeah…but should you and Sam ever come out with _your_ secret, I'll try to keep her calm. Okay?" Freddie thought on this for a minute, weighing the calm feeling he had from hearing those words. It was truly a relief to know Carly would have someone on her side. He smiled slightly and lowered his arms.

"You're a good man, Griffin. I trust you. Make sure she stays happy, don't do anything to hurt her. We may go a long way. Though eventually you two are going to have to come out as well…especially since Mom and Robert are going to want to find a mate for her…"

"Oh yeah…I guess that would be something…"

"Yeah. Well, get out there and play some drums. I'll send you off and call up the next drummer."

"Got it."

"Oh, and everything we just said…it's just between me and you."

"Right."

Within minutes Freddie was back at the booth and Griffin was on the drums. He was doing all right, but not the _best_. He was missing a lot of notes on _In__ the __Air __Tonight_. Though, he was the first person so far to even make it to that point. Once done, Freddie stood up and clapped a couple times. "Great job Griffin."

"Thanks Freddie."

"I've got my notes and I'll let you know what the final decision is."

"Sounds good to me." Griffin stood and waved at him, smiling as he started walking off the stage. Freddie watched him walk out the door and slowly turned his eyes to the next person on the drummer's list. "Gary Wolf…you're up next…"

* * *

Okay, so Griffin has known about Sam and Freddie all this time, amazing! Now Griffin and Freddie know of each other and are friendly, so it's good news, especially for Griffin. If he keeps up the good work, he could be considered for Carly's potential groom. Of course, that means Carly has to come out and open about their relationship. If not, Robert and Marissa won't know to consider Griffin.


	154. Auditions: D3, Popular No More, Gary

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 153 (Auditions: D3, Popular No More, Gary)

The once popular blonde haired Gary Wolf stood from his seat and started walking towards the stage, it had been a while since anyone really heard from him as he was supposed to have graduated already. Then again, he spent so much time being popular that he never took the time to study or concern himself with the actual important things. So here he was, wanting to be let in by a popular band that was trying to rise up from the ashes. Freddie was skeptical of Gary's desire to actually _join_. Sam and Jonah were skeptical as well of his devotion to the band. Was it the band or popularity he wanted? His popularity dwindled when he retook a grade, nobody cared for someone who couldn't at least be smart while being popular.

As he strolled up next to the drums, he stared off and smiled. "Hi, I'm Gary Wolf." He grinned a toothy grin at the audience, nobody budged. Freddie looked behind him, then back, shrugging his shoulders. "What? Nothing? What about you Sam?" He clicked his tongue, wagged his eyebrows, and slicked his hair back in an attempt to look sexy. Sam raised her eyebrow and pointed at herself while Freddie growled. He put his hand on the booth and cleared his throat, grabbing the former Mr. Cool's attention. "Gary, you were popular a long time ago. Now you're a two bit hack trying to pick up girls and popularity points. Did you just hit on Sam?"

"Got a problem with that?" Sam spoke under her breath, warning Freddie not to get upset with Gary. Freddie smiled slightly and shook his head. "Oh, okay. So yeah, I kind of had a fall."

"Why?"

"Failed all my classes senior year and so I ended up retaking my classes." He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a progress report. "I'm not doing too badly right now, see! I have enough of a good score to participate in a group activity like this. I can be cool." Freddie arched his eyebrow as Gary smiled at him. "I remember when you guys were big, everyone loved you guys! I want to be a part of that." Freddie lifted his hand and rubbed his temples, uncertain what to say.

"That's the thing, you see…we're not making this band to look good, we're not trying to pick up girls. Hell, Jonah's already got himself a girl! Even I'm set." He placed his hand to his chest and Gary's face dropped. "This isn't a popularity contest either. We're honoring our friend's memory by not letting this band die with his death, but carrying it on. We need someone we can get along with, someone who understands what we're about, and someone who can have fun. Although, good GPA would be a requirement…just saying." Gary's lips dropped and he looked about ready to cry.

"I'm a good drummer, I can show you! I'd even start with the hardest song! Watch!" Freddie moved his eyes over to Sam and sighed, he managed to subdue the irritation when the guy decided to hit on his fiancé, but now he was just annoyed that Gary was going to honestly try _Wax__ Simulacra_ without first trying the others.

"Who does this guy think he is, the best in the business?" Sam shrugged her shoulders as Gary took his seat and grabbed the drumsticks. He raised one of the sticks in the air and shouted out.

"Start the music!" Freddie rolled his eyes as the song started to play. He wasn't actually done talking to Gary, he had a few more questions for him, but if the guy was seriously going to attempt the song, that was fine. He grit his teeth together and stared at Sam.

"Can you believe this guy? I wasn't done talking."

"Yeah, he seems a bit desperate." Respect must have fled Gary's mind and personality when he had to retake the senior year. He shrugged and watched her as she chewed on a piece of gum. It was strange, since she didn't chew gum that often. He smiled lightly and turned his head back to Gary as Sam popped a bubble. "He's missing a lot of notes."

"Yeah I notice. He really shouldn't have started off with that song." All in all, Gary wasn't that bad of a drummer, maybe they could get along with him if he was their drummer. However, he couldn't be lazy, that was out of the question. "Okay, I've seen enough. Stop the music." Jeremy was busy rocking out, so Freddie called out once more with a bit of agitation in his voice. "Jeremy! Stop the damn music!"

"Sorry!" The techie quickly stopped the music and Gary quit drumming. He seemed a bit confused, so he rested his hands at his legs and waited for Freddie to say something. Freddie stood from the booth and walked to the other side, promptly leaning against the decorated booth.

"Gary, you messed that song up quite a bit, but you have grabbed my attention." He heard Sam groan and chuckled in response. Clearly she didn't want him to consider Gary as a drummer, because that meant she'd have to be around the guy more often. She preferred Griffin over this guy! "However, I'm not convinced that you aren't in this solely for popularity. You need to know that you have to _work_ and pull your weight in this band, there are no free rides."

"I know."

"I'm not sure that you know, to be honest. I have to see that you want it, not see a desperate attempt to achieve popularity." Gary frowned and folded his arms over. He flipped his head back to get his hair out of his eyes and decided to give Freddie a serious look that seemed to fall short. In actuality, the look perturbed him and made him question once more, just how serious Gary was. "You either want this or you don't, it's really up to you. As far as whether you're going to be in the band or not, that's up to us…so you want to be sure you're going to be able to get along with us and vice versa. If not, then there's no room for you."

"No, I'm sorry, I can get along! I really want this, I do! I'm serious, there's nothing more I want than to be a part of this band." Freddie heard Sam gag and gently kicked the leg of the booth, causing her to jump in surprise and glare at him. He smirked back at her and whispered that he'd let her get him back for that one later on. "Please, _please_ give me a chance! I'd do _anything_ to be in this band."

"Really now? Would that include chopping your hair?" Gary gasped and his hands flew to his head. Freddie smirked and folded his arms over, wagging his eyebrows up and down. After a moment, Gary exhaled and lowered his arms.

"Yes, I would cut my hair. I'm not so concerned with popularity, I just want to be a part of this band."

"Why? Why do you want to be a part of _Seattle__ Beasts_?"

"Because…well…" Freddie waited to gauge his reaction, to see if he said anything that might give away potential vanity. If one thing was for sure, there was no way in hell that Gary would cut his hair off, _everyone_ knew that. He just needed to back Gary into a corner and find a good way to bring out the vain side of him, assuming that was the real reason he was there. He didn't know for a fact, Gary could truly be there just because he wanted to be. "I thought it'd be a great way to spend my time and to hang out."

"Hang out? Being in a band is hard work. Think you could do that?"

"Hard work, you say?" Gary swallowed hard and Freddie's devious stare increased. "Yeah, I could do it." A curious thought, considering this guy never actually worked a day in his life. He was pampered constantly, perhaps weighted on hands and feet. "I can do everything!"

"How long have you actually worked with a musical instrument of any kind?"

"Um…a semester?" Gary shrugged his shoulders and Freddie gently tapped a finger on his chin.

"Only a semester? Never had much time outside all that popularity and coolness?"

"Yeah pretty much." His eyebrow arched and Gary flinched, quickly recanting what he just said. "I didn't mean that! I mean, I was always busy with other things in life, like my girlfriend. That was then, though." Freddie was thinking of giving Gary a chance to play for him, because at least he had _some_ history with an instrument. Fairness was always the greatest thing anyone could give.

"Girlfriend? You had a girlfriend?"

"Yeah, she was hot!" Sam rolled her eyes and Freddie glanced to the side, he really wasn't sure he wanted to hear _this_. "I mean she had this stunning hourglass figure and was an amazing kisser." He sighed and returned to the seated side of the booth, grabbing the papers and shuffling through them.

"Uh huh, that's great…"

"We uh…we actually did it once, but she wasn't really all that great and-" Sam groaned miserably and Freddie's muscles tensed as his eyes flew over to Gary. Thoughts of Carly and Steven rushed into his mind and he slammed the papers hard on the desk. Gary froze and his eyes widened as his hands flew to his mouth in realization of his mistake. "Sorry I said too much! That wasn't-"

"Get out!"

"But…"

"Get _out!_" Freddie pointed to the doors and Gary whimpered off the stage like a scolded puppy. "If you know what's good for you, you'll get out before I lose it." Gary stopped at the doors and looked back, his shoulders slumped.

"I guess that means I won't get the position?" This time it was Sam who replied, wanting Freddie to keep his calm.

"Gary, please leave. It's not your fault, just go. We'll be in contact if we think you fit what we're looking for in a drummer."

"O-Okay…I'm sorry…" She smiled slightly and gave him a brisk nod.

"Just go." Gary nodded and quickly left as Sam stood up and turned to the rest of the audience. Everyone was curious to see what was going on, but they weren't about to get any answers. That was the last audition of the night anyhow. "Okay the auditions are over for tonight anyway, so go home and get some rest! We hope to see you guys at tomorrow's audition! Have a good night!" One by one everyone started leaving, including Jeremy. When everyone was gone, Sam moved behind Freddie and put her hands on his arms, then rested her head on his back. His muscles relaxed as he leaned forward against the booth and sighed.

"I'm sorry Sam, I shouldn't have exploded like that."

"It's okay Freddie." He smiled slightly as she moved her hands down his arms and wrapped them around his waist with care. She kissed the back of his neck once and closed her eyes. "Just relax. I know you're angry, so am I."

"I didn't have to take it out on Gary."

"True, but you couldn't help it. I probably would have done the same thing if Carly were my sister. I think any of us would have. He just said that a bit too soon for what we just found out."

"Yeah…" He lifted his head up as she moved her chin to his shoulder and smiled. He could feel her smile and the warmth of her arms around him, they soothed his fiery soul and relaxed his shot nerves. What would he do without her? Probably not much. "Tomorrow's a new day, let's focus on that. You want me to try to talk to Gibby about the auditions?"

"No. He declined them already. I asked him earlier today when I saw him in the halls and he didn't say anything about it."

"Damn…" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "You know, there's a couch backstage if you want to cuddle up a bit." There was a tempting thought, and nobody would disturb them any.

"Well as long as we don't fall asleep. I don't want to think about what your uncle would do to me if we fell asleep and you didn't get home." Sam giggled lightly and took his hand, then started walking in front of him, leading him backstage. He smiled brightly as they walked to the small black couch propped against the wall, shielded by several stage props.

"Here, let's just sit here and talk, or just cuddle up." He nodded and sat with her. She smiled and kissed his cheek, then set her head upon his right shoulder. Her fingers were tangled with his and his arm was around her. "Yeah, this is nice…" She slowly closed her eyes and Freddie kissed her temple. They could stay like this forever if it was possible, he didn't mind. He slowly exhaled and closed his eyes, drifting off in the comfort of the couch and Sam's warmth.

* * *

Well, Gary was annoying as hell. Hmm, what do we have here? Sam and Freddie falling asleep on the couch? Ooh, hope they don't oversleep, or they're in for it when Uncle Morris comes looking for Sam XD. Don't fall asleep, Freddie!


	155. Auditions: D4, Wake up Little Susie

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This chapter includes the song 'Wake up Little Susie' by the Everly Brothers. Do I own it? Nope, not at all.

* * *

Chapter 154 (Auditions: D4, Wake up Little Susie)

_Wake up, little Susie, wake up  
Wake up, little Susie, wake up  
We've both been sound asleep, wake up, little Susie, and weep  
The movie's over, it's four o'clock, and we're in trouble deep  
Wake up little Susie_

A dull, throbbing sensation came from the center of his arm as he slowly opened his eyes, why was he hurting? He moaned lightly, his vision blurred and he felt an empty feeling on his right side where Sam should have been sleeping at. He heard her soft sleeping breaths, so maybe she was asleep on the arm of the couch. "Sam?" His voice came out slurred and exhausted. He rubbed his eyes and looked over to see Sam sound asleep on the edge of the couch.

Sleeping? His eyes widened with realization, they had been _asleep?_ For how long? What time was it? Someone cleared their throats. When he turned his head, he saw it was Jonah with his arms crossed, he did _not_ look happy. Jonah was wearing a white t-shirt and some black flannel pants. "Well, glad to see you're finally awake. Do you _know_ how long I've been trying to wake your ass up?"

"Sorry, I didn't even know…what time is it?" Jonah handed him a cell phone and his eyes grew large, it was four in the morning! "Shit! We've been asleep _that_ long?" What the hell would Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie say to this? What would Marissa and Robert say? Dear god, they were in for a world of hurt.

_Wake up little Susie, well  
Whatta we gonna tell your mama  
Whatta we gonna tell your pa  
Whatta we gonna tell our friends when they say "ooh-la-la"  
Wake up little Susie  
Wake up little Susie, well_

"Yeah, you seemed pretty damn comfortable. I got called up because you guys never came back home and nobody knew where either of you were at! To top it off, the damn Everly Brothers was playing on the radio all the way over here. Now I can't get their song out of my head. I was also not happy about waking up my mother to come watch Aaron while I got your ass up."

"I'm sorry, a million times sorry, who all is looking for us?" Currently he was imagining Morris running around the streets with a shotgun, so that wasn't a pretty thought. He heard Sam moan and looked over to see her stirring from her sleep. "Hey Sam, wake up."

"Freddie? W-What happened?"

"We fell asleep on the couch backstage. We're screwed." Sam's eyes shot open and she quickly sat up, it was clear her eyes were filled with terror and panic. He chuckled nervously and sighed. "Relax, we just…we have to think of something. Damn…I know Aunt Maggie and Uncle Morris were expecting you by ten or eleven, right?"

"Yeah…"

_I told your mama that you'd be in by ten  
Well Susie baby looks like we goofed again  
Wake up little Susie  
Wake up little Susie, we gotta go home_

"Relax," Jonah said as he poked his ear with his finger and growled. "Carly's worried and is looking around for you with your mother. Morris is also out looking for you guys. They called me up because they wanted to know if I'd seen you. I start looking for you, then figure maybe you got stuck here after hours…It's not hard to say you got locked up inside the school."

"Really?"

"Sure. How was the auditions anyway?" Sam chuckled nervously and rubbed her arms, feeling rather cold all of a sudden. Freddie wavered his hand in midair and shrugged.

"Eh. It was just _eh_."

"Oh, okay then…"

_Wake up, little Susie, wake up  
Wake up, little Susie, wake up  
The movie wasn't so hot, it didn't have much of a plot  
We fell asleep, our goose is cooked, our reputation is shot  
Wake up little Susie  
Wake up little Susie, well_

Jonah took his cell phone and started dialing numbers. "I'm going to tell them to get home, that I found you guys. For your secret's sake, dealing with Carly, we'll just say you got locked up after hours because of an argument or something."

"Oh that's great…"

"Eh whatever, I'll think of something. Unless you want to think of something to say to them?" Freddie turned his head to Sam and scratched his neck. In all honesty, his mind was drawing a blank. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he still felt sluggish after all these hours.

Then again, when it came to explanations, why wouldn't they be able to use their phones? Jonah might be able to tell Morris and Maggie the truth, but Freddie knew the cost of that one.

_Whatta we gonna tell your mama  
Whatta we gonna tell your pa  
Whatta we gonna tell our friends when they say "ooh-la-la"  
Wake up little Susie  
Wake up little Susie  
Wake up little Susie_

The cell phone rang and Marissa picked up, Jonah took a deep breath and smiled slightly. "Hey Mrs. Benson."

"Did you find them?"

"Yeah-"

"They are in a world of trouble!" Freddie and Sam winced and Jonah's eyebrows rose up. There wasn't much he could say to deny that, nor did he want to. He was actually finding this mildly amusing, much to their chagrin.

"Yeah, they know. Is Carly around?"

"She's in the passenger seat."

"Can she hear me?"

"No."

"Okay. Well first off, you might want to tell Carly that they had an argument, stormed off and got locked up in the school. Their cell phones are dead, so they couldn't call anyone." Marissa nodded and repeated that to Carly, who simply sighed with relief that her friends were okay, she hated to think of them in danger. "Now the truth? They cuddled up on the couch after the auditions and fell asleep, purely accidental."

"Jesus…"

"Yeah I know, all that crap for that…" Freddie slowly glared at Jonah and narrowed his eyes, he just knew he wouldn't hear the end of this for a long while. "Oh, and would you believe the janitor actually sleeps outside the school in that barn? I had to get him to open the doors."

"Hopefully you thanked him for the trouble. I'm on my way over there…"

"All right, and yes I did. I'm going to call Mr. Puckett now." Sam slowly cringed and Freddie began mentally counting down the minutes to his doom. Please, please, dear god, let Uncle Morris be understanding about this. As Jonah hung up with Marissa, he smirked at Freddie. "I am going to tease the shit out of you guys now. I hope you know that."

"Yeah shut up…"

Within minutes, Sam and Freddie were outside the school with Jonah. Morris and Maggie were the first to show up, and when they did, Freddie decided to step behind Jonah. "Nope, you have to face the music sometime." Jonah stepped out of the way and Freddie's jaw dropped.

"Oh come on!" Sam smiled vaguely and watched as her aunt and uncle exited the car. Maggie ran up to her and hugged her tightly while Morris walked over to Freddie, eyeing him with mild anger. "Hello sir…"

"Is it true, you two just fell asleep?"

"Yes…"

"Okay…" Morris looked over as Sam took Freddie's hand and smiled at him.

"I love you Freddie."

"Love you too, Sam."

"Aunt Maggie just told me I can't show up for tomorrow night's audition." Freddie sighed and slowly nodded his head, he understood that. After the stress the families probably just suffered, they might not want to risk it happening a second night in a row.

"Okay, I understand. Uncle Morris, Aunt Maggie, I'm really sorry to have worried you guys. It won't happen again." He felt Morris rest a powerful hand upon his shoulder and smiled nervously as the older man gave him a stern look and a stern nod.

"I know it won't happen again. At least, it better not. You're lucky you only fell asleep this time and nothing more. You're forgiven, just don't let it happen again."

"It won't."

"Good." Morris pat Sam on the back and gave her a fatherly smile. "Let's get you home."

"Okay Uncle Morris." As they walked to the car, she turned her head and smiled at Freddie, waving him off. "Bye Freddie, have a good night!"

"You too, Sam, you too." He felt Jonah rest his elbow on his shoulder and start snickering as the Puckett family took their leave. He glared at Jonah and narrowed his eyes. "Screw you, this isn't funny!"

"It may not be funny to you now, but it's funny to me right now. In ten years, it'll _still_ be funny."

"Yeah, yeah, in ten years you'll be a mute with no lips or tongue if you keep it up."

"You'd have to catch me first for that one, bro."

"So be it." He folded his arms over and scowled as two headlights came driving up. It was Carly and Marissa, finally arriving. He rolled his eyes and sighed, he hated it but was willing to accept that he was about to get an earful. "Well. I just got an idea for our next auditions to try tomorrow night."

"If it has anything to do with the Everly Brothers, then you're dead." Freddie smirked as the perfect song came to mind. _Wake__Up__Little__Susie_, and it was the perfect fodder to use in order to torture Jonah for all his teasing. He eyed his best friend and watched with pride as Jonah began to pale.

"Aw you asshole."

"I know, right?"

The next evening, they got in about fifty more auditions before they called up Jocelyn. The only ones there were Freddie, Jonah, and Carly. Sam, of course, had been unable to attend tonight's judging table. By now, everyone knew Freddie had been locked up after school with Sam, they were already teasing him, claiming he must have been beaten to a pulp several times over.

As Jocelyn walked up to the stage, she folded her arms and smirked. He wasn't too keen on her, considering she was actually a bully as it were. She'd messed around before, picking on the group. Primarily Carly, but Sam was becoming a recent victim only because it seemed like she was softening up. "So Benson, did you have fun last night, locked up with the she-devil?" He raised his eyebrow as Carly sighed desperately and Jonah shook his head.

"Really? You're going to pull that one, Jocelyn? Don't you want to be a drummer for our band?"

"Yeah, but hey, I'll take an opportunity to pick on whoever I want." Needless to say, he was not in the mood for her to be teasing anybody. Especially considering this girl was older than most anyone there! She was nineteen and_ still_ in her _junior_ year of high school.

"You know, some people say you'll never graduate." He slowly rose from his seat, smirking dangerously at her. Jonah and Carly eyed him carefully as he started walking around the booth. "Yes I was locked up here all night with Samantha Puckett. It wasn't either of our faults, we got caught up in an argument of sorts." He waved his hand in a circular motion while stepping up the stairs along the side of the stage.

Jocelyn eyed him closely and swallowed as he continued his walking. "Okay, what are you doing?"

"Now our phones were dead, so we couldn't call anyone at all. I'm in a grouchy mood Jocelyn, so you might want to watch who you try to torment, because if you torment the wrong person at the wrong time…or the right person at the wrong time…it, or they, can come back and bite you in the ass." Jocelyn raised an eyebrow as Freddie held his wrists together behind his back and grinned. "Now Sam may be a bit of a bully, but unlike you, she's making decent enough grades to actually pass her classes and graduate. For you, I'm sad to say, possibly the only way for you to _ever_ pass your classes and graduate would be to screw your professors for an A." Jocelyn's face drained as the audience laughed and cheered. "Unfortunately, you're so damn ugly that not even the slimiest person, AKA Gary, would want to fuck you." Her eyes bulged out as the audience laughed a bit more.

"Y-Y-You take that back!" He blinked quietly and put his hand to his chest.

"I apologize, I'm not myself tonight. See, I'm a horrible grouch because of what happened last night. Now, I don't think you'd want me to take that back. It's a good thing. Sort of. I guess you could live your life just torturing people you imagine yourself to be better than, but in reality, how long will that last?"

"Uh…." She shifted her eyes to the side as Freddie rolled his head to the left.

"See, while you do that, the people you torment will go on to graduate high school. They'll attend college where they will build successful careers for themselves, then they'll meet someone and marry, start a family…not necessarily in that order. You, you will be stuck an old hag without a high school diploma, no intelligent man would want to date you, and therefore you'd probably end up _living_ at this school."

"I, I, you can't…I…" She stammered to think of something she could counter that with, but her mind was drawing a blank. She never really focused in English enough to expand her vocabulary.

"So what is one night stuck in the school with a 'she-devil' as you call her, when you'd probably wind up _living_ in the school yourself one day. You know, the janitor lives in a barn just down the street. Maybe that'll be yours." Her face paled and she took a step back, shaking her head.

"N-No, I'll be something! I can be something and I will!"

"Not the way you're going about it you won't. Now, did you want to audition or did you only come here to tease? If so, I have a new song for you. I've been tormenting Jonah all day with it, as you can see. It's called _Wake__ Up __Little __Susie_, by the Everly Brothers. Let's see how well you fare at the drums. Who knows, do well enough and maybe you'll be able to actually make something out of yourself."

"No! I'll find another way besides your drums…"

"Okay, suit yourself then." He watched as she quickly bolted from the stage and towards the door, her eyes were misty and tearful. He crossed his arms over and sighed as he eyed Jonah and Carly. "Next! Let's get a move on people!" He really wasn't normally this way, but that couch had just not been all that comfortable when laying in that same position all that time.

* * *

Okay, so Freddie and Sam got everyone looking for them XD. Smooth move guys. Oh, and ouch to Jocelyn, yes Freddie feels bad about that.


	156. Auditions: D5, Learning and Growing

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 155 (Auditions: D5, Learning and Growing)

"Are you all right there, man?" Jonah asked as Freddie took his seat. Carly reached over and pat him on the back as well, a small comfort. Freddie slowly nodded his head and dropped it onto his arms on the booth. Carly and Jonah glanced at each other with arched eyebrows and shrugged, the show had to go on one way or another. As Freddie started to snore, Jonah turned off his friend's microphone and stood up to talk to the people. "Okay, let's just forget about what just happened, Freddie's had a long day as well as a long night. I believe the next person to call is Ophelia Davies."

A girl with red curls going past her shoulders stood up and squealed for joy as she hurried towards the stage. Carly leaned forward and lifted her eyebrows up with bored exhaustion, did these people never cease their relentless excitement? Even when it had been hours and hours, they were always so enigmatic. "Hi, I'm Ophelia and I want to be the drummer for this band because…I think the Seattle Beasts _rock!_ I want to be a part of that rocking team!" Carly's spirits rose up a bit as her lips curled up into a smile, at least this girl knew how to put people in a good mood.

"Okay Ophelia. For today's audition and strictly today's, Freddie's changed the first song to _Wake__Up__Little__Susie_, by the Everly Brothers. Do you think you can handle it?"

"Yes sir." Jonah smiled and moved his hand through the air, signaling her to play away. Carly crossed her legs over and put her hands in her lap while Ophelia walked to the drums. She turned her eyes to the doors and spotted Tasha, Gibby's girlfriend, watching. After a moment, she left. Carly nudged Jonah and pointed to the door.

"Hey I'm going to be right back, all right?" He nodded and looked back to the drummer. Carly quickly got up and started making her way to the doors. She had to wonder what it was that possessed Freddie to change the first song to what it was now, but that would probably change back in tomorrow's auditions. As she put her hands in her pocket, she nudged the door open with her foot and stepped out. "Okay, where did you go? Hm…"

As her eyes drifted across the hall, she spotted Tasha talking on the cell phone by her locker. Thinking fast, and hoping not to lose her, Carly hurried over to her. She'd really not talked much to Tasha before, she'd only seen her with Gibby on several occasions and confirmed with Griffin that the two were obviously dating. As she got closer, she couldn't help but to hear a bit of the girl's conversation. "Yeah, I was only interested in looking for a bit. Anyway, I'm going to do my homework, I'll talk to you later. Love you!"

Carly's eyebrow rose and the corner of her lip tugged up into a mild smile, she always admired couples who knew they were in love. She'd have to wonder how she was going to introduce Griffin to her family. She knew she needed to if he was to be considered by her mom and dad for the arranged marriage. The only thing was, she wasn't sure if they _would_ accept him. She hoped they'd see him as she did, more than just a biker with spiked leather and strange demeanor.

Getting back on track, she cleared her throat and called out to Tasha, who promptly turned and smiled at her. "Hey, how are you? I thought you were at those auditions? You're one of the judges?"

"Yeah, but they're going a bit slowly in there right now. Jonah can handle them for a bit." She leaned up against a locker as Tasha clung her books to her chest. Carly smiled at her again and tilted her head back against the blue locker. "Gibby, he's your boyfriend right? Freddie and Jonah had been trying to get him to audition, but my guess is it isn't going so well." Tasha shrugged and opened her binder up, glancing at a paper inside. Carly watched her for a second and folded her arms over. "Is he good to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Boyfriend wise, is he a good boyfriend? There's not a lot of those out there these days." Tasha nodded and leaned up against the lockers with her. Carly closed her eyes as Steven came to her mind for a split second. The fact that she gave herself to him and he just used her, then left made her want to puke every time she thought about him.

"Yeah, he's a great boyfriend. He's not too keen on Freddie and Sam." A curious statement, it definitely warranted a bigger explanation. She looked to Tasha and moved her eyebrows up. "He says he thinks they're all cool, but Sam apparently hangs around you guys a lot and he's still weary on her, due to all the stuff he got from her over the years. Hell, he still talks about that busted locker from years ago."

"Busted…oh…" She chuckled as she recalled a few years back when Sam was on a rampage and smashing a locker with a hammer. She _thought_ it was hers, but it had been Gibby's. "Nah, Sam's a lot nicer now, trust me. She and I have been hanging out more often and she's really cool. Gibby shouldn't worry about her, I think _someone_ or _something_ has got that girl tamed down." Tasha laughed once as Carly gave her a confident smile, she trusted Sam.

"What makes you say that?" Carly stared off into the distance and shrugged as Tasha's words went into her. They did make her think. Whenever she and Sam hung out, there was always a certain glow, some sort of happiness that seemed to be deep inside of her, but she could never place her finger on the cause of it. Maybe Sam had a boyfriend she didn't know about. Maybe not. She wouldn't really be able to guess that in all fairness, but one thing was certain, Sam was a happy person.

"Oh I don't know, there's just something there…I can't really be sure, but I know she's more tame than anything. I don't know what she has to do with the band, other than being associated with them through Jonah's wife and my brother."

"Jonah's married?"

"Yeah, he's a father now, has been as of August." Tasha nodded and lifted her eyebrows up as she stared down at her books. Carly got the sense that she was keeping her from her studies, so she figured it'd be best to let her go, but not before trying to get her to talk to Gibby about the auditions. "So you need to go study?"

"Yeah I do actually, I wouldn't mind talking some more though."

"It's okay, don't let me keep you." The two girls pushed off from the lockers and faced each other, Carly really felt confident that she could get through to Tasha. "So, I guess before I go, can I ask if you'd talk to Gibby about those auditions?"

"Well, it's really all up to him, you know. Don't get me wrong, it's just that we've already talked about them. I will tell him what you said about Sam, though. So do you really think she's got a boyfriend?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. She hasn't told me anything." She wasn't so worried about it, considering Sam might have a good reason for not telling her. Hell, she hadn't told Sam about Griffin because she didn't know how Sam would react to Carly's biker boyfriend. In the same sense, if Sam _did_ have a boyfriend, maybe she was going through the same issues and didn't know how she'd react to whomever that person was. "Hell, there's a lot of stuff going on that I don't know about…"

"Like what?"

"For instance, who the hell my brother's fiance is…They still aren't telling me, probably because I still talk to my granddad…" Her eyes drifted skyward for a moment as she shrugged her shoulders and sighed. She still was processing everything she had been told about that man, and yes she really wanted to talk to him about it all. She knew she was a bit high strung and had a tendency to blurt out secrets if caught off guard and yes, Tyrone knew how to manipulate that fact, so thinking on the subject, maybe they were right to not tell her who Freddie's fiance was quite yet. "Anyway, you go study and I'm going to get back to the auditions…"

"All right, it was good talking with you."

"You too, have a good evening!" She smiled as Tasha waved and hurried off to the library. She took a deep breath and started heading back into the auditorium and to the judging booth. Freddie and Jonah were both wide awake and watching Nate Garner doing his best on _In__the__Air__Tonight_. They looked over to her as she slowly sat down next to Freddie and folded her hands over the other on the booth. "How's he doing?"

"Not too bad," Freddie commented. He looked to Carly as she watched the drums with an almost somber look in her eyes. "Is everything okay?" The question caught her off guard as she moved her head back and glanced over at him with a small smile.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about stuff…" Her fingers closed in to her palms and she closed her eyes, gradually leaning straight up in her chair. "Freddie, I was thinking…I know my granddad is good with manipulation and I know that you, mom, dad, and even Spencer don't trust him." Freddie raised his eyebrow as Jonah blinked in curiosity, what was she about to say? "I know right now, it's probably a _good_ thing that nobody's telling me who your fiance is, because Granddad _does_ have some power over me. In a way…"

"You think so?"

"I called him up just the other night when you were out, we were worried and I honestly wondered if he knew where you were. Maybe he did something, I didn't know. I just…he asked me if you were probably with your fiance, I told him no, that you were locked up with Sam in the school." She didn't notice his face start to go white and Jonah slowly shake his head. Instead, she opened her eyes and frowned. "He tried to get me to say Sam was your fiance, but I told him that was wrong and that you two never really got along. So then he starts asking if there were any other girls that might still be at the school, he goes on and on until mom grabs the phone and shuts it."

"Jesus Carly…you need to get away from that guy."

"I _know!_ I just…I don't know, I'm still his granddaughter aren't I?" Her heart ached and Freddie slowly wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug.

"It's okay Carly. Yeah you're his granddaughter. We're all hoping for him to get his head out of his ass, yes, but that doesn't mean you need to cut all ties. I only meant…"

"That I need to be careful around him?"

"Yes. When the time comes that you can deal with him, I guess, then I think mom's going to let you in on the finer parts of our culture. You still have a _lot_ to learn, it'll take time, but you'll get it." A tear dropped from her eyes and she quickly swiped it away. It was times like this that she really felt like a part of the family.

"Thanks Freddie…so how's Nate? Is he in?"

"We'll see, so far he's been the best drummer today."

"Okay." She wiped her eye again as Freddie sat back. He started talking to Nate, who finished drumming. She slowly smiled at him and closed her eyes, she really was starting to feel really happy with the things going on around her. She wanted to know more about the culture, so maybe she would eventually. She just needed to be a bit stronger. At least she knew now, it wasn't her they didn't trust, it was only her grandfather.

* * *

Getting close to the final drummers, there's going to be a big chapter actually where they pit the best drummers together in a final endurance test to see who can last. There's another chapter or two before then though.


	157. Auditions: D6, Rebecca Berkowitz

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 156 (Auditions: D6, Rebecca Berkowitz)

Thursday came around and the auditions were starting to come to a close with just that evening and then Friday coming up. Still there had been no sign from Gibby, but by now the group was starting to give up on him even auditioning. Sam was allowed to return to the auditions and it was the first time Freddie got to see her _since_ they fell asleep at school. It was something that he was not quite accustomed to, being unable to see her by way of punishment.

Jonah was there tonight as well, he was going to be staying at home to take care of Aaron, but Olivia had _insisted_ she see her nephew and he go deal with the auditions. He was going to argue that, but in the end, Olivia won the battle. Carly was going to be showing up, but she was to be a bit late, this gave Sam and Freddie some ample time to see each other before people started piling into the auditorium. First in had been Jonah, then Freddie showed up. Now they were waiting on Sam, then they were going to start comparing notes from the past few days and see who all was doing well.

"Freddie!" He lifted his head up and saw Sam waving at him as she walked towards the booth. Grinning, he got up and hurried over to her, embracing her and grinning in her eyes. His heart lifted up when he saw her, it felt too long without her, but he was doing well enough. "I missed you so much. You wouldn't believe the lecture I got from Aunt Maggie and Uncle Morris when I got home."

"Heh, yeah I can imagine you got into a fair amount of trouble too. And yes, I missed you." He pecked her on the lips and she let out a joyful squeal. It felt good to hold her after a couple days. It wasn't that they couldn't stand to be away from each other, they could survive with the other away if they had to, but that didn't mean they wouldn't miss the other person. "Well yesterday Carly told me something interesting."

"What was that?"

"Well I think she's starting to mature and learn a few things. She told me she thought it might be for the best that she didn't know my fiancé yet…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, apparently Tyrone still has some control over her." He thought for sure if they all banded up with one another that they could stand up to the man, but they weren't really entirely sure. "I guess when she's not afraid she might slip up, as she said, then she'll want to know…" He hoped she wouldn't be too mad when she discovered that Sam was his fiancé, there was a chance she might get a bit pissed off that something like _that_ was kept from her. "Some bad news, I think…not sure if we need to worry…"

"What?"

"Tyrone knows you and I were locked up in the school all night together." Sam started to pale and glanced back at the door. Freddie chuckled nervously and rubbed her arm. "Relax, Tyrone isn't here anyway."

"Carly told him?"

"Yeah, but he pretty much milked it out of her. She needs to learn to stand firm and say no to him without being afraid." Sam slowly nodded her head and sighed in desperation. They really couldn't deal with this right now, they had so much going on. Freddie thought he ought to put her mind on something else. "So has your family decided what to do for Christmas?"

"Yes, actually. We're all having a get together at Grandma's! You know she lives around the mountains about an hour or two from here, right?" He nodded happily, he would encourage it. Sam didn't look too happy that it meant she'd be a couple hours away from him and unable to see him on Christmas, but Freddie knew this was something that not only she, but her family needed. "Am I going to be able to see you this Christmas, Freddie?"

"We'll have a _lot_ of opportunities to have Christmas together, and so will you have with your family. Only remember, _they_ haven't ever spent any Christmases with you, we've nearly a dozen together. It's only fair that you be with them. I'll manage, you'll manage, it'll be just fine." She smiled lightly as he kissed her forehead.

"I hope you're right Freddie. I know I'm going to miss you this year, but you are right about one thing. I do feel the need to be with them this year. They deserve it after all this time."

"Exactly." He lifted his hand and brushed her hair from her face as she hugged him around the waist. "I think this year, Mom's going all out. It's her first Christmas with Spencer and Robert, so she's excited. Spencer's happy, Carly's getting in the spirit, and Sasha says she's got some important news for the family." Sam's eyebrows rose and her lips curled into a grin.

"Damn, you'll have to fill me in after that, cause I want to know what she says!"

"I will." Freddie looked over to Jonah, who was going over some of the papers. He chuckled and placed his hand on the small of Sam's back and walked over to the booth with her. "Hey Jonah." Jonah lifted his head up as Sam made her way to her seat. "What did you say you were doing for Christmas?"

"Whole damn family's getting together," Jonah chuckled. He rubbed the back of his head as Freddie let out a sharp whistle. With as many members of the family as there were, it definitely was a houseful. "Yeah, it's going to be interesting. Viola's got some news for us, then Valerie was scheduled some time to talk with us on webcam. It's going to be an interesting holiday season."

"I'm thinking of putting our performance at the groovy smoothie online. I just think it would be something spectacular that everyone would want to see."

"Yeah, Valerie's glad to hear we're bringing back the band. You should have heard her cheer." Freddie laughed as Sam flashed a toothy grin. "Anyway, I think she's going to have an interesting Christmas there with the Food Network stars."

"Oh yeah, didn't think about that. It sounds promising." Jonah nodded and glanced over to see students already beginning to pile in. Much to Freddie's surprise, they were all _earlier_ than anticipated. "Well, I guess they're eager to get this out of the way. Let's go over who we have so far. The best drummer at yesterday's audition was Nate."

"The one before that was Griffin, but he's unavailable so the best of that day was a kid named Jack Thompson. A couple others, there's Ophelia L., Nadine D., Randal J., Noah M., and I'm thinking Duke will be good, but we've not gotten to him just yet. We have a lot more auditions before we get to him." Since they'd decided to start going by alphabetical order, it would be a while before they got to Duke since his last name started with a W. "So far only Nadine, Nate, and Noah have attempted _Wax __Simulacra_. Nadine got about half of all the notes right, Nate did just a little better. Noah got about 70% of them."'

"So since they did better than the others and we've gotten along with them a bit better, I guess we mark off Ophelia, Randal, and Jack?" Freddie nodded his head and Jonah marked off their names. "I guess come Friday, we'll call back the ones who managed to do _Wax__ Simulacra_ and have them perform it again?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of an endurance test for them." Jonah raised his eyebrow and Sam paused to think of what he would have in mind. He smirked deviously and rolled his neck. "Sometimes a band may have to play all day, or repeat songs over and over again, but that's not the kicker here. There are bands who will have to play a single song that goes on and on almost forever. I'm talking about the longest of the long. Maybe three consecutively long songs for them to play. The one that lasts the longest will be our drummer."

"Oh my god, that's just evil, but it's _brilliant!_ Have you got any songs in mind?"

"Yep. Achilles Last Stand by Led Zeppelin is the first." The song was well over ten minutes long and included quite a bit of drumming. Some repetitive, some not so repetitive, but all awesome notes. "The third song they'll do will be Mountain Jam by the Allman Brothers."

"Holy shit man, seriously?"

"Yep." That song was thirty minutes long, no vocals whatsoever, and lot of guitar and drum beating. "Second one is only fifteen minutes, you may recognize it. It's Jimi Hendrix's _Voodoo__Chile_." Sam whistled sharply as Freddie took his seat in between the two and grinned. "Oh, and yes, we will be performing as well."

"I thought you'd say that…back to back?"

"To back." Freddie grinned brightly and Jonah's head fell to the booth. Sam chuckled nervously as Freddie grinned deviously. He looked over to see Carly walking in, eyeing them with concern and question.

"Do I want to know why Jonah looks tortured and you look evil?"

"Because I found a surefire way of selecting our drummer."

"Be afraid Carly," Sam said with a quick tone. "Be _very_ afraid."

"Uh oh…" Freddie laughed maliciously and Jonah groaned out his displeasure. He was afraid of being rusty, so he'd at least been practicing every day, but this was just punishment. It was right though, the drummer had to have endurance. "Should I be concerned?"

"Not really, just be happy you aren't going to be on the list of final drummers."

Within an hour, many people auditioned, but a majority of them fell a bit short of what the band was looking for. There were a couple good people, but only one of them out of the entire set of auditions actually started off with the two harder songs without doing the two easier ones, and that was Rebecca Berkowitz. She managed to get about 70% of the notes right. As she stood from her drums, she grinned brightly and held her drumsticks up, the audience cheered her on, happily so.

"Damn, she did better than I thought she'd end up doing," Freddie said with a slight chuckle. He rubbed his chin and turned to Jonah. "What do you think? Write her down?" Jonah nodded and put Rebecca's name down, they really wanted to consider her after hearing that. Rebecca put her hand over her eyes like a visor in order to see past the lights. She smiled at the band and wagged her eyebrows once.

"I think that went well," she stated. "Want me to perform another for you?"

"No actually, that was just fine. Come back after school tomorrow if you can. Bring Nate along too. You're both on the final list. There's one more test for the potential drummers." Rebecca gasped and jumped in the air.

"Okay, I'll be there! Thanks!"

"No prob." He watched as she bounded off the stage and out the doors. There was one last group to go through, but they would have to be dealt with Friday. Along with Friday would come the final test. He wanted to see just how long they would last if they were at an actual performance. He pat Jonah and Sam on the shoulder and grinned as they slowly glanced at each other. "Well guys. Tomorrow, we should have our drummer." The group cheered and high fived one another. Jonah grabbed his list and stared at it.

"Out of all the people to attempt _Wax__ Simulacra_, these people were the only ones that did any good. Nadine, Nate, Noah, and Rebecca…all others that tried to attempt pretty much butchered the whole song. Let's see what tomorrow brings."

* * *

Well that brings us to 156, or fanfiction posted-wise, 157. The next chapter is perfectly crafted for you all and it's going to be AWESOME. Actually, I'm going to post it early just for you, because it's also the last of the Audition arc. It's "Flawless Victory", where a drummer (and another bandmate) is finally chosen!


	158. Auditions: Flawless Victory!

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 157 (Auditions: Flawless Victory)

Finally the time had come, Friday night auditions, and man was this destined to be a _long_ night. Jonah, Sam, Freddie and Carly were all there with the last twenty to thirty people auditioning for the position of a drummer. In the far back sat the same person in a brown coat, black cap and shades, that had been sitting there all week. Freddie and the others just chalked him up as a fan wanting to watch the auditions, so they never worried about it.

Freddie stood in front of the audience and pointed to the stage, which had about six drums strewn about. Everyone was murmuring about the change, but only the people who were being called back as drummers knew what this was about. "Don't be alarmed by the extra drums, these are just going to be the final test. A showdown to determine the endurance and patience level of each drummer…With that test, we'll gauge the results and see just who we want to include as our drummer." The audience members nodded in understanding while the man in the brown coat crossed his arms over. "Right now, you are just auditioning, so focus on the songs you need to perform. If we like you enough, we'll ask you to stay behind and perform this test with the other drummers."

Jonah stood from his seat and looked out among the crowd. "One thing I would like to add is, we take this _very__seriously_ and don't tolerate any messing around. Not only do you need to be able to get along with us, you need to at least be focused on what is important in life. Education, career, family, friends…being a part of a band is _not_a social status and if that's what you're hoping for by being here, then I suggest you leave now because you are not what we're looking for." Freddie nodded his head and stared at the audience for a minute before Jonah spoke up again. "I'm serious here guys, if you're just looking for a good time without any serious moments at all in helping to build the songs and performances, rather just floating on by, using the band to build a social status, leave now. Not joking." With that, a few people who were going to audition did get up and slowly walk out the door. Freddie's face dropped slightly and Jonah shrugged his shoulders. "That is fine. Honesty is important. To those of you still with us, thank you."

"All right, now without further ado, we have a lot to do here, let's get started! I want everyone to try and perform _Wax__ Simulacra_ tonight." He wasn't too sure he wanted to do that, since he was actually a huge fan of the song. It pained him when someone not only messed it up, but downright _butchered_ it. "First up…"

After some time, almost everyone had gone and hardly any of them were satisfactory enough. Everyone, even the guy in the coat in the back corner of the room, was growing irritated with the number of people not only butchering _Wax __Simulacra_, but butchering the _simpler_ songs as well! The last person who was currently performing was Duke. He'd managed to get through the first three songs just fine, with a few errors, and was not doing too horribly on the last song. Although, he wasn't doing a great job either.

"These people are committing musical murder," Freddie muttered while rubbing his temples. His eyes were clenched tight and his head was starting to pound from imagining how badly all these people were playing. Sam was laying back in her chair with her head hanging over the edge while Carly was randomly fiddling with her phone. Jonah was leaning fully on the booth, his right arm stretched over the edge and head resting on it.

"When you consider a song like this, what do you expect? Flawlessness?"

"Only in our dreams…" They heard a thud which they attributed to a drum beat and didn't catch the music or the drums stopping. The horridness of what sounded like random banging seemed to play over and over again in their heads. Suddenly the music started up again. Freddie rubbed his temples while the others started to moan. "Oh god…"

The cymbals clashed and the drums thundered throughout the auditorium, each beat and each hit seemed completely on par with the music and proper positioning. The four were shocked to hear someone actually playing the song without missing a beat! Almost as if they were a professional. Their eyes shot open and as they became attentive, their jaws dropped when they saw who was hitting the drums. Even the people in the audience behind them, awaiting the test, were cheering him on.

Curled up beside the drums with a frightened expression was Duke. On the drums, playing away was _Gibby!_A brown coat rested on the stage next to him, along with the black cap and shades. Sweat seemed to drip down his face as he performed the song with his eyes closed, as if he wasn't even _trying_. He shot a glare at Duke for a split second, causing him to run off the stage.

Freddie and the others were speechless and in awe as they began to fall into a trance from the spell that Gibby was spewing out. They saw him smirk and manage to spin a drumstick in his hand while still striking yet another perfect beat. Freddie glanced to the side as Tasha leaned up against the booth next to Carly. "He's too proud to admit that he's actually been practicing all week. This is his favorite song. He was complaining every time someone screwed it up."

"Wow…just…"

"Ever since iCarly ended, he had more time to himself and mastered what he enjoyed, and that was the drums." The four slowly nodded their heads, still shocked by the performance. Now they _really_ wanted him as their drummer. "He wanted to audition, but wasn't sure. I told him what Carly told me and he decided to give it some more thought. Said if he didn't see anyone that made a good drummer, he'd audition."

"Uh huh…"

"Gibby would love the opportunity to carry on Jake's legacy and to help you guys rise to the top. Whether you become bigger in later years or not, you know. You should see some college bands, _fantastic_. Have you ever been to a battle of the bands before?"

"Uh-uh." They slowly shook their heads as Tasha grinned widely.

"Well Gibby's been to quite a few of them, both just watching and performing. Do you guys still want him to be your drummer?"

"Uh huh." Freddie cleared his throat and tugged on his collar, bringing himself from his trancelike state. They still had to give a fair game to the others who were awaiting their tests. He stood up as the song came to an ending. Once Gibby hit the final notes, the other three stood up with Freddie as they all applauded his drum mastery.

"And _that_ is how you play the damn song!" Gibby shouted at Duke, who was at the very edge of the stairs on the stage. He met Freddie's eyes and nodded his head back once. "Wax Simulacra, courtesy of Gibby. Am I in?"

"That was _perfect_, yes you're in! By that I mean, you still have the endurance testing to do, but you're in!" The other winning drummers cheered and whooped, not caring if he did better than them or not, they just enjoyed the drumming.

"Drums. They really get your adrenaline going."

"Yes. Yes. Um…all the drummers to the stage. That's Nate Garner, Rebecca Berkowitz, Noah, and Nadine…please join Gibby on the stage." The four drummers nodded and made their way up to the stage as Gibby wiped his brow with a towel. "Jonah, girls, go grab the other instruments please." The nodded and hurried off as Freddie took a step forward, all eyes were on him.

He rubbed the back of his neck as Duke joined the drummers. "It wasn't fair, Gibby pushed me off the drums, let me do this test!"

"Uh…"

"Come on! We're buddies, we go way back!"

"Okay fine, whatever. All of you find your drums." They nodded and each made their way to the drums. There were two drums on the right, diagonal from each other, two on the left, diagonal, and two drums in the back center, next to each other. Gibby and Duke sat at the drums next to each other while Rebecca and Nate sat on the right drums. Noah and Nadine positioned themselves on the left. "Now here's what we're going to do. You have three long songs to play, _consecutively_. I know I've told you this already, so you had time to try and learn them."

The six nodded, all except for Duke, who seemed a bit shocked. Then again, Freddie hadn't intended to find him, or anyone out of tonight's auditions. "The one to last the longest will get the spot of drummer. If more than one outlasts the rest, then we'll go off of the point system. AKA, the one who did better in the auditions and the three songs…This will be done with Jonah and myself performing our usual instruments. Sometimes we use a keyboard, most of the time we don't need one. I tend to do the lead guitar while singing, Jonah does bass. We know that in a typical performance, bands may have to play consecutively for hours without tiring out. That's why we've set up this exercise for you."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No Duke, not kidding. I'm dead serious." Duke turned his head and whimpered slightly as he watched Jonah carrying out a guitar on a guitar stand with a microphone. The girls were bringing out the bass guitar. "If you think this will be more than you can handle, feel free to leave."

The other drummers turned their heads to Duke, each one hoping they wouldn't hold them back. He pressed his lips and swallowed hard, shaking his head slightly. "Let's do this."

"Okay, good." The others sighed and slowly shook their heads. "Sam, Carly, Jeremy, and Tasha-if you will-will monitor the drums and make sure none of you are slipping up too much. Jeremy isn't actually a part of our band, by the way. He's just the tech guy we needed to pull off the music." The drummers understood and were each beginning a bit of a drum roll, a sign that they were tired of waiting. "Okay. The songs you will have to perform with us are, _Achilles__' __Last __Stand_ by Led Zeppelin. It is ten minutes long."

The drummers all put on serious expressions and nodded, they weren't going to give up no matter how long a song may seem.

"Good. Your next song will be the ever classic, fifteen minute long song _Voodoo__ Chile_, by Jimi Hendrix. Then finally, the thirty minute song without vocals, _Mountain__ Jam_, by the Allman Brothers." He expected the last song to be the one where the majority would drop out of, just by the sheer amount of drumming they would have to do. He had his guess at who would be the last few left to survive the endurance testing, and Rebecca was one of those guesses. "Now remember, if you get tired enough and feel like dropping out…don't be afraid to do so, that's what this is about. We would rather you didn't continue if you can't, than for you to start getting so exhausted that you can't keep up."

They nodded as he started walking up to the stage where the lead guitar and microphone was. He grinned and grabbed the microphone as he eyed the audience. Interestingly enough, people began coming in to see this, so it actually felt more like a real performance than anything. "Okay everyone, give it all you got!" He closed his eyes as the drummers began their beats. He pat his leg with the tempo and looked over to Jonah, who was grinning with pride. He knew the songs they were about to sing had a bit higher vocals than he really could do, but it wouldn't be too hard.

Almost instantly, he began to sing out. His entire world became that song, everything around him ceased to exist.

_It was an April morning when they told us we should go  
As I turn to you, you smiled at me  
How could we say no?_

_With all the fun to have, to live the dreams we always had_  
_Oh, the songs to sing, when we at last return again_

_Sending off a glancing kiss, to those who claim they know_  
_Below the streets that steam and hiss,_  
_The devil's in his hole_

_Oh to sail away, To sandy lands and other days_  
_Oh to touch the dream, Hides inside and never seen._

_Into the sun the south the north, at last the birds have flown_  
_The shackles of commitment fell, In pieces on the ground_

_Oh to ride the wind, To tread the air above the din_  
_Oh to laugh aloud, Dancing as we fought the crowd_

_To seek the man whose pointing hand, The giant step unfolds_  
_With guidance from the curving path, That churns up into stone_

_If one bell should ring, in celebration for a king_  
_So fast the heart should beat, As proud the head with heavy feet._

_Days went by when you and I, bathed in eternal summers glow_  
_As far away and distant, Our mutual child did grow_

_Oh the sweet refrain, Soothes the soul and calms the pain_  
_Oh Albion remains, sleeping now to rise again_

_Wandering & wandering, What place to rest the search_  
_The mighty arms of Atlas, Hold the heavens from the earth_

_The mighty arms of Atlas, Hold the heavens from the earth_  
_From the earth..._

I know the way, know the way, know the way, know the way

_I__ know __the __way ,__know __the __way, __know __the__ way,__know__ the __way__…_

_Oh__ the__ mighty__ arms__ of __Atlas,__ Hold __the __heavens__ from __the __earth._

Freddie opened his eyes as the song came to an end, he was thinking seriously of incorporating Griffin or someone into the band to use the electric guitar so he could have his hands fully on the microphone. He'd talked to Griffin about the band earlier in the day and was told that the guy knew more about how to use the electric guitar than anything else. A band usually needed four members, so maybe they could use him after all. However, he didn't want to have to do auditions like this, it took too long.

He looked back at the drummers, all of them were still at the drums, smiling at him. All except Duke, that was. The oaf was _asleep_at the drums! Freddie lifted his eyebrows up as Tasha patted Duke's back. "Okay, when did he fall out?"

"You didn't hear the big bang halfway through the song?" Jonah asked with a subtle smirk. "Everyone kept going, but damn, he was loud when he came down." His eyes went skyward as he faced the front and slowly shook his head.

"Okay, get Duke and his drums off the stage." Tasha nodded and shook the guy awake. He didn't seem to want to leave, but she managed to coax him off the stage. "That's one drummer down. We're not stopping yet, though!" The audience cheered as the drummers lifted their sticks into the air.

"Yeah!"

"Do any of you want a break? How about a bathroom break? Too bad! Jimi Hendrix isn't going to wait for you to do that, and neither are our fans, let's keep the jams running!"

"Yeah!" They began the music and once more Freddie strummed and positioned himself in front of the microphone, ready to sing out. Looking back, the drummers were sweaty, but still going. Gibby was now shirtless and so focused on the drums. Nate already looked a bit tired, but determined at the same time. Noah was a bit overweight and looked like he needed a bite to eat or a drink. If he stopped at any time, though, he would not make it. Nadine and Rebecca looked just fine, sleek, slender, and determined.

He smirked and quickly turned his head to the microphone, singing on par. This would be tough on him because he had to strum the electric guitar quite often while singing. He wanted someone else to do the electric guitar so he could have full mobility at the microphone. Jonah seemed to agree earlier when they discussed it. He ignored these thoughts and went on to sing.

_Well, I'm a voodoo chile  
Lord I'm a voodoo chile_

_Well, the night I was born_  
_Lord I swear the moon turned a fire red_  
_The night I was born_  
_I swear the moon turned a fire red_  
_Well my poor mother cried out "lord, the gypsy was right!"_  
_And I seen her, fell down right dead_  
_(Have mercy)_

_Well, mountain lions found me there waitin'_  
_And set me on a eagles back_  
_Well, mountain lions found me there,_  
_And set me on a eagles wing_  
_(Its' the eagles wing, baby, what did I say)_  
_He took me past to the outskirts of infinity,_  
_And when he brought me back,_  
_He gave me a venus witch's ring_  
_Hey!_  
_And he said "Fly on, fly on"_  
_Because I'm a voodoo chile, yeah, voodoo chile_  
_Hey!_

_Well, I make love to you,_  
_And lord knows you'll feel no pain_  
_Say, I make love to you in your sleep,_  
_And lord knows you felt no pain_

_'Cause I'm a million miles away_  
_And at the same time I'm right here in your picture frame_  
_(Yeah! What did I say now)_  
_'Cause I'm a voodoo chile_  
_Lord knows, I'm a voodoo chile_  
_(yeah!)_

_Well my arrows are made of desire_  
_From far away as Jupiter's sulphur mines_  
_Say my arrows are made of desire, desire_  
_From far away as Jupiter's sulphur mines_  
_(Way down by the Methane Sea, yeah)_  
_I have a humming bird and it hums so loud,_  
_You think you were losing your mind, hmmm..._

_Well I float in liquid gardens_  
_And Arizona new red sand_  
_(Yeah)_  
_I float in liquid gardens_  
_Way down in Arizona red sand_

_Well, I taste the honey from a flower named Blue,_  
_Way down in California_  
_And the in New York drowns as we hold hands_

_'Cause I'm a voodoo chile_  
_Lord knows I'm a voodoo chile_

The song came to an end and Freddie glanced back to see Noah sitting at the edge of the stage, eating a hot dog and drinking a bottle of water. The audience cheered on as the remaining drummers met Freddie's eyes with determined grins. All minus Nate, who was looking about ready to pass out. "Hey Garner, you all right over there?"

"N-No man, I think…I think I've had it. I'm sorry bro."

"It's okay. Hey sis, give Nate a bottle of water would ya? He did well!" Carly nodded and tossed Nate a bottle of water as he got up from the drums and pat his girlfriend's shoulder, wishing her luck. He managed to last all the way to the end of the song, an impressive feat, but he was clearly not well enough to do another thirty minutes of drumming. Noah, unfortunately, had only managed to last the first five minutes of the song before he got up to eat a snack.

"Nadine! Rebecca! Gibby!" The three lifted their heads to him and grinned, determination flared up in their eyes. "Are you three ready?"

"Yeah!" They shouted out.

"Great! Now let me tell you a little somethin' about this Mountain Jam by the Allman Brothers. It's thirty three minutes and forty seconds long and during the duration of this song, as you know, it features solos from all the band members. The guitar solo starts, and as you can see-" They looked to see Sam rolling out a Hammond Organ. "It features a solo on the organ that follows that initial guitar solo. Another guitar solo follows the organ, then there's the drum duet where you will have to work together during this time. The bass guitar joins the drums and then we have the lead guitar coming back as everyone goes out. Sam here is going to play the organ for us, as she is good enough for the keys."

The drummers nodded as everyone prepared the stage and moved the drums around. Now Gibby was sitting on his drums with Rebecca on his right and Nadine on his left. So far Gibby had nearly perfect, clean notes without any major mistakes. Rebecca was a close second with her performance. Nadine was falling a bit behind.

Carly clapped on as the band started in the music, it was now or never. She whooped and hollered for them as the members of the audience began to dance and cheer. There was no rest for any of them now, even their sweat was filled with determination. They were in it to win it. Rebecca and Nadine were pushing themselves to meet Gibby, because they didn't just want to do as good as he was, they wanted to _surpass_him.

Sam entered with her organ and played it like a pro. Over time, she'd taken piano lessons and actually enjoyed them quite a bit, she wasn't perfect though. She was far from it, actually. Carly grinned as she thought about Griffin, he really could help out with the band by playing the electric guitar. She'd noticed Freddie straining himself to do both the guitar and the microphone, so clearly they needed another member.

As she watched Sam on the keyboard, she started to see a bit of sloppiness in her hand movements. Now Carly had taken more piano classes while in her years at school, which made her wonder if she could participate with the band. She wanted to be a part of it, it just seemed so fun.

As she moved her eyes over to the three drummers, she saw Nadine starting to slump a bit. Nadine actually had to wipe her brow for a second and hit another beat. How far in the song were they? It sounded like they'd hit fourteen minutes. After another moment, Nadine stopped playing altogether and watched Gibby and Rebecca, she heaved a heavy sigh and respectively set her drumsticks down. "I can do no more."

Carly grabbed some water from the water cooler on the stage and looked up as Nadine walked over, smiling kindly. "Here, you did well."

"Thanks." Nadine took the water bottle and started drinking, then began to cheer on the last two drummers. She was rooting for Gibby, since he seemed to have a bit more sportsmanship. Usually he let the drummers know they did well before they ended. "I think you guys should go for Gibby, actually. Rebecca's good, but he's just awesome."

"True." Sam started to slouch a bit and looked up from the piano, she seemed a bit embarrassed. It was at that point Carly rushed in to help her out by taking over. "Here, let me."

"Okay, thanks Carly." Carly grinned happily as she started playing out the notes to the song. Freddie and Jonah looked over at her, impressed, as she was doing remarkably well. She grinned at them and watched as they looked to each other and smirked. As the song continued on, Carly found herself having an insane amount of fun, she prayed the beat would never stop.

The song came to an end and both Gibby and Rebecca were still at their drums, finishing off with pride. The men were impressed as they turned to face them. "Well ladies and gentlemen, it seems we've come to a conclusion here," Freddie said with a grin. "Carly, if you'd come over here."

"What is it?" She stood up and moved over, smiling softly. Freddie took her wrist and held it in the air.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, my sister Carly Shay-Benson! Jonah, I think we finally found a place for our keyboard, what say you?" Gibby nodded and Jonah held his thumb up.

"I agree." Carly's face turned red as Sam cheered and hugged her. She couldn't believe it, she was an honorary member of the band! As Freddie lowered his hand, Jonah turned to face the two drummers. It looked like Rebecca was going to give Gibby the win, though. "I say we let our new member choose our drummer. What about you, bro?"

"I think that's fair. Carly, who do you think should be our drummer?" Carly grinned and walked over to Gibby, who was panting heavily and beaming with pride. She took his wrist and slowly held up his arm, Rebecca smiled and nodded. "And the votes have it, Gibby Gibson is the drummer for _Seattle__Beasts!_" The audience cheered and Rebecca gave Gibby a friendly hug.

"Great job Gibby, you were awesome."

"You did good too. I'm glad you were up here. Now…" Gibby turned to Tasha, who ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. He smiled and planted a kiss on her lips. "Gibby…" He cleared his throat and looked over to his band mates. "Thank you guys, I'm glad to be a part of this band."

"You gave us hell. You know that right?" Freddie smirked slightly as Gibby slowly shrugged his shoulders. He chuckled and turned his attention to his sister. "Now Carly, when did you start learning the piano? Cause that as _damn __good_ playing you did there." Carly blushed lightly and held her hands behind her waist.

"I took some music classes in elementary, then junior high. They didn't have anything here in high school, but one of my teachers was willing to give me some lessons after school and stuff." She traced her foot in an arc on the ground and glanced to the side, thinking strongly of Griffin. Perhaps she could use the band to 'introduce' him to the family. Maybe they could interact on a friend to friend level. "Hey, uh Freddie, I couldn't help but notice you struggling on the guitar and microphone…"

"Yeah, could go with someone else on the lead guitar."

"Well, I was thinking, I have a friend who I met and he's really good on guitar." Freddie raised an eyebrow and Jonah glanced over in a cautious gaze. "Maybe we could add him. Like five member bands, one way to line it up is the lead vocal, someone on the lead guitar with backup vocal, someone on the keyboard, someone on the bass guitar, and someone on the drums. We have you on the vocals, Jonah on the Bass, I'm on the keyboard and Gibby's on the drum."

"This friend of yours, what's his name?"

"Griffin." She had a cheerful smile to cover up the fact that she knew Griffin in any way more than that. Jonah covered his mouth, brushing his nose with his thumb, while Freddie smiled back at her.

"You know, call up this friend of yours. I think we should have an honorary celebration tomorrow to indict you and Gibby into the band. Let us meet Griffin there, all right?"

"Really?" Her eyes sparkled with hope and joy as she gazed at Freddie, practically pleading with him on a mental basis. He took his water bottle and nodded his head as he took a swig of the drink.

"Yes. Really. We'll all get together at the local bowling alley tomorrow or something, have some snacks and drinks. Celebrate." He moved his head back over his shoulder, eyeing everyone else. "Sound good guys?" The others murmured their agreements and he clicked his tongue satisfactorily. "Great. You're all going down at bowling, by the way."

* * *

So! The band is upped to the full 5 members now. Carly and Griffin have joined, but better yet, the star of the chapter, the drummer they all wanted! Okay, so now that I have your attention ladies and gentlemen, was it obvious to you that Gibby would end up coming by? Okay, as promoted as he's been, it was probably obvious XD. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and this arc. This is the point where it's almost as if iCarly were to continue, but it isn't.


	159. The Imperial Fireballs

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 158 (The Imperial Fireballs)

Tomorrow morning, Freddie, Jonah, and Sam met up with Gibby and Tasha at the AMF Imperial Lanes bowling alley on 1201 22nd Avenue South. When Freddie entered, he had been met with the enticing aromas of wonderful food and the splendorous sound of pins being knocked over by bowling balls. He could see this, as well as the Groovy Smoothie, being major hangouts for them all. The friends were sitting at a table just outside aisle 20, their designated alley for the day.

Jonah had his son with him, which wasn't surprising at all. Tasha was fawning over baby Aaron while Jonah, Freddie, and Gibby talked about the band. "It's kind of interesting that iCarly ends and then you all come back together to form a band." Freddie chuckled at Gibby's words and shrugged his shoulders, he couldn't exactly help that fact. Both Sam and Carly were pretty important to him after all. "Either way, I think I mentioned before that I have an uncle who can line up some pretty good gigs here and there. That is, if you guys would ever be into that."

Freddie gave some thought to that and nodded as he pictured them performing on stage. It wouldn't be all that much of a problem, considering that was the whole idea of having a band. "I think it could work. Now if my sister would show up already, I'd be happy." They'd been there for a few minutes and all of them had already pretty much agreed to let Griffin join the band. They wanted to see him play the guitar a bit, but for the most part, they had no doubt that he would perform well.

The table they were sitting at was round and had enough room for seven chairs. Gibby sat in the chair closest to the six o'clock position, facing the doors. Freddie sat across from him with his back facing the alleys. To Freddie's left, at the one o'clock position was Sam. At the eleven o'clock position was Jonah. He had a small reclining high chair for Aaron to sit in, at four months he was able to use a high chair safely. To Gibby's right, at the five o'clock position was Tasha's main seat, although currently she was at the high chair next to Jonah, playing with the baby and making him laugh.

A waitress came up to the table with a tray of soup, seven soups. Carly called up and said what she wanted, which conveniently was the same as everyone else, French Onion Soup. In the middle was some bread with cream cheese and butter, as well as some bacon cheese fries. Along with the food were drinks, varying from water to tea. The waitress smiled at them as she set the food down. "I hope you enjoy your meal. Alley 20 is ready for you whenever you are."

"Thanks, we'll get to using it as soon as our friends show up." The waitress walked off and Freddie took the spoon next to his bowl and grabbed a spoonful of soup. He blew on the soup and brought it to his mouth. The warm soup made his taste buds sing and his throat gracefully accepted the first bite. "You guys, this soup is awesome!"

"Hell yeah it is!" Gibby exclaimed as he bit into a piece of bread that he dipped in the soup. Jonah took a bite of the soup and nodded his head.

"I have to say, I like this place every time I come here. Last time I came here was with Valerie, we had some _amazing_ onion rings and played a good game of bowling." Freddie smirked and pointed a piece of bread at him.

"To which she kicked your ass, right?"

"No! I uh…." Freddie lifted his eyebrows and Sam watched with eager anticipation. "I lost. Horribly…Italians have good aim." Freddie laughed and Jonah quickly glared at him. "It's true. It doesn't even matter that she's only half Italian, she's _still_ got good fucking aim!"

"Oh? Have you ever pissed her off to the point she throws something at you from a distance and it just so happens to hit your dick?" Jonah held up his finger to protest, but paused momentarily. The color drained from his face and Freddie smirked triumphantly as Jonah winced and continued to speak.

"Italians can get _really_ _pissed_ when you agitate them, especially during pregnancy." Freddie laughed again and Sam snickered, causing Jonah to slowly turn his head away from them in an attempt to cover up the embarrassment. He saw the doors open and Carly came walking in with Griffin. Their hands had been together, but once they entered the door, their hands parted. "Hey guys, look who just arrived. Fashionably late I might say." Gibby turned around in his chair as the others all looked over to Carly, who waved at them.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late. My friend had a little trouble with his, uh…his bike." Freddie lifted his eyebrow as Griffin's eyes met his. He gently nudged Sam with his knee and she quickly jumped up. Carly looked at her and smiled. "His name's Griffin."

"Your friend is a _biker_?" Sam put her hands on Griffin's arm and giggled once as Carly watched her with a smile. "Oh my god, he has _muscles_. So if he's a biker, does he have a girlfriend?" Sam looked past him and wagged her eyebrows suggestively. Freddie rubbed his chin as Griffin chuckled nervously. Carly smoothly avoided the question and started walking towards the table.

"You'd have to ask him." Carly moved to the seat next to where Sam had been sitting and leaned back against it. "Hey Griffin, you got a girlfriend?"

"Uh, yeah I do actually." He walked over to the table and Sam quickly moved back to her seat. She had a bit of a skip to her step.

"Cool! When can we meet her?"

"I'm not sure about that, I'd have to ask her." Sam nodded and Freddie watched as Carly took a seat at the two o'clock position of the table. Griffin sat next to her and looked down at the soup. "Looks good."

"It is pretty damn good," Freddie commented. "Anyway, Carly here says you're good with a guitar. This true?"

"Yeah, I've been playing the guitar for about two years now."

"Well, I'm looking for more free roam during my songs, so if you can play well enough, then maybe you can take care of the guitar." Griffin smiled and slowly nodded his head, he really did want to take that opportunity. Freddie smiled back at him as the others started eating their soup. "Okay, after this we play some bowling then I'll grab the guitar from my car. Sound good?"

"Yep. And thank you for the opportunity." He nodded and started eating, unsure of what else to talk about. They could talk about the performance they had coming up for Christmas weekend and New Years, anything to keep people off the subject of Griffin being a biker.

"Is everyone prepared to have the performances at the Groovy Smoothie on Christmas?" The others nodded and shrugged their shoulders. Carly and Freddie already talked about it the night before, she said she was fine with it as long as she was able to have fun. Jonah set it up, so he obviously had no qualms about it. Gibby was perfectly fine with the whole thing, as it really wasn't all that new to him. Sam, of course, would be unable to be there as she'd be two hours away with her family. "Griffin? Do you know the schedule?"

"Yeah, Carly filled me in on that on the way here. I'm fine with the times."

"Okay good." He paused momentarily and raised his eyebrow as he hung his spoon just inches away from his mouth. "Wait, how did you two get up here? I hope not on that bike…"

"Not at all, she drove her car and I came along with her. I don't think I'd let her ride my bike too often." He hoped not, he didn't want to imagine Carly being thrown off the bike in the event of a sharp turn. "Anyway, I thought I saw T-Bo's car out in the lot, you think he's around?"

"T-Bo? I haven't seen him." He looked away from the table, down the alleys in search of the man, but couldn't see him at all. Jonah nudged him and pointed towards the snack bar.

"There he is, and it looks like he's arguing with some short guy." The group shifted over and froze, to the point that even Jonah now recognized who it was. "Holy shit, is that Nevel?"

"What are they arguing about, you think?"

"I'll get a closer look," Griffin stated as he got up from the chair. Freddie nodded and quickly followed him for the hell of it. The two hid next to a wall and listened in to the argument.

Nevel was shaking a finger at T-Bo, who had his arms crossed and didn't look very attentive. "How can you just _replace_ me? That was _my_ slot!"

"Yes, and now it belongs to another band. I'm sorry, but nobody wants to hear a group of harmonicas and other windpipes play the sad little tale of the sad little boy that no one cared enough to visit, on _Christmas!_ So I've booked a better band." Nevel growled and twitched his hands.

"Well you better have a good reason, what band would be better than my quartet of windpipes?"

"A rock band called the Seattle Beasts. Look, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to find another venue."

"Where? How? The Groovy Smoothie was the best and only place around this area that we could get!"

"Again, that's too bad!" Nevel roared angrily and started pounding his fists on the counter like a child having a tantrum. Freddie lifted his eyebrows and stared at him for a while, since when did Nevel have a band? He looked to Griffin and smirked as an idea came to mind. Griffin frowned and eyed him with suspicion.

"What are you thinking?"

"We talk to the little bratty kid?"

"…about what?"

"I don't know, I just haven't seen or heard from this guy since we quit iCarly. He was pretty upset over it." The fact that Nevel had nothing to do with iCarly's end was something that he just couldn't handle at the time, so Freddie was curious to see just how well he fared since then. "Come on, come on." He walked around the booth and Griffin sighed, following him closely. T-Bo glanced at him and waved. Nevel ceased his rampage and looked over, meeting Freddie with wide eyes.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm just hanging out with my friends, how about you?" Nevel crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter, narrowing his eyes and studing Freddie up and down.

"I followed T-Bo here to find out why he told _me_ that I was being replaced on Christmas weekend!"

"Yeah, about that…" He rubbed the back of his head and Nevel slowly turned his gaze to Freddie's. "I couldn't help to overhear. Man that's got to suck. I didn't know you were a part of a band."

"Yeah, well, when iCarly ended…so did my website. Didn't have anything to do, so I gathered a couple friends and started a band." He stepped forward and jabbed an angry finger into Freddie's face, causing him to stumble backwards. "And if I find that band who stole my place at the Groovy Smoothie, I'll ruin them! They'll rue the day!" Freddie chuckled absently as Nevel glared up at the ceiling and pointed at it, angrily shouting out. "Do you hear that, Seattle Beasts? You'll rue the day! Rue it!" T-Bo and Griffin had to stifle their chuckling as Nevel growled and venomously stormed past Freddie, who was breathing in and looking around.

"Well, I do believe he's a hyperactive little man. Feel up for some bowling, Griffin?"

"Yeah, that'll be great. Any idea who'll win? We should have like a bet go down."

"That's actually a great idea. Maybe the winner will have the rest of the band pamper them and their date." He smirked and Griffin laughed vaguely before shaking his head. "Then again, I can see how that'd be problematic for three of us. You and I have a secret relationship with our girls, even though Jonah knows about my relationship with Sam. Jonah's girlfriend is also on an apprenticeship in New York."

"So what, that leaves Gibby then?"

"Yep." So there was a bet that wouldn't work at all. He looked over at the table to see Carly watching them closely, her eyebrows were raised up and her lips were pursed in confusion. "Oh I'm guessing Carly's wondering what we're going on about over here."

"Well I'm sure if I had a sister who had a secret boyfriend that I was talking to away from her range of hearing, then she'd be giving me the stink eye also." Freddie closed his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh. Griffin made sense, Carly probably did _not_ want them talking about stuff she couldn't hear. "So, I have a question. I know Jonah's your best friend and Sam's your girlfriend, so…"

"They found out after I saw you and Carly outside my house on Thanksgiving." Griffin chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, so much for laying low.

"I can understand that, you probably had a big 'what the fuck' moment there, huh?"

"Yep." He began walking and Griffin soon followed after him. Once they made it to the table, Freddie grinned and pointed to the alley. "Okay folks, I have a wager. Whoever wins gets to suggest a new band name." The group looked at each other and all agreed on that, they needed a name that stood out a bit more than what they had.

As the day went on, the main bowlers were Freddie, Jonah, Carly, Gibby, and Griffin. Sam didn't care to bowl, even though she enjoyed the game, and Tasha didn't have enough confidence to play. As the game went on, it was Carly hitting most of the pins. She had a strike on nearly every other frame. When the game ended, it was _clear_ who won. With every strike, the ball shot down the alley like a flaming ball of death, a harbringer of doom for the pins. Thus, she chose the band name that everyone agreed on: "Imperial Fireballs", a play off of the bowling alley and the speed of the bowling balls shooting towards the pins.

After the day of playing, the group was resting beside the building, laughing and playing around on the guitar Freddie had brought with him. He was sitting on a dumpster with his right foot propped up on it and his left leg going down the side. The guitar was in his lap and he was gently running his fingers along the strings. Jonah was leaning up against the front of the dumpster, tapping his feet on the ground. Carly was on the other end of the dumpster in a similar position as Freddie while Sam sat in the middle on the lid. It was an oddly clean dumpster, which was why they were there in the first place. Gibby and Griffin were on the other end of the narrow alley, leaning up against the building with their hands in their pockets. Tasha was in the center of them, dancing with the guitar.

"Hey guys, how about we write a song based on this place? I got an inspiration." Jonah nodded and glanced over to Freddie.

"Sounds good to me, but first, let's see what Griffin's got. I think we promised him a shot at that guitar before we can make him a completely honorary member of the Imperial Fireballs."

"All right, yeah, come over here man." Griffin pushed himself from the wall as Freddie carefully handed him the guitar. "Strum us up a song, let's hear it."

"All right, I got a good one for ya." Griffin took the guitar and thought for a moment. "This one I call A World of Pain. It's a song I wrote about how holding secrets, no matter how small, can eventually spiral out of control, leading to greater and greater chaos, until they destroy us." The others nodded and waited as he started strumming and skillfully and singing his original song. As he played, the others started to feel the effects of the music making their bodies yearn to move with the beat. Gibby and Freddie were drumming their hands on the surfaces they were with while the others bopped their heads. It seemed they also found their official songwriter too.

As Griffin wrapped up the song and smiled at Freddie, he handed him the guitar. Freddie jumped off the dumpster and grinned while giving Griffin a thumbs up. "Congrats Griffin, you're in the band. You also get to be our honorary songwriter, because the song was awesome!"

"Great! Thanks man."

"No problem. All of us together, even Sam, we _are_ the Fireballs. Let's rock the house."

* * *

Nevel's back, albeit briefly, it seems he's pissed Freddie's band is taking his slot XD. Well, the band has a new name, I think it's a good one. I enjoyed writing this chapter quite a bit ^_^. Griffin is an honorary member of the band, and the band is indeed complete. More drama to come, it won't be long before Carly discovers something big.


	160. Spencer's Nightmare

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 159 (Spencer's Nightmare)

Spencer tugged on his tie as he stood behind the prosecutor's desk in the large Seattle courtroom. On this day, December 18th, 2011, a finality would be reached in one of his first cases. A sixty four year old man had been accused of murdering his neighbor over an issue regarding their fence. The one thing that stunned Spencer was the last name of the man, similar to his. Granted, he and his father both changed their names legally to Benson, due to the fact that Robert's adoptive parents were Henry and Veronica Benson. Humorously, Spencer thought his granddad ought to change his last name to Davidson, but Tyrone would never go for it.

Mitchell Shay was a somewhat frail looking elderly man with a white goatee and thin, wispy white hair. His eyes were cold and violent, as if there were an even more extensive history behind the things this man had seen than the legal system even knew about.

He looked over to the defense and saw Mitchell sitting in wait, his jaw was locked tight and his face held no emotion whatsoever. "I would like to call to the stand, Jesse Martinez." Jesse Martinez was the gardener for Lucas Raymond, the man who had been gutted with a knife and had a .38 caliber bullet carefully placed in between his eyes. It was a sad fate for a 28 year old man with little respect for the elderly, as far as Mitchell was concerned.

Jesse was a medium sized man with an olive complexion, he had stunning brown eyes and thin lips. He walked to the bailiff, spoke the sacred oath, and walked to the stand. Spencer could see the fear in the man's eyes, and that was to be expected, he had been there when the murder took place. "Mr. Martinez." Jesse moved his eyes to Spencer and watched as he moved to the witness stand. "What were you doing on afternoon of July 21, 2009?"

"I was trimming Mr. Raymond's hedges like I did every Tuesday. There was nothing unusual about that day. Except one thing…"

"What was missing?"

"His neighbor usually was out trying to start an argument. You see, Mr. Martinez had several trees which had branches crossing over into the other yard. Nuts and leaves would constantly fall down, this was the source of his neighbor's arguments. "

"Where these arguments frequent?"

"Yes sir, every time I was there, I saw them fighting." Spencer slowly nodded and paced a bit to the left, rubbing his chin in thought. As he peered over to Mitchell, a bead of sweat traveled down his nose. Mitchell slowly looked at him and he froze up with fear, for a split second his eyes met true evil. Those pale blue eyes seemed as though they could kill a man in an instant. He quickly turned away and focused his attention back to Jesse.

"Now on this day, did you notice anything out of order?"

"Yes."

"What was this disorder that you noticed?"

"Mr. Raymond's front door was open." Spencer clasped his hands together and spoke up just a bit more, hoping to get a bit of excitement flowing in.

"What did you do when you saw the door ajar?"

"I entered, thinking something might be wrong. That's when I saw him."

"Saw who?"

"That man." Jesse pointed to Mitchell and Spencer felt a sudden cold chill down his spine. He cracked his neck slightly and closed his eyes.

"You saw Mitchell Shay in your boss's house? What was he doing?"

"He was hovering over Mr. Raymond with a knife…cutting a hole in his stomach. I-I ran, I hid, I was afraid he would come after me." Mitchell growled and Spencer once more felt an odd sensation, as though there were a demon in the room.

"I see." Spencer moved his arms forward and faced the jurors. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I give you Jesse Ramirez." Spencer pointed his hand, palm up, towards Jesse, then pointed his index finger at Mitchell. The old man didn't flinch, he didn't budge from his seat. "Witnessed that man kill his boss over a dispute regarding land. You've heard the evidence, you've heard the case." He paced down the booth, holding his hands behind his back. "A bullet wound to the forehead, stabbing his stomach. You saw the pictures, entrails lying in…a pool of blood…You have a witness statement placing this man at the scene of the crime. This man, who has had a history of violence with this neighbor. It is now up to you to decide if this man is guilty of a crime or if he walks free."

Mitchell moved his eyes to the side and huffed as Spencer started to walk back to his desk. "I give you one final, one _chilling_ piece of evidence, picked up by the sheriff." He picked up a cassette recorder and handed it to the judge, who proceeded to play it.

It was a confession to a police officer, all was silent as Mitchell's cold voice echoed through the air. _"Did I kill? Yes, I have killed before. Did I kill that young man? Yes. He had little respect for elders, someone had to teach him to respect his elders. Would I do it again? Yes. Would I kill again? Yes. There are several things I have done in the past, several attempts I have done. What those were, you will never know. I will never tell you and nobody else will. Do I care? I'm a sixty something year old man, I'll die soon enough. What do I care if you put me in prison? What do I care I die right here, right now? Just know that everyone gets what they deserve eventually. That boy did. I enjoyed cutting open his gut, I enjoyed shooting that pistol into his head…"_

The judge cut off the recording as the occupants of the courtroom tried to shake off the cold air. Spencer slowly sat down at his desk and closed his eyes as the Judge ordered the jury to deliberate. It didn't take long for them to reach a verdict and come back out. One member of the jury, the spokesman, read off their card.

"We the members of the jury do find the defendant _guilty_ of first degree murder." Mitchell bowed his head as Spencer wiped his brow with a napkin, he was glad the trial was over. He smiled as the judge ordered Mitchell be put away for thirty years without possibility of parole. A feeling of euphoria rushed over him, an unexplainable feeling of joy seemed to hit him, as if he'd just avenged more than just this one murder victim. He beamed with pride as the judge slammed down the gavel and the officers led Mitchell away.

As Spencer walked out of the courthouse, Sasha came running up to him and hugged his neck. He looked into her warm, loving eyes and gently kissed her lips. He felt so much freedom and happiness from her. After all the tension, after all the evil that seemed to radiate from that man, he needed a familiar and caring face. "How was the trial baby?"

"It was hell. I told you that guy had the same last name as I did? I'm sure it was coincidental, but Jesus…he was creepy as hell. I mean, _I_ was scared of him!"

"Well don't be, you have nothing to worry about baby. The case is over, you'll never have to see that guy again."

"Hopefully." She lowered her hand to his and tugged gently, walking with him. He breathed in and smiled at her. "You look amazing today, by the way." She blushed lightly as she rested her head upon his shoulder. "You know, that case reminds me. Nobody's found Lionel yet, I hope he's not still out there."

"No one knows where he is, but yeah, people are out looking for him. If he slips up, you know he'll be found."

"Remember what Carlos told Mom? Lionel _isn't_ the type of person to slip up. I'm also a bit worried, he's getting older too…what if…what if he decides to break his pattern? Don't serial killers do that? Usually once their M.O. is found, but…if he's going after the 'evil' in the Shays, then…"

"Ah don't worry about it baby, let's just go home and rest, okay?" He smiled back at her and put his arm around her waist. "I love you."

"I love you." As they walked, Spencer saw a group of women eyeing them. Some were familiar, such as the girl from the supermarket that never liked him. She had stars in her eyes. There was Miss Fielder, from the local park community center. He shrugged and gazed confidently ahead of them as he and Sasha walked past the women drooling over him. Sasha slowly glared at them and they quickly looked away. He smirked and shook his head as he made his way into the car.

When they made it to their home, Sasha decided to work on making dinner while he leaned back in his bed to take a nap. When he closed his eyes, he immediately began to drift off into a lucid sleep.

_Spencer moaned as he awoke, his vision was slightly cloudy on the edges, but he could see well in front of himself. He was in a dark room and heart was beating rapidly. His breathing was raspy and his body covered in sweat. Something wasn't right, where was he? He moaned and quickly threw his hand to his throat, his voice was a lot deeper than usual! The touch of his fingers was odd as well, wrinkly it seemed._

_ How was that possible? He moved his hands in front of his face and stared at the backs with wide astonishment, he had white hairs! He screamed out and took a look around, finding himself stuck in a cell with iron bars and a window with iron bars, clearly a prison cell._

_ As he dashed from the prison bed and to the sink, he stared in the mirror and let out a shuddering moan. He was inside the body of Mitchell Shay! He screamed out and his eyes flew to the calendar. The month was January, each day was marked with an X to signal the passing of time. His eyes froze on the date, January 13th, 2012 was circled in red. It was Friday the 13th, the first of the year. _

_ Outside the cell, a young guard stared in at him, his eyes were narrow in a cold glare. "Shay! The warden would like a word with you!" He knew the name of this prison, it was a very cold place that he, or Mitchell, had been transferred to. He hadn't behaved well in the last prison and requested to be moved to a prison within the state he'd lived in for so long before, Idaho. He was now in an small town prison._

_ He let the guard grab his arm and pull him roughly from the cell. As he walked along, he felt an overwhelming, overpowering sense of dread. He'd not met the warden there before, not personally. All he knew was he was an elder man, just a couple years younger than he was. _

_ As the guard pushed him through the door and shut it behind him, his body seemed to shake as he eyed the back of a leather chair. On the oak desk was the warden's name: Leo Benne. Next to the brick was a large hourglass. The walls were bleak and dark and the ominous feeling of death filled the air. Why? _

_ He'd heard rumors about this prison, about this town. It was a corrupt town. Sure, crime didn't slide, but the police could literally do whatever they felt like. This prison was bad for it. Prisoners were known to 'disappear' from the prison for good. The warden would allow a prisoner some time to go wherever, the only one to know where would be the officer taking the prisoner. The officer would then return, the prisoner's body would never be found. _

_ "There's a lot of evil here, Mitchell." He swallowed as the warden spun his chair around. Mr. Benne had his right leg crossed over his left and was leaning back, his fingertips pressed against each other in his lap. He had a slightly balding head with very light, thin brown, almost grey hair combed back. His face had mild wrinkles, frown lines creased his lips, and his ferocious eyes rested deep within his sockets. Those eyes seemed to hold a lot of danger, death, history and age. _

_ "Yes there is, Mr. Benne."_

_ "I assume you've heard the rumors of my prison? It is depressing. I can assure you, I've never had anything to do with a prisoner's disappearance before."_

_ "Never?"_

_ "Correct. It is the guards that they give me."_

_ "Why don't you do anything about them?"_

_ "Have you seen this town? There's no replacing the guards…the mayor won't do shit and the police chief doesn't care about the prisoners. Honestly I am growing weary of it. However, I can see the chief's concern with…cleansing…the evil."_

_ "Yes." Mitchell's eyes turned to the hourglass, the sand was falling down quickly. Mr. Benne's eyes moved over and his frown marks deepened._

_ "Time is running out Mr. Shay. Please tell me, I am interested…I thought all you Shays were gone?" _

_ "Huh? No."_

_ "No? Surely I do not consider that lawyer that put you away, Spencer. Hell, his father was adopted. I am concerned with his grandfather, however. I do know that Tyrone Shay was born from a very evil man, Devlin Shay."_

_ "Yes, that is true. However, there was another lineage. Brandon's sister." Mr. Benne's eyebrows rose curiously as he tilted his head to the side. "She was assaulted by the drunkard bastard brother of that Davidson patriarch. She had a son. This was written off in history because our cousin, Keyton, was apparently _good_ and he decided to keep that line unspoken of."_

_ "I see…so tell me…on down this line of Shays…I presume them to be evil." _

_ "Straight to my son, Bana." He smirked deviously and Mr. Benne's eyes narrowed. "We've all tried to slaughter the Davidson family, and now I'm here, so you got nothing on me."_

_ "No, that is true. Your entire line is filled with blood, death, the _stench_ of evil." Mr. Benne rose to his feet and slowly opened his drawer. "Serial killers. Do you know of Keyton's son?"_

_ "Not entirely, no."_

_ "Lionel Shay, he's a serial killer who has stalked the Shay family. Every ten years, he strikes." The dark feeling started to rise up again as he began feeling a bit more uncomfortable. He swallowed hard and glanced at the calendar. "As early as 1963, actually…Brandon Shay was on his deathbed…" Mr. Benne reached into the drawer and Mitchell's heart began beating harder still as realization slowly dawned on him. "Striking on a Friday the 13th, he opted to cleanse the Shay line of evil." _

_ "Mr. Benne? What are you reaching for?"_

_ "Gun." His blunt tone struck Mitchell hard as he watched the man pull a steel pistol from the drawer. "The last death was his own sister, back in 2003, Connie Shay. He took pity upon her, spiking her drink with a sleep aid and pushing her body into a lake. His first kill, Brandon, isn't very known. Only because he was thirteen years old when it happened…he was turning fourteen in just a couple days. He was speaking to his great grandfather when the 90 year old man confessed to all the crimes the Shay family did. That's when he snapped and put pressure on the life support tube, causing Brandon Shay to have a heart attack. From that point, he _vowed_ to rid the world of the Shays. At all cost, he just had to wait a few years."_

_ "Whoa…" He watched as the warden checked the bullets in the gun. "How do you know this? I mean…" He wasn't afraid, he was an old man anyway. If he was to die, he'd die._

_ "Hm? Oh, I'm Lionel." His face drained of its color as Lionel shifted his eyes up and smirked. "Yes, I am a prison warden. No, I have only ever killed members of the Shay family, so any prisoner that has vanished from this prison has _not_ been under my watch. Now you see, when I heard of your trial and I learned that there were _more_ Shays around, I realized something…I couldn't bide my time anymore. The Shays would _continue_ and I would eventually pass on before my job was done. I can't let that happen, but I will still bide my time some. I prefer to stick with Friday the 13th, no other date will do." _

_ "How the hell have you not been found out?"_

_ "I'm very meticulous, very careful. I get the job done, typically in one strike, and I make sure it's clean. You? Here's the plan. You'll be shot and killed. The guard outside will then take your body to the prison furnace where you will be properly burnt to ashes. Goodbye Mitchell Shay." His eyes widened as Lionel slowly pointed the gun to his right temple. He moved his eyes to the hourglass and whimpered slightly as the last few bits of sand began seeping through. "You're out of time." His body flinched and the last thing he felt was blood oozing down the side of his face. The last thing he saw was his vision fading to black as he crashed to the ground._

Spencer awoke in a sweat and was breathing heavily. Sasha ran into the room and reached his side. "Spencer, what's wrong? I heard you scream!"

"I-I don't know, I can't tell you what just happened…" She sat next to him and hugged him, hoping to comfort him. He blinked several times and rubbed his eyes, then tentatively touched the side of his head. He felt no blood, so clearly it was a dream, but it felt so damned real. "It was just a nightmare, Sasha. A bad nightmare."

"Yeah, you're okay and I'm right here. Don't worry about anything, you're safe." He chuckled nervously and closed his eyes, he was certain it meant nothing, but the face of that man sure as hell stuck with him.

"Some guy that looked like fucking Hannibal Lecter…shot me in the temple with a gun…and a guard threw my body into a furnace."

"Ouch." He felt her shiver and quickly lift him up. "Okay, don't think anything of that. Dinner's almost done anyway. Are you hungry?"

"Yep!" Food seemed to be great for instantly taking his mind off of that dream, it was just what he needed. Hopefully he could forget the looks of that man, that cold and calculating man.

* * *

So Lionel Shay. Well, that was just a nightmare, wasn't it? I guess we'll have to see, come the first Friday the 13th of the year. Now it's known to Spencer that there are other Shays out there besides Tyrone and Lionel.


	161. Fear Strikes Him

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 160 (Fear strikes him)

Tyrone tapped his foot gently on the tile floor of the diner he was eating at. It was an Asian restaurant and he was currently eating sweet and sour chicken with some hot and sour sauce on the side. He had a lot to think about, quite an enormous amount of stuff was hitting him in recent years. All the things that Marissa had accused him of, he hadn't done any of that. The only thing he was truly guilty of was letting one of his gang members go after Jake Krandal, in the thinking that he was Jonah. He hadn't sanctioned Jake's _murder_.

"What started all this?" His guest asked in a quiet voice. Across from Tyrone was Shane Johnson, the same person who had been caught in between Carly and Sam a while back. He was still angry about the entire thing. Now that Tyrone had a suspicion, he wanted to use Shane for something. Anything at all. Shane was stirring some Wonton Soup with his spoon and eyeing the soup with narrow eyes. "Why are you so against Freddie and his family?"

"A lot of anger…a lot of confusion…" He lifted his head up and stared at a small pipe at the ceiling. He felt deeply that this place needed to put some tiles up there as well. Maybe get Robert Irvine from the Food Channel to use this restaurant in one of his Restaurant: Impossible segments. "Back in '82, I'd gotten out of a bad divorce with my ex. I know she divorced me because I was angry, but can you blame me? My father told me that I was a mistake." Shane's eyebrows rose as Tyrone stared off into the distance, as though he was just talking to himself. "A product of rape, that was it."

"That's bad…you just learned that?"

"Yeah, my own _dad_…didn't tell me who my mother was, but apparently she was dead. I was pissed, it threw me off my game. He told me it was because of that arranged marriage bullshit, started telling me what that was all about, so I decided I wanted no part of it. Refused my son from marrying into that life…" Shane slurped his soup and closed his eyes.

"Let me guess, it's come around to bite you in the ass now."

"I'm losing my entire family…I still have my granddaughter, but I'm afraid they'd brainwash her." Shane scoffed and turned his head to the side, stunning Tyrone for a bit.

"Please, arranged marriage…what the hell do you think it is, old timer?" Tyrone's lips parted to speak, but Shane looked back into his eyes and continued talking, preventing him from speaking. "Arranged marriage is different in various cultures Mr. Shay. Let's talk the Benson-Davidson clan, shall we? My grandmother has worked for the Davidson family for a couple years before she met my grandfather, of whom she never actually _married_." He reached into a backpack next to him and pulled out a journal. "This is a copy of my grandmother's journal from when she was really young. She started working as a maid from the age of sixteen, then when she turned twenty, she went to work with someone other than the Davidson's. Let's see here…"

Tyrone raised his eyebrow as Shane opened the book to the first pages of the journal, he felt a feeling of confusion and eagerness to hear what was in that journal. "So she worked as a maid, huh…"

"She met the whole clan. Here we go…She was born in 1950 to a Vietnamese family, moved over to the states in 1966 where she needed to help support her family. She says in her journal that she was a maid for Era Davidson's family and learned _so much_ about the culture they had. The people there get to have their choice, that's what Dirdan 'Dan' Davidson wanted. The prospective couple should at least date and find out if they like each other enough, then when asked if that's the one they wanted, it was their choice." Tyrone's heart sank momentarily and he muttered quietly to himself.

"I don't know, I still think there's a problem with it…I mean so young?"

"They have to be _twenty_, Mr. Shay. No younger. Their mate is selected at the age of 12 or 13, they have to spend time together and then marry at twenty. That's how the Davidson clan does it." Tyrone groaned and shrugged it off, still unsure of what to believe. Shane shouldn't be biased, considering he never talked to them, but he did have some knowledge. "When I was going to Ridgeway, I was curious, so I talked to Freddie about it during class once. He explained the culture, he didn't explain who his fiancé was though. I have my suspicions."

"So do I, and that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Shane raised an eyebrow as Tyrone forked his chicken and brought it to his mouth. He chewed for a moment, then swallowed. "I think his fiancé may be Samantha Puckett."

Shane's eyes widened for a bit and he quickly cleared his throat. "Sam? Carly's friend? Why would you think _her_?"

"Because she and Freddie, they're always together. They even got locked in school together a couple days ago. So here's what I want you to do…If you'll do it for me." Shane frowned as Tyrone set his fork down and sighed. "I don't want to hurt them, but I want to keep that girl out of that lifestyle. I can't protect Carly because she's with her dad, who is marrying Marissa, but Sam…she's lived with the Bensons for years, when her mom died, she named Marissa as her legal guardian."

"You expect to pry her away from her legal guardian?"

"No, but if she _is_, then maybe I can convince her family to pull her away." Shane chuckled lightly and Tyrone took another bite. Sure it could be difficult, _if_ Sam were the girl, to pull her away. Her family would have to fight for custody. "Anyway, how I want you to figure this out is…I've noticed over the years that Freddie _can_ have a mean streak, so if Sam is the one…what if you tried to seduce her? Kiss her?" Shane gagged once and closed his eyes, pain was clearly expressed in his face. Tyrone knew what he might be thinking about, getting beaten by either Freddie, Jonah, or anyone else for that matter, and chances were he didn't want to do that. "If Freddie gets upset enough, then there's a pretty good chance that _she_ is his fiancé."

"Okay, but you do know there might be love involved with those two, right?"

"Love? Don't get me started on love…" He frowned and stared down at his bowl with a slightly angry expression. What was love good for? He thought Angeline loved him, but she left him. He thought his father loved him, but that had been a lie. "I've not seen Angeline since the divorce. I've not talked to my father in over thirty years. People have come, people have gone, and you want to sit here and tell me about _love_?"

"You broke your son up from Marissa nearly thirty years ago, did you not?" He nodded his head and watched with despair as Shane smirked back at him. "Then explain why he and Marissa are getting married now after all this time? I think it could very well be love. Honestly old timer, your son and grandson probably did well to get away from you."

"Can we not talk about that, please?"

"Separation anxiety?"

"No, I just don't want to talk about that."

"Fine by me. So, say I do this for you…what do I get out of it, besides a possible black eye from either Sam or Freddie?"

"You're still upset about what happened, right?" Shane rubbed the back of his neck and groaned as he recalled flying down the elevator shaft. "Well if you do this, maybe you're getting them back a little? Taking the rug from under their feet? Nah, not good enough…I'll pay you some money."

"What do you intend to do anyway? Ship the Bensons off to India or something? Look what happened with Agim."

"Not me…someone else was after his family. Probably the same people after Zamira."

"Yeah, you have to hate serial killers. My gramps was one, actually…" Tyrone raised an eyebrow and wanted to know more. Before he could ask Shane to elaborate, his phone began ringing. He lifted his hand up and Shane moved his eyes over to the phone.

"Hold that thought…" He looked at the phone and saw Spencer calling. His eyebrows rose up and he quickly answered, he was actually happy that Spencer was calling him. "What's going on?"

_"Granddad, I have a question. This has been bugging the hell out of me…"_

"What?"

_"I just got done prosecuting someone named Mitchell Shay. Shay, gramps, there's another person with that last name. Is that a coincidence?"_

"Another Shay? No, of course not." He turned his eyes to Shane as Spencer continued to go on about this Mitchell Shay, a murderer. He rolled his eyes and sighed, though Shane seemed a bit curious. "Look Spencer, I was born in '37, I think I would know if there was another."

_"How can you be so sure? You said it yourself a while back, your own father lied to you. Maybe he never told you."_

"I'm telling you, there are no remaining Shays. _I am the last Shay_. Do you understand? There are no other Shays. You, Carly, Robert, none of you are even Shays. The Shay line started with James Shay who had a son in 1849 with a woman born in 1830. She died in 1852, so they had _one_ kid. William had one kid, Brandon. Brandon had my father, never spoke of another kid in the line. So I was Devlin's only child. There are no other Shays. James Shay was an only child."

_"Grandpa, I know there's another Shay out there somewhere. Devlin had two sons. Keyton Shay was his other kid. I know because we found something out at the reunion about him…"_

He scoffed and threw his hand up in the air. "Keyton Shay? I've never heard of him." Shane's eyes flicked up from his soup, then over to the journal next to him. Tyrone caught the action and stared skeptically at the youth. "You would think…I would have known if I had a brother. Or a cousin for that matter…if this Mitchell Shay would be related."

"Impossible," Shane interrupted from under his breath. Tyrone blinked and glanced over to see Shane reading through his journal.

"What are you talking about?"

"My grandmother doesn't write about a Mitchell Shay."

"Hold on Spencer…" Tyrone brought his phone to his shoulder and stared in silence at Shane. "How the hell would your grandmother know about any Shays?"

"Because she worked for one, he was my grandfather." He furrowed his brow and relaxed his body as Shane went on to explain who his grandmother was. "I didn't know her all that well, she died a while back. She writes in her journal that she was terrified of this man, feared for her life if she ever left him. His name was Lionel Shay."

"Lionel Shay…"

"Yes. She writes that every ten years on Friday the 13th, he kills a member of the Shay family, in order to cleanse their evil." His jaw dropped and he flinched as he tried to imagine that happening. "She writes that he revealed to her just when it began, when he was only 13, going on 14. He killed Brandon Shay by cutting off his life support. After that, Grandma was around to know about each Shay he killed. When he murdered his own sister in 2003, he told her that if she wanted to leave, she could. She did."

Tyrone's stomach churned inside and a feeling of fear, mixed in with disbelief, shot up inside. How could there _be_ another Shay if he'd never heard of it? He was so close-minded to everything around him that he consistently refused to believe anything that didn't make sense to him. "I don't understand. Your last name is Johnson…not Vietnamese at _all_."

"I know. My grandmother's name was Kim Pham. She passed away in 2007 in our family home, heart attack. She never changed her name, she wasn't really _married_ to this Lionel person. They had a daughter, my mother, Jennifer Pham. When she was young, grandma told her to leave far away, so she moved here where she met my father, Todd Johnson. Dad died in 2000, by the way. Would you like to read this journal? I have another copy of it back home. Grandma's got _everything _down. However, she doesn't write about _anyone_ named Mitchell. Also…your father's name is in this too."

"What?" His eyes widened as Shane pushed the journal to him. He slowly peered down at the leather book, his hands shook fearfully as he tried ineffectively to swallow his fear.

"As for your plan…I'll do it, only because I know you're not going to like what's in that book. I'll try to figure out how I'm going to go about it, so until then, see you later. I'll uh…I'll talk to Mom and see if she knows anything about the Shays. Maybe Grandma talked to her."

"O-Okay…" He waited as Shane pushed off and walked away from the table. When he was gone, Tyrone slowly opened the journal up. With a quivering jaw, he slowly put the phone to his ear. "Spencer…there's nothing about a Mitchell Shay, but…I have to let you go."

_"Granddad, is there something wrong?"_

"Don't worry about it." He slowly closed his phone, ignoring whatever else Spencer was saying, and pushed the phone into his pocket. He didn't want to burden his family with anything else. _"My dad's in this book? I've not talked to him since 1980…Sure he'd be dead by now, but…"_ He shook his head and felt a pang in his heart as he read through the journal.

Within a couple hours, Tyrone was standing in a cold wind, his hair flying off to the side as leaves flying by him. After searching, he'd found what he was looking for. He was staring down at his father's grave. _Devlin Shay, October 31, 1903-May 13, 1983_. Not far from the grave was Brandon's tombstone. _Brandon Shay, September 12, 1870-September 13, 1963._

The stories were etched beautifully in Kim Pham's journal, Lionel Shay told her so well what had taken place. A tear fell from his eyes as he gripped the journal tightly in his hands. How had he never known his father was going to be _murdered_? What if this man were to come after him? What would happen? No, he couldn't _find_ him, that's what Kim said. Lionel didn't even know where the hell he was, but he sure knew about the others.

_And he told me when we met, he was not a dangerous man. He's a killer, a vicious killer, whether he believes he's doing right or not. He was born on September 15th, 1949…He was almost fourteen. His father was Keyton Shay, born in 1926 by Devlin Shay and a woman that Devlin felt was to be his wife. She left him. Brandon was 93 and on his deathbed with Lionel on September 13th, 1963. Lionel says that's when he wanted to cleanse the Shay family of their evil. Brandon confessed to having killed the wife of Dalmat Davidson, with the help of Devlin, no doubt. He also confessed to killing Dirdan's three year old son, Birim. That's when Lionel grabbed the life support tube, holding onto it until Brandon had a heart attack…_

Tyrone swallowed hard as the sweat dripped down his neck, his hands shook and he slowly fell back on a stone bench next to his father's grave. "I had a brother, you never _told me_ I had a brother." He'd found Keyton's grave nearby. When he did, his entire world came crashing down upon him. _Keyton Shay, January 5, 1926-July 13th, 1973_. Why did he feel like there was something missing? There _had_ to be a reason his father never spoke of Keyton, a reason that he'd never even heard of the guy.

_July 14th, 1973-My heart's going a million miles a minute, I need help, but I don't want to leave. I can't leave him, he might kill me. He'd just killed his own _father!_ It was gruesome, I was there! I had to watch it happen! Poor Mr. Keyton Shay, poor, poor man. He was working in his workshop when Lionel went in with a hammer and hit him many times. He cut off all of the man's limbs and shot his eyes and mouth with a nail gun. Oh my god it was gruesome! I don't know why Lionel kept his head intact, but he burned Mr. Shay's body from the neck down, complete ash! At least Keyton wasn't aware who was attacking him…Lionel struck from behind. That's mercy, right? Tell me it's mercy. Oh god! I don't understand though, Keyton wasn't like his father and grandfather, he wasn't evil. It may be too late, Lionel my think he's evil… _

He suppressed the urge to vomit as he remembered that entry. His hands had been shaking so badly and he almost felt like Lionel was creeping up on him. He set the journal down next to him and brought his hands to his face, sobbing lightly. Was he evil? Was he bad? Was he mislead? What was the problem here that he was facing, besides possible death? Would his son even know? Was that what Devlin was thinking about when he died?

_Devlin Shay, an eighty year old man still working at a factory. It's May 13th, 1983. This man was pure evil. Lionel told me that Devlin assaulted someone and had a child named Tyrone, but to this day he does not know where that child is. He only knew where Devlin was. This man, this violent man…He helped murder someone in 1931, Ciara Davidsion. Then again, I think that was Dalmat's wife. In 1961, he had a fight with that Besim Davidson, trying to take that man's wife away, but failed. He had back problems ever since, and I think that's what happened here…He confronted Devlin in front of a factory grinder. The old man was so cocky, so evil, so sure of himself that he taunted Lionel. He claimed he enjoyed everything he'd done and wasn't sorry for it. Then he went on to say something that really hurt him…Lionel punched Devlin in the jaw and the old man stumbled backwards, but somehow his back was thrown out and he fell into the grinder. Blood went everywhere, it was scary!_

Tyrone had to hand it to Besim, fighting for his wife like that, it was a very noble thing to do. He knew Freddie would do the same for his fiancé, at least. The tale of his father's gory demise had shaken him so much that he just didn't want to think anything more about it. He'd read of Isabel Manten. The poor girl was just sixteen in 1993. Her grave was next to her mother's just a few plots away. _Isabel Manten, January 6th, 1977-August 13th, 1993_, and _Connie Shay, June 8th 1961-June 13th, 2003._

Isabel had been looking at her homework when Lionel entered from behind her, he used a screwdriver and stabbed her in the neck. When she was still breathing and gasping for air, he ended up stabbing her again in the head. Kim wrote in her journal that Lionel didn't want to be that violent with the young girl, he expected her to die from the first blow. As for Connie, he was merciful to her. Since she was his sister, he didn't want to be too violent. This time, he only spiked the woman's drink with a powerful sleep aid to knock her out. After that, he tied her wrists and legs with rope and threw her body in the lake, letting her drown without waking.

Tyrone knew Lionel might search him out, after all, he was the last Shay left. Could he try to find Jennifer and Shane? Maybe, maybe not, it was hard to tell. That was his own bloodline, but if he wanted to get rid of the Shay bloodline, then he might. Suddenly an intense feeling gripped at his heart, he'd just had Shane do something that might be construed as pretty bad. If so, Lionel might view it as evil! "No…"

"There are other things to worry about besides Lionel Shay." Tyrone's head flew up and he turned his eyes to see a young girl watching him closely. She had brown hair with black tips and seemed rather skinny. She had a backpack on and a journal in her hand. "Tyrone Shay, I presume?"

"Y-Yeah, who are you?"

"Nora Dershlitt…I was hoping to talk to you."

* * *

Looks like the ever mysterious Nora has made contact with Tyrone, Shane's a Shay, and Tyrone's beginning to realize a whole bunch of stuff. Dang, hope you enjoyed the chapter


	162. Friends and Lovers

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 161 (Friends and Lovers)

Freddie, Carly and Sam were hanging in the living room at Sam's place, Melanie was brushing her hair in the mirror on the vanity set near them. They all had the television on and was watching _Restaurant: Impossible_. In this, Robert Irvine, a great chef, would have just two days and $10,000 to turn a dying restaurant into a lively one again. He had a design team and was very proficient in reviving dying establishments. It was a good show, but the group preferred _Chefs vs. City_.

In that show, Aarón Sanchez and another chef named Chris would go up against other chefs with three challenges in various places off a particular city. He was also sometimes a judge on the show _Chopped_. He had his own cooking show as well, he enjoyed Mexican peppers quite often. "Just fast forward through the decoration parts, those are kind of boring," Melanie said as she set her brush down and walked over. She stared at the television and chuckled, Chef Irvine was scolding a waitress who was rude to a customer. "You should never be rude to a customer, they might not come back and they'll tell all their friends not to come back."

"Yeah, I don't get it," Carly said while waving her hand in the air. "If you think you're better than the customer, that's one thing, but just flat out ignoring them and treating them like trash…" She too enjoyed watching Chef Irvine dealing with the restaurant owners and employees more than the design crew. "I don't know that we can fast forward. Can we?" She looked to Sam, who was sitting on the floor with her back against the couch. Freddie was sitting on the cushion of the couch in front of her. Sam rolled her head to the side and grabbed the remote.

"Yeah, this is on recording. We should be just fine to forward ahead. In fact, I'm watching this while recording Rachael Ray's _30 minute meals_, which Valerie's going to be on. Carly smiled and felt a bit of excitement inside, she was looking forward to seeing how Valerie was doing. "Speaking of the design part of this show, here we go…" She pressed the fast forward button and watched as the show sped right on by the décor. Now it was back to Chef Irvine discussing another issue with the servers and owners. "I know Valerie wants to start her own restaurant up, do you think Chef Irvine might help out? I wonder just how many of the chefs on the Food Network she talks to."

"Probably all of them, actually." Melanie sat down next to Freddie on the couch, as he was in the center. Carly was on the right side. She watched the show and hummed gently. "Kyle should be here soon, I don't want him to miss _30 minute meals!_" Carly chuckled and Sam leaned her head back on the couch, gazing at her sister.

"You want him to see what she looks like, huh?"

"Yeah, because she's like…a big part of our lives! Or at least yours…"

"True." Carly gazed once more at Sam and Freddie, she was still wondering about those two. She was going to miss Sam when Christmas started. She had a three hour and thirty minute drive to Richland, Washington. Her grandmother lived on 2209 Putnam St, right across from the First Baptist Church. Her grandmother had a two story home, Carly had never seen it and wanted to, but she really wanted to be with her family. She was in the same shoes as Sam was, in the sense that she was getting the opportunity to spend Christmas with her family for the first time. Although, unlike Sam, she never had a choice because she never _knew _who her family was.

"Man, I can't believe you and Melanie are leaving tomorrow." It was Monday the 19th of December. Sam and her family would leave early on the 20th and stay until January 1st, making it home just in time to be there for Marissa and Robert's wedding. "I still say it isn't fair." Sam laughed once and reached up, patting Carly's knee.

"It's okay Carly, it's just a couple weeks. Besides, I really want to see what Grandma and Grandpa's house looks like. I'm really enjoying my family, I never actually knew they cared so much." Carly was happy for her friend. Sure, she knew the same as Sam, that at the time, it would have been better for her to be with Marissa than her family. "I feel like, if I didn't spend this year with them, it's like telling them I don't want to be with them, and that's entirely not the case."

"True. My family is great and I think I'm finally starting to come to terms with everything I've learned about them." Freddie and Sam both smiled at her when she said that, she felt a sense of pride when she met their eyes. She wanted them to know that she was never truly worried about her family, not now at least. She loved Marissa and really wanted to see her real grandpa. "Maybe this year I'll get the chance to meet my grandpa. Freddie, do you know if Mom has any siblings? I'd love to have cousins!" Freddie chuckled and responded with a brisk nod, giving Carly a feeling of pure elation. "Yay! Tell me about them! _Please_?"

He laughed and held his hand up. "Okay, okay, I will. Aunt Jennifer, Mom's older sister by like, seven years. She's a really nice person and is amazing smart! Unfortunately her husband died in 2008." Carly frowned and heaved a heavy sigh, she felt horrible that she wouldn't know her Uncle, but at least she might be able to know her Aunt. "Aunt Jennifer has two daughters, Erin was born in 1980 and Stephanie was born in 2007. I think you've seen Stephanie, she was the baby that no one could make laugh." Carly thought back and recalled that moment Marissa brought the baby into the home. She laughed heartily and Freddie took a slow breath. "Yeah, well she'll be starting kindergarten next year and I'm pretty sure people will still try, unsuccessfully, to make her laugh."

"I can see that happening. Do you think I'll meet them this year?"

"Probably, you might meet Grandpa too."

"Yes!" She squealed happily and hugged Freddie's neck, taking him by surprise. Sam laughed and flipped off the recording they were watching. The show was over and Rachael Ray was starting up. The theme started and faded in as Rachael and Valerie appeared standing at the counter in Christmas seasonal wear.

"Guys, guys, they're on!" The others quickly stopped what they were doing and watched with eager anticipation.

_ "Hey guys, my apprentice and I are here today to show you a quick and easy meal you can make for the family during a busy Christmas day. First, I want to introduce my assistant again." Rachael smiled as Valerie's looked to her with admiration. "Valerie Williams. As you know, she comes from an Italian family, and I recently found out that her family's legal family name actually _isn't_ Williams."_

"It's not?" Melanie asked with curiosity. Sam and Freddie shook their heads while Carly pondered the same thought. Sam cleared her throat and pointed at the screen.

"Her last name is basically the English equivalent of her Italian name, Guglielmo. It's always been hard to pronounce and people constantly mess it up, so they use Williams instead."

"Oh wow…That's actually pretty creative."

_"Valerie, what is your surname, again?" Valerie chuckled nervously and closed her eyes. _

_ "It's the Italian equivalent of Williams: Guglielmo. Hard to pronounce, really."_

_ "You think it's hard to pronounce?"_

_ "Yeah, my family's gone by Williams because of that." Rachael tapped her chin and quickly shook her head._

_ "Nah, I bet I could pronounce it just fine." Valerie smirked and challenged her, though Rachael was already trying. "Giligymundo-how you say-it's easy." She grinned nervously and Valerie gave a triumphant nod._

_ "Uh huh, see what'd I tell you? Pronounce it like this, Geg-lee-moh. Until then, just say Williams and you're gold."_

_ "I will keep that in mind." The two women laughed for a second, then looked to the dishes, then at the camera. "Okay, so, let's get started with that meal!"_

"So that's how to say her name," Griffin's voice came from behind and the group jumped up in fright. Sam cleared her throat and glared at him as he chuckled nervously. "Sorry, I knocked and no one answered, so when I tried the door, it was unlocked. Although, I did end up opening the door just as Aunt Maggie came walking by, so I might have spooked her."

"Griffin!" Sam sighed and smacked her forehead, what was it with the men constantly getting themselves in trouble with her Aunt and Uncle? Carly managed to resist the urge to run over to him and kiss him, but it was hard enough considering she'd not seen him in a while. Everyone was busy preparing for their performance this weekend at the Groovy Smoothie.

"Good to see you, Griffin." She smirked smoothly as he looked over at her with a cheesy smile.

"And hello to you Miss Shay."

"Ah-uh, it's _Benson_ now, remember?" She'd recently changed it since both her dad and brother had done it. She didn't want to feel like she was out of the loop there. "Dad and Spencer changed theirs, so it was only fair."

"Yeah I know, but I still think Shay's good. So what am I missing? Anything important besides Valerie being on the show?"

"Other than Valerie, not much…Although…" She scanned him over and debated taking him in the other room and making out for a minute, but she knew that would be a bad idea. If Morris or Maggie caught them, they'd be in trouble. If Freddie and the others saw them, then they'd know they were together. Realizing the inevitability of the situation, she took a deep breath and shook her hand. "No, nevermind."

"Aw, are you sad about something?"

"No. No I'm not." She folded her arms over as Griffin smirked. She could see in his eyes he wanted to kiss her, to hold her. She pressed her lips together and felt her heart sink. She knew he hated the secrecy just as much as she did, but was there really any other way? "Griffin…" Maybe she could just tell Sam or someone, but what if by doing that, everything just went to hell? She knew they might like him better now that he was a part of the band. She heard Freddie clear his throat and felt him put his hand on her shoulder, perhaps comforting her for some reason. When she looked to him, his eyes were soft and caring.

"You know Carly, Mom and dad, as of January 1st, they're going to start looking at all the guys in your life. Do you have anyone you might want to suggest they look at?" Carly swallowed hard and bowed her head, what was he getting at? He didn't know, did he? No, he couldn't know. If he did know, why wouldn't he say something?

"By the way guys." Carly and Freddie looked back at him as Sam paused the television show. "I think I saw someone parked outside the house while driving up here." Carly's brow furrowed as she looked back to Sam, who stared out at the front door.

"Do you think they're still out there?"

"If they are, I could go run them off."

"No, don't do that." She walked past him and grabbed the crème curtains from the window next to the front door. Her eyebrows rose when she saw _Shane_ walking to the door. His hair was slicked back and he had a bouquet of roses in his right hand. "What the hell is Shane doing here?"

Carly paused for a moment and looked over as Freddie's eyebrow arched. "Shane?" The last time Shane came around, he caused a lot of problems. Freddie hadn't even _seen_ the guy since then, but Tyrone had some sort of involvement. Sam was almost taken from him back then, it was Spencer who showed up at just the right time and saved the day. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"He's got roses." Sam knew Freddie wasn't good when it came to other men flirting around with her, so she really hoped Shane wasn't about to do what she thought he was going to do.

* * *

Here we go, something big happening next chapter. Stick around!


	163. Secret Unraveled

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 162 (A Secret Unraveled)

Sam opened the door as Shane got to it, the others in the room hung back around the couch to try and act natural. At first, Sam thought maybe she should have tried getting _Melanie_ to stand here and imitate her, but it was a bit late for that. "Shane, what are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood and I felt like apologizing." She raised her eyebrow suspiciously as he handed her the roses. Immediately she wanted to dump them in a vat of acid. There was no way in hell she trusted him, something was up and she wanted to know what. "May I come in?"

"Yeah, sure, I suppose…" He thanked her with a smile and causally entered the house. As she started to close the door, she thought better of it. Again, she made a decision that probably should have been thought out a bit more. She set the roses down on the small square table next to the door and turned around, crossing her arms over and leaning against the door. "What do you want to apologize for? We're the ones that messed up." She moved her eyes to Carly and frowned as she eyed her friend's hurt expression. It was hard remembering the fight they'd had. Horribly enough, the fact that it was all unnecessary and fake as hell, they never needed to go through it. "Besides Shane, I wasn't the one who was really into you back then. Carly was." Griffin raised his eyebrow and smirked at Carly while she rolled her eyes and looked away. "In all honesty, and I _am_ going to be honest, I don't really want you in my home right now. You almost got me in a lot of trouble last time you showed your face."

"Yeah, and I'm terribly sorry for that." He touched his chest and Carly glanced over curiously. Freddie growled quietly and Griffin eyed him. Sam watched Griffin bend over next to Freddie and point the way of the bathroom, in which Freddie promptly headed in that direction. It was an amazing feat, but a good one nonetheless. "Anyway, I went around and couldn't find where you were located, then a friend of mine informed me you were living with your aunt and uncle. I'm impressed, this is a beautiful house."

"Thanks…"

"Perfectly fitting for a beautiful woman such as yourself." Sam winced and Carly started to turn towards her. "I'm sure if you had a boyfriend, he would be pretty lucky to have you." Sam started to say something, but stopped when Griffin walked over to him.

"Excuse me, Shane? I think that's your name?" Shane looked back at Griffin and shrugged. "I think you need to go. Seriously…" Carly smiled and Sam closed her eyes. The feeling she was getting from this guy being here was killing her. It didn't help that she was remembering nearly being abducted and so she had to force herself to ask Shane out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean any harm." Shane looked to Sam and breathed in. "Am I bothering you?" Sam shrugged her shoulders and watched him look towards the television. "Hey, isn't that your friend, Val?"

"Yeah that's her. She's in New York now, working on an apprenticeship." Shane walked to the living room and Griffin groaned momentarily. Sam sighed and held her hand up at him, frustrated with the fact that Shane was even here at all. She wondered if she should call Uncle Morris, but he was asleep and probably didn't want to be disturbed. "She's married now and sometimes goes by Williams, sometimes goes by Brown. She's still getting used to the name change."

"Oh, she's married? She ever have a kid?"

"Yeah, that's why she's married. That, and, she's in love with the guy that she married."

"Good, happy for her. So, other news, I thought you were living with Ms. Benson?"

"Yeah, she's still my legal guardian, I'm just staying with Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie for a while. I've not really had the chance to be with them, so here I am." She smiled nervously and shrugged her shoulders. Where was Freddie? It was admirable for him to leave without getting too steamed, but she really wanted him in here. Then again, it was probably better if he wasn't. After all, what would happen if Shane tried something? "So, besides your 'apology', Shane, why are you here?"

"Who is this?" Melanie looked up as she was being acknowledged and waved at Shane. He was pointing at her and staring back at Sam. "I didn't know you had a twin." She chuckled and folded her arms over.

"Yeah, funny thing about that…Until a month ago, neither of us knew either."

"Amazing, simply amazing." Shane looked to the hallway and saw Freddie's shadow walking down, he was coming back. Putting a smirk on his face, he turned to Sam. Griffin was still watching from the door and Carly was starting to become a bit worried. "You know, you're still as lovely as I remember." Sam gagged inwardly and lifted her eyes up. Please, dear god, _someone_ throw him out. "You're doing well these days, I'm glad to see that. You know, you amazed me then and you still amaze me."

Sam saw Freddie step out of the hall and was giving him a helpless look. His hair and face were wet from splashing water onto himself, but he still looked angry and was giving Shane the death glare. "Shane, I'm going to tell you again, I really think you should leave." Her heart was beginning to pound as she turned her gaze to Carly. She _really_ didn't want something to happen and Carly figure out what was going on. As much as she wanted to tell her, she just didn't want to risk anything. Shane took a step closer to her and kept his eyes locked onto hers. She lowered her arms and clenched her hands up, growling at him in a warning tone. "Shane…"

"I'm sorry." He whispered to her and his hands seemed to twitch. At that, he _knew_ something was up. "I was told to do this, Carly and the others here are an inconvenience, I only wanted Freddie here." She raised an eyebrow and scoffed.

"What? What are you talking about?" Her eyes flickered over to Freddie, who was slowly and steadily walking towards Shane, clenching his fists hard. Melanie was standing and about ready to pull Sam away before Shane did anything stupid. Carly was simply watching with wide eyes. "Shane, what you're about to do, I don't know…if you do _anything_, if anyone put you up to anything, make sure it isn't something you're going to regret." He slowly smiled and wagged his eyebrows.

"Oh I_know_ I'm going to regret it one way or the other, but it'll be worth it just to see it stir up some drama. As for Tyrone, screw the guy, I'm not reporting to him after I do this." Her eyes widened and her heart slammed against her chest as that name hit her hard.

"What? Tyrone put you-" In an instant, Shane grabbed her and planted a kiss on her lips. Carly gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. Melanie's face went as white as a sheet and Griffin started to rush in, but Freddie beat him to it, causing him to freeze up. Sam let out a muffled scream and tried to push Shane off of her, all to no avail.

"You fucking bastard, get off my fiancé!" Sam's heart dropped as Freddie's voice echoed throughout the house. She felt Shane's body go limp around her as he tried to absorb what he'd just heard. It seemed he was just as shocked as everyone else to hear that Sam _was,_ in fact, Freddie's bride to be. Shane lifted his lips partially and uttered one statement.

"Fuck. Tyrone's suspicions were right." The next moment happened all too fast, he released Sam and she fell to the floor. When she looked up, Freddie had grabbed Shane and slammed him against the wall, punching him rapidly in the abdomen. Her eyes flew over to Melanie, who was running outside to try and get Maggie, who was working out in the garden somewhere. She looked over to Carly and saw her frozen completely, possibly trying to comprehend what she'd just heard. Griffin ran over to her side and started to help her up. Her thoughts were solely on Freddie, who was on the verge of seriously hurting Shane.

In a single instant, everything came crashing down. Her worst fears realized. What was Carly going to say? Would she hate her for keeping this information? Would she break off her friendships? Was she going to be able to show her face any longer? No, there were more important things in the immediate moment. She watched as Shane swung Freddie around and punched him hard. "Freddie! No!" She gasped and started to rush in, but stopped. Even though she would be able to take Shane down, she knew better than to get in the middle of a fight. It was like trying to separate two pit bulls going at it.

A tear dripped down her face as she clutched her shirt tightly. Freddie threw Shane onto the ground and leapt on top of him, punching him hard in the face. Shane only laughed at the pain. Griffin started to rush in, but he couldn't manage to pull Freddie off.

Sam looked over at Carly, tears were starting to go down her cheeks as well as she started to put two and two together. That was it, Sam had _enough_ of this. She clenched her fists and tilted her head back. "Uncle Morris! Help! Help, someone's in the house! Freddie's trying to fight him off!" It wasn't long before Morris came running out of his bedroom, through the kitchen, and into the living room, toting a small handgun for protection. Sam met his eyes and pointed to Shane. "That man came in and kissed me." Freddie and Shane stopped their struggle and looked over as Morris came running at them.

Just as he grabbed them, Maggie and Melanie came running inside. Morris and Griffin tore the two apart, with Griffin pulling Freddie back and holding him while Morris pinned Shane against the wall. "Why the fuck are you in my house and why the hell did you kiss my niece? Answer honestly, or I'm going to put a bullet in your leg."

Shane scoffed and Sam ran over to Freddie's side. She carefully touched Freddie's black eye and started to sob as he winced in pain. She wasn't sure how she felt, be it angry or hurt, or just flat out afraid. Griffin let go of Freddie and Sam quickly hugged him. "Freddie, why did you do that? Why?"

"I…I don't know what came over me." He moved his eyes to the side and closed them as the guilt ran through his body. Sam wasn't too angry at him, but knew he'd probably beat himself up over this, so she would have to talk to him about it later. "I'm sorry Sam, I screwed everything up…I should have gone about it differently, it's just…I can't stand another guy touching you like that."

"I know, just…don't ever do that again." She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes as she angrily turned to Shane. "Why the hell did you do it?" Shane shrugged his shoulders and continued to stare into Morris's ferocious eyes.

"Tyrone wanted me to confirm something for him." Sam watched Carly slowly look at Shane. He chuckled and slowly shook his head. "The old codger wanted to see what would happen if I kissed you while Freddie was around. I was going to try flat out seduction, but that wasn't going to work."

"No it wasn't," Morris growled out. Shane swallowed hard as Morris tapped him with the gun. "And if you decide you're going to tell Tyrone what just happened, you will find yourself having a very difficult time walking again. You have a lot of balls to come into _my_ house, feel up _my_ niece in front of her boyfriend. You know what that says I have a right to do? I can have my wife call up the cops right now if I want. Tell them how you broke into my house and tried to feel up my niece."

"Oh come on…"

"Then get out of my house, keep your trap shut, and I don't want to see your face around here again. Got that?"

"Y-Yeah…" Morris smiled slyly and pat Shane on the back, then shoved him out the door. After he was gone, Sam sighed with relief and turned her eyes to Carly, who was finally starting to come to.

"Carly?"

"I can't believe…" Carly stared at Sam and the air around them became still and deathly silent. The others started to feel a chill as Carly struggled to comprehend everything. "All this time? You…and Freddie?"

"Carly…don't…"

"No, I, why would you two keep that from me! I mean, I get that you didn't trust Tyrone, but you think I would have told my granddad that _you_ were Freddie's bride? I didn't want him to try and deport you! I mean, I'm not _that_ vain, am I? Do I come across that way?" Sam winced and her stomach flipped inside as she bowed her head and started rubbing her arm. She felt the bile running up her throat and closed her eyes as Carly closed her eyes and walked into the hallway.

"…Carly…" She lifted her head and looked to Freddie, he understood her fears. A loud scream was heard and everyone flinched. Griffin and Freddie exchanged glances and tried to calm themselves.

"I'll go talk to her," Freddie suggested quietly. "I think she's just dealing with shock, don't worry about anything. I think she'll be understanding once she calms down."

"I hope so…"

"Just…try to calm yourself down too." He gave her a quick peck on the lips and started to walk to the bedroom that Carly was in. Griffin followed. Carly was on the bed, screaming into the pillow and sobbing. He walked over to her and rubbed her back. "Carly, I know you're going through a lot and I know this is a lot to handle. I'm sorry we kept it from you, and please believe me when I tell you, Sam in _no__way_ ever wanted it to be a secret." Carly slowly rolled over and sniffed as Griffin moved over next to her and slowly took her hand.

"Griffin? Why…you can't…" Freddie flicked his eyes over to Griffin, then back to Carly.

"Carly, we already know." Her eyes widened and he slowly crossed his arms. "Well at least mom and dad don't, but Sam, Jonah and I already are aware you two are dating." She turned her eyes down and sobbed with guilt.

"Why the hell am I getting upset with Sam, I'm doing the same thing!"

"Carly, try not to beat yourself up over this…Sam's going through enough and really needs a friend." She looked at him with sorrow and concern. He felt for her and understood the confusion, the pain, the fear. "Something I probably would have told you a couple years if you found out then. Now, I do care about you and you're a great friend, so I can only say half of my original thought. Carly, Sam is your friend, she cares about you and really wants to be your friend. She's always been so terrified of losing your friendship because of this."

"Why?" She wiped her eyes with her arm and slowly sat up. "I would never break off our friendship because of a guy…"

"I know that, I'm sure she knows it, you know it, but…you have to understand everything that's happened because of our relationship. She's almost been taken away several times because of your grandpa, my mom's nearly died and has been attacked because of our culture, and even Sam's struggled to understand how a man can take a child away from its mother on the day of its birth. Right now, she's probably afraid of Tyrone tearing us apart. With you still under his thumb-"

"No. Nuh-uh…" Carly shook her head rapidly and moved the pillow to her chest, clutching it tightly. "I'm not doing it, I'm not telling him _anything!_ Not that I know he put Shane up to that, not that I know what he's done." Freddie smiled slightly and put his hand to her shoulder. "Sam's my best friend, we're like sisters. I understand why she didn't tell me, and I can't hate her because she didn't tell me about you. If I did that, then I'd give her a right to hate me for not telling her about Griffin!" Griffin chuckled and lightly kissed Carly's forehead.

"Heh, they have more reason to be in a secret relationship than we do." Carly slowly nodded and looked up to Freddie.

"I'm sorry for flipping out, it's just…it was a shock. I love Sam, she's my best friend and I don't want to lose her. I'm not going to end up breaking off her friendship because of this. I want her to be my best friend and I want us to be able to talk about anything…I'll always stand behind her! You too, because you're my brother!"

He was proud to hear that coming from her, but he never doubted her sincerity. "Then maybe you need to tell that to Sam. Maybe you should let her know she's got nothing to worry about and that Tyrone, nor Shane, is going to ruin one of the best friendships she's ever had. Besides, now that you know about us, then maybe…maybe you guys can be even better friends with each other."

"Yeah, maybe…" Freddie and Griffin helped her up and slowly led her out into the living room. Sam was on the couch, holding her sides and staring worriedly at the coffee table. Maggie and Melanie were at her sides, rubbing her back and comforting her. Morris was standing at the window, looking outside, watching to see if Shane would stay away like he was told. "S-Sam?"

Sam slowly looked up and quickly stood, her eyes were wide as saucers. Freddie watched Carly hurry over to her and hug her. He smiled as both girls cried for a second, apologizing for everything and promising to never keep anything from each other. He chuckled and folded his arms over. It took long enough, but at least Carly and Sam would be on good terms.

* * *

Well, the shit indeed hit the fan, ouch. So Carly now knows. Shane got real beat up, and at what cost, ouch! Also, never disturb the sleeping, protective uncle. If you rouse him from sleep and you're messing with his niece, god forbid he find you XD


	164. Coming Clean

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 163 (Coming Clean)

"Mom, Dad, I have something to say." Carly stood in front of Robert and Marissa, both were sitting on their living room couch. Freddie was next to her and patting her shoulder while Sam stood beside her. Marissa was eyeing Freddie's black eye curiously and was about ready to go after whoever started a fight with him. Carly breathed in deeply and wrapped her finger around her wrist. "There are a couple things. You need to hear from Sam and Freddie first, though. I um…I know about them." She stepped back and pushed the two together with a smile. "I know Sam is Freddie's fiancé."

Marissa gasped lightly and slowly stood up, smiling at them. "I see, and I suppose the way you've found out will explain why Freddie's got a black eye?" Carly nodded her head while Robert started looking towards the kitchen. They were pretty certain that they'd have to grab a bag of frozen peas. Medically wise, frozen peas were actually the best thing to put on a wound because they were round, separated, cold, and could be continually reused. Marissa walked to Freddie and put her hands on his jaw, tilting his head up and examining him. "I see the black eye's all you have."

"Yeah." Marissa nodded and hugged him. After the hug, she moved over to Sam and inspected her in the same manner, hoping not to find any problems with her. She would be greatly agitated if Sam had any injuries at all. Fortunately, upon inspection, Sam was just fine. When she lowered her arms, she looked at the two, expecting an explanation from them. Freddie took Sam's hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll let Sam tell you what happened. It's okay Sam…"

"We were at the house and _Shane_ came over." Marissa raised an eyebrow and grunted in surprise, she hadn't heard of him in a long time. What did he want? "H-He took me and _kissed_ me in front of Carly and Freddie!" Marissa gasped and anger flew past her eyes.

"He did _what?_" Robert rose up, joining Marissa's exclamation. He wasn't too happy with the idea of some stranger coming in and trying to ruin a good relationship between his step son and his fiancé, which is what it sounded like.

"Freddie got into a fight with him, but Uncle Morris pulled them apart."

"Oh god…Come here sweetie." Marissa hugged Sam gently and rubbed her back, hoping to comfort her in the best way she could. "It's okay." She took a step back and pointed to Freddie "As for you young man, you're in trouble for getting into a fight. At least you should be, but since it's almost Christmas, there's no need for that. Robert, take him and get something for his eye would you?" Robert nodded and led Freddie into the kitchen while Marissa looked back to Sam for more of an explanation.

"Thanks, and yeah…Carly knows about us now, but that's _okay_. She and I are good friends and I trust her. She's not so stuck under Tyrone's thumb anyway."

"Tyrone? I wonder…" She rubbed her chin and narrowed her eyes in thought. Sam and Carly could easily see what she was thinking about, and the unfortunate thing was, she was absolutely correct. "Did Tyrone put Shane up to this? I remember hearing that Carly told Tyrone about you two being locked up, so if he suspected anything from that, then…I wouldn't put it past him to have something to do with this."

"He did. I don't know that Shane's going to tell him anything though, Uncle Morris scared the hell out of him. I could see it in his eyes. So Carly and I are good, which I'm really happy about."

"I'm happy about that too." Marissa turned to Carly and gave her a hug. "I'm proud of you. I want you to know that I think you're growing into quite the woman." Carly beamed with pride and joy, and then she paused. Now came the tough part, she had to bring in Griffin. She let out a small sigh and looked over as Robert came walking back into the living room. Marissa glanced back at him and stood straight. "How's Freddie?"

"He's good, he's got something for his eye. I couldn't help but to overhear, I'm proud of you girls." Sam smiled and Carly nodded. "So Carly, you don't seem too happy about something, what's on your mind?"

"I was getting to that…I'm not too sure you're going to be happy with me in a minute." Her parents raised their eyebrows as she slowly walked to the door. They'd at least met Griffin while he was over helping with a song, they seemed to get along with him then, but how would they be now? "I know you guys are going to start looking for someone for me, but I think I might already have someone." They smiled and Sam watched her with pride, it had been her to tell Carly to just stand tough.

"You have? Who is it?"

"You've kind of met him." She opened the front door and Griffin was sitting on the porch steps. Marissa and Robert stared at him for a moment, wondering what to say. "Griffin, we're ready for you in here."

"Awesome!" He stood up and started walking inside. Carly took his hand in hers and kissed the corner of his lips. He waved at the parents and they waved back. They didn't seem unhappy with him, so it was a case of so far so good. "I'm Griffin, but I guess you guys already knew that."

"Yes," Robert said as he stepped forward and shook the boy's hand with a smile. "You're a part of the band now, aren't you?"

"Yes sir. I'm enjoying it and also learning a lot, it's great to mix in with everyone." Carly smiled and held her hands together behind her back, she hoped they could overlook the biker part about him, but then it seemed like they might be able to do just that.

"You know, I'd hate for anything to happen to my daughter, and I hope you do know that we're going to be watching you for a while." He chuckled and nodded his head, he hoped to give them no reason to dislike him. After all, he didn't want anyone else winding up with her. "How do you two feel about each other? I mean, I'm guessing you've been together for a while?"

"Yes, and I love her very much. I would hope she loves me too." Carly grinned brightly and hugged him, there was no way in hell that she _didn__'__t_ love him. "I want you to know that I would never do anything to hurt her. She's beautiful, strong, smart, and I'm lucky to have her in my life."

"Well she is definitely all those things and more. You don't mind if we also look into your family life? I know we'll have to talk to your parents about our culture and procedures, if you don't mind."

"I'm fine with it. You have to do what you have to do. Just don't break her heart and don't ever do anything to hurt her. If you do, you'll have to deal with more than just a woman scorned."

"I know, and I won't." Carly sniffed and stepped forward, clearing her throat.

"I have one other thing I need to say…" Marissa and Robert looked at her and Sam took hold of her hand, squeezing tight. Griffin stepped next to her and put his arm at her waist. She needed all the comfort and love that she could get, because what was about to come out of her mouth was going to be extremely difficult for her. "A year and a half ago, I dated someone else, it was around the time Jake died." The two parents frowned in remembrance and gave her a nod. "His name was Steven and he seemed like a really great guy. He was, until I found out he was cheating on me with another woman."

"Oh, honey!" Marissa moved closer, but Carly wasn't quite done. Her body shook gently as a cold chill ran down her spine. She didn't want to say this, but she _had_ to. She swallowed hard and a tear slowly fell down her face as her heart started rapidly slamming against her ribcage, wanting out.

"There was a time. We were kissing, one thing led to another…" Marissa and Robert stared once more, their jaws dropping in surprise. _Carly_ had _sex?_ "I was pregnant. I hid it, trying to figure out what I could do, but…" Marissa frowned and quickly hugged Carly, seeing where this was going. Rage shot through his body as Carly slowly lifted her head up and bravely continuing on. "I-I had a miscarriage. It was a _miscarriage_. I wanted to cry, I still do."

"You went through all that on your own?"

"Yes."

"Oh my god…" Marissa quickly pulled Carly over to the couch and sat down. She hugged the shivering girl close to her and rubbed her arm. "It's okay Carly, that is in the past. You can be happy now, okay?"

"I know, I just…I just want to know _why_ it happened like that. I mean, what kind of bastard would do that to someone? It hurt, why does it have to hurt?" Sam sat next to her and gave her a small hug. "I think if I ever saw him, I'd probably punch him in the face."

"Can't say I blame you there…Carly, I'm proud of you for coming out with the things you have done." She smiled and looked over to Sam, who was giving her the same look of pride. "I'm guessing the fact that Griffin is motorcyclist?" Carly's eyes widened and she eyed her mom with surprise, how the hell did she know that much? "How did you know?"

"Well when he was over here before, I saw a motorcycle parked down the street a bit. Right now, curtains drawn, I'm seeing a motorcycle parked at the curb." She turned her head to the window and Sam snickered once. Griffin smacked his forehead and Carly saw the motorbike in full view. She chuckled nervously as Marissa gave her a very motherly look and Robert eyed the bike with mild uncertainty.

"Yeah he's a motorcyclist, but he won't really let me ride that bike very much. At least not with him driving. He says it isn't all that safe."

"Good, he's right about that. I don't want you riding the bike and getting hurt."

"I second that!" Robert said while holding his hand up. He smiled at Carly and crossed his arms over. "Just don't go riding that motorcycle, that's my only thing about it…other than that, I like Griffin, he seems like a good guy." Carly brightened happily as Marissa gave a nod of approval.

"Yes, we'll definitely consider him. How long have you two been dating?"

"A year…"

"Okay, very good then." Marissa stood from the couch and looked at Sam, to Griffin, and back to Carly. "I think everyone's had a pretty big day, so how about getting some rest and we'll have supper ready soon." She turned her eyes to Sam and smiled. "We'll try to get to bed early to see you and your family off tomorrow morning. When are you leaving?"

"It's a three and a half hour drive. We're leaving at 9:30 in the morning, so we should get there by 1:00. The traffic shouldn't be too bad at all during those times." She grinned widely and Marissa slowly nodded her head.

"Okay then, we'll definitely be stopping by before you guys leave. I know you're going through mountains to get to Richland, that should be fun."

"It is going to be _awesome!_ I'm taking my camera because I haven't been there before. I can't wait!" She jumped once and Carly grinned. Christmas was going to be an exciting time all around. As long as Tyrone didn't do anything to spoil it, that was. She knew he'd want to know about Sam and Freddie, but she meant what she said when she said that there was no way in hell she would tell him a thing. All she was going to do was look forward to Christmas with family and performing at the Groovy Smoothie with the Imperial Fireballs. There was nothing that could take her down from this emotional high, and she dared anyone to try and shake her.

* * *

Carly's come out about her relationship with Griffin, I'd say I'm proud of her.


	165. No More Lies

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 164 (No more lies)

Freddie was sitting on his bed, talking on a conference call with Jonah and Sam. Carly was in the bedroom as well, since the phone was on speaker. Freddie was being chastised by both Jonah and Sam for having gotten into the fight in the first place. He was busy groaning while Carly found the entire thing amusing as hell. She actually thought Freddie and Sam made a good couple, so she was really happy that they were together.

It was a little after 10 and Sam had gone home an hour or two ago, but they wanted to call up Jonah and fill him in on everything that went down. "What is this? Beat down on Freddie time?" Freddie rubbed his head and Carly laughed while Sam spoke up.

"All I'm trying to say is that you really _shouldn__'__t_ have attacked Shane like that! It was wrong and you could have gotten seriously hurt!" He sighed heavily and slowly shook his head as Sam continued to prattle on. "Yes I know you were defending or protecting, but it was still dangerous." He rubbed his ear and looked off to the side, muttering something about women. "Are you even listening to me? Freddie?" He moved his eyes over and smirked. "Freddie!" Carly laughed once and put her hands to her mouth.

"He's not listening!" Freddie winced as Sam scoffed and growled. She said something about his being lucky she wasn't over there right now to smack him around once or twice and getting him to listen. At that, he rolled his eyes for a second and Carly started to hold her sides as they shook with laughter. "Sam's right, though. Whether you want to hear it or not, you shouldn't have attacked Shane like that. You could have gotten into serious trouble and his hitting back would have been self defense.

"Not necessarily, he did go into Sam's house-"

"She let him in."

"He was told to leave and he _didn__'__t_ leave." He waited as Jonah cleared his throat and chimed in his own opinion on the matter.

"Okay, Freddie, I understand how you feel. I would have done the same thing if someone tried that on Valerie. Sam's right too, though. You're lucky Shane didn't do anything more. You remember what happened last time? Not only that, but this is the same thing that happened with Rodney." Carly raised her eyebrow and Sam groaned while Freddie winced.

"Jonah, we were hoping _not_ to breach that subject." Carly's eyes darted back and forth between the phone and Freddie.

"What happened with Rodney?"

"Do you not remember?" Freddie looked at her and leaned back against he headboard of his bed. Carly furrowed her brow and tried to think back. They hadn't heard from Rodney in quite some time, so it was really hard to think about anything. "The whole fight you and Sam got in over that shirt and those cuttlefish tickets. The whole reason that Sam had to give Rodney the shirt…" Her hands flew to her mouth as a rush of air flew into her mouth, she now remembered. It happened so long ago that she'd forgotten.

"Oh my god, whatever happened to him after that?" Sam closed her eyes and spoke quietly.

"Freddie sent Jonah to beat him up, Rodney got really beaten and dropped out of the school later. The only problem is now Rodney's got a vendetta against Jonah and had been stalking both he and Valerie for a while." Jonah chuckled and waved his hand in the air, dismissing the thought.

"Ah I never made an issue of it, the prick never did anything. I haven't seen him in a while anyway. Yo Freddie, didn't he get picked up for having drugs on him?"

Freddie tried to think for a minute and slowly nodded his head, he recalled his mom talking about that case recently where they found Rodney trying to sell drugs to small children and full sized adults. "Yeah he did. So he's away for a few years and it really doesn't matter."

"Right. So, Carly, now you know about Sam and Freddie?" Carly nodded and smiled happily.

"Yes."

"Okay, so then you also know that I am deathly loyal to my best friends, right? They trust you, I'm starting to see some good things about you." Carly's heart lifted at that moment, she could have done a happy dance with those words. "However I will say this: If for some reason, you ever slip up, which I don't think you will, and cause Sam and Freddie to have to be separated…I'm not going to be happy. I will hunt you down and I will probably chew you out so badly that you will probably end up crying in fetal position by the time I'm done with you." She chuckled nervously while Freddie slowly shook his head, smiling with laughter. "This isn't funny, I'm being serious. I don't want anything to happen to them. Am I okay having my mind eased that you will not slip up any?"

"Yes, I promise you. I love my brother and future sister in law." Sam grinned and Carly hugged Freddie tight, causing him to grunt out. He gasped out and coughed.

"Too tight, too tight!" She laughed and released him. "Geez, it's like you got some sort of death grip there, I wouldn't want to piss you off in the middle of a dark alley." She smirked and moved over to the brown chair she'd been sitting in.

"I have another question for you. You guys said that the whole thing between us and Shane the first time…what happened there?" Freddie was going to answer, but this time Sam spoke up for him.

"I wasn't going to go through with it, Freddie didn't really want to deal with it eather, but Tyrone saw us talking in the park and almost took me away. He really thought I was Freddie's fiancé back then, so I had to blurt out Shane and then call him to ask him out…which I didn't want to do, but that's what it took. Then I had to act like I really gave a damn about him, all to throw Tyrone off the trail." Carly's heart clenched inside and her hands slowly closed on her pant legs. How could her grandfather act like that? What was his problem?

"Sam, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"It's not your fault Carly, there's a lot that you never knew, don't blame yourself."

"Yeah…so, when was your first kiss?" She leaned forward, putting her elbows on her legs and her cheeks in her hands. Freddie raised his eyebrow and Jonah coughed. "How long have Jonah and Valerie known?"

"Maybe you girls can talk about that on your own time." Sam squealed and Freddie groaned, he knew she couldn't resist talking about it _now_.

"Oh god it was amazing! It was when we were collecting those ducks, up in the studio I wasn't feeling too well and Freddie was making me feel better by doing a role play thing."

"You guys role play?"

"Yes, we love it! But he had me up against the wall, wrapped around his blanket-" Jonah gagged and quickly interrupted them.

"Well I think I need to check on Aaron, so I'm going to hang up. Have a safe trip tomorrow, Sam!" Freddie's eyes bugged out and he quickly reached his hand out.

"No Jonah, don't leave me alone with these two!" It was too late, he heard the click of Jonah's phone and groaned painfully as Carly laughed and Sam continued on.

"He told me he loved me dearly and I loved him, and then finally he leaned in and the sparks just flew!" Carly cooed in awe as Freddie started muttering about how he was going to get Jonah back for this.

"Have you two, you know, had sex?" He smacked his forehead and flopped himself over on the bed, pulling his pillow over on top of his head.

"Yes we have, one time…we got into a bit of trouble afterwards and we've really come close to doing it again, but we've managed to keep it safe." Carly nodded and rubbed her chin, pondering when they'd had sex. "Let me think, it was around the time that Gibby wanted to ask out Shannon."

"Oh, I remember that, I felt so sorry for Gibby then, but now it seems like he has a great girlfriend."

"Yeah, Tasha's very nice, so I think Gibby's done well for himself there. By the way, our second anniversary, May 10th, Jonah and Valerie actually booked us a two day cruise!"

"Oh really? I need to find a way to top that then!" The two girls laughed as Freddie slowly beat his fist on the bed, mentally cussing Jonah out for leaving him hanging. He didn't want to be rude and throw Carly out of the room, but he figured she did deserve to know some things. This was mostly for Sam, though. She _needed_ to talk about all this with Carly, it was something she'd wanted for so damn long and now she finally had the chance. There would be no more lies, no more secrets kept from Carly. "By the way, something I was thinking about."

"What?"

"Remember a few months ago? The whole thing with Amanda, Besim's granddaughter?"

"Yeah, I didn't even realize at the time she was actually related to Freddie. I'm sorry I lied to you about that…"

"It's okay, I understand. You were right too, because apparently I wound up telling granddad and he ended up visiting…" She was still beating herself up about that, it had been a clear as hell sign that she couldn't have been trusted. "I'm always chastising myself for being so _stupid_ back then. I didn't have to be and I was dating Griffin, I didn't want Granddad to know I was dating Griffin…"

"Carly please, don't blame yourself for _anything_. I do enough of that myself, anyway."

"I just can't believe I missed _so__much_." Sam started to respond, but stopped for a moment. Carly could hear talking in the background, so she waited patiently until Sam came back.

"Well now you won't have to miss another thing. I know Valerie's going to be happy about this, now we can all be sisters for life!" Carly laughed and nodded her head, she was thrilled to be a part of Sam's life now. "I'm going to have to fill you out on _all_the details later, but right now it's getting late. Aunt Maggie just came in to tell me to get to sleep."

"Okay. You do that and we'll be there tomorrow morning to see you guys off. Have a goodnight!" Freddie removed the pillow from his head and sighed softly, even though Sam probably wouldn't say it, he could hear the thankfulness in her voice. Regardless of how it came about, regardless of timing, it was a weight off their shoulders that Carly knew. He smiled as the two hung up and sat up. He saw Carly's face with some tears of joy. She looked at him momentarily and walked over, giving him a hug. "Freddie…"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." He smiled as she stood up and wiped her eyes. "It means so much to me…have a good night…"

"Sleep well sis." He inhaled softly and watched as she slowly walked out of the room. He moved his eyes down to his feet and pushed his hands behind his head, letting out a slow exhale. His eyes moved up to the ceiling and then closed, only time would tell what might happen next. At least his love and his sister were both happy. His phone rang off with a text message, so he grabbed at it and read it. It was Valerie, she sent him a message that she'd just gotten off the phone with Jonah and heard about the fight. She told him it was bad that he got into the fight, but she was happy that Carly knew about them and was looking forward to hearing from them later. He chuckled and set the phone down, now he just prayed Tyrone didn't know shit. This was far from over.

* * *

Hopefully you liked this chapter, stick around for the next installment.


	166. Christmas Vacation Begins

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 165 (Christmas Vacation Begins)

The next morning Sam awoke to her sister practically pushing her out of the bed. Her eyes shot open and she yelped, squirmed, and fell out of the bed. Melanie chuckled as she slowly rubbed her head and rose to her feet. "Why Mel, why do it?" She wasn't exactly aware of what time it was, so she checked the clock It was 8:45, she had less than an hour to get ready! "Aw crap, you should have woken me up sooner!"

"We tried, but you're a very sound sleeper." She sighed and quickly ran for her bathroom. Melanie was already clean, dressed, and ready to go. Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie probably were as well. She did _not_ want to be the reason they were late getting on the road. She quickly grabbed her tooth brush, then ran for the bathroom cabinets and tore through the towels, pulling out a fuzzy white towel. Melanie poked her head in the bathroom and watched her fumble around for a bit. "Sam, chill, there's plenty of time. I'll grab some clothes for you for today. Is everything else packed?"

"Yeah, everything's packed, and no there isn't plenty of time. I don't want to be late!" Melanie sighed and moved back into the bedroom as Sam tore off her nightgown and turned the water on hot. She threw the towel onto the sink and leapt into the shower. First things first, she needed to brush her teeth. She could do that in a moment, though. Thinking fast, she grabbed the conditioner and lathered it into her hair, it would be best to let it sit for a while. As she did that, she quickly brushed her teeth and rinsed with the shower water.

After her shower, she dried herself off and found clean clothes on the counter for her. A pair of jeans and a purple t-shirt that had a small flower design along the bottom. She smiled and dressed as fast as she could. Melanie poked her head in and cleared her throat. "Sam! It's 9:15! Freddie and the others are here already."

"What? I thought it was only 9! What about my bags?"

"Don't worry, everything's in the car, we're just waiting on you. I even remembered to put your camera in your seat for you."

"Thanks Mel."

"Is there anything else you'll need?" Sam tapped her chin and shook her head, other than her purse, there was nothing. She'd packed everything in her suitcases. "All right then, let's get out, Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie want to get going soon. I'm really excited, are you?"

"Hell yes! We get to see all our family and we're going to have a _great_ Christmas!" The two girls held each other's hands and squealed for joy. When they settled, they looked to see Kyle and Freddie, both leaning on opposite sides of the door frame and smirking at the two.

"You guys _sure_ you're not overly excited?" Freddie joked. Same rolled her eyes and smiled as she and Melanie walked to their respective boyfriends. They threw their arms around their necks and leaned up to kiss their lips as tenderly as they could. Freddie put his hands on Sam's waist and smiled at her as she leaned back and looked into his eyes. "Careful, you might make _me_ overly excited." She giggled and tapped his lips. It was the point, she wanted him excited. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you so happy and carefree. Reason?" Sam pressed her lips together and looked off to the side to see Carly walking towards them, smiling at her.

"I don't know. I feel kind of boundless now. Free, if that makes sense." He followed her gaze and chuckled.

"Yeah, I think I can understand that." She could practically dance for joy, a weight removed from her shoulders, honestly a perfect Christmas present. Freddie lifted his hand and brushed his fingers gently through her hair. "So, any resolutions for next year?"

"Only for it to be even more perfect than this year."

"Well, we'll see if I can make that happen." She grinned as he moved his hand down and gently caressed her cheek. She blushed lightly as he gently kissed her forehead. "You look beautiful, Sam." Her blush increased and Melanie glanced over at her with a smile. Carly crossed her arms and cleared her throat.

"Hey Freddie, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to talk to your fiancé if I am so allowed." He chuckled and Sam quickly pushed off from him, turning to Carly with a grin. Carly smiled and hugged her. "I hope you have a fun time with your family! I'm going to miss you."

"You too, call me every day and let me know how it's going. Also, if Freddie starts getting out of line, let me know and I'll put him back in line." Freddie closed his eyes and replied with a soft, skeptical chuckle. To which Sam merely smirked.

"I'll be sure to do that. You know him better than I do, so you can probably keep him in line more."

"Right. Also, if Tyrone comes around, try and remember that he _is_ your grandpa, but you don't _have_ to tell him anything you don't want to. Okay?" Carly nodded her head and breathed in fearlessly. Freddie put his hand on Sam's lower back and she quickly looked to him. "Hi."

"Love, I think you should get outside now." Sam pursed her lips together as she heard a car horn, signaling impatience in waiting for the two girls.

"Oh yeah! We have to go! Come on Mel!" She took Melanie's wrist and ran for the door, Carly and the men followed after them. When they made it out, they saw Marissa talking to Maggie while Morris was in the car, tapping his index finger on the top of the steering wheel. Robert was leaning against the driver's side window and asking Morris a question about the trip. Marissa turned to the girls and smiled as she handed them both a brown bag.

"I thought I'd make you guys a sandwich for the trip. There's also a brownie in there."

"Thank you!" The two girls quickly hugged Marissa and took their bags from her.

After a few minutes of saying their goodbyes, the family was on their way. Morris was in the front with his GPS hanging from the rearview mirror. He had a military cap on his head and was concentrating hard on the road. Maggie had a book in her lap, but was waving at Marissa, Robert, Carly, Freddie, and Kyle, as were the girls, who were in the backseat and looking out the back window. Sam took her camera and flashed a shot of the four before they turned the corner. Morris looked into the rearview mirror and smiled at his nieces.

"Okay girls, sit back and buckle up, we have a long drive ahead of us." Sam and Melanie nodded and quickly sat in their seats, pulling their seat belts over. Melanie was behind Morris and Sam was behind Maggie. They were driving in a brown, four door Nissan Murano, 2009. It left ample room in the backseat for all their luggage. "Let's try to avoid singing show tunes for the next hour to two hours, shall we?" The girls smirked as Maggie looked back over the seat. She winked at them and started moving her hand in a conductor fashion. "Oh no…" With that, everyone began singing _99__ Bottles__ on__ the__ Wall_ and _Bingo __was __his__ name_, among other songs, for the next fifteen minutes. Even Morris joined in after a while.

When things quieted down, Maggie was calling up Hugh and Susan Daniels to let them know they were on their way. The sisters thought it was nice that their family on their father's side and the family on their mother's side were so close, not many families were like that. Although, there weren't very many people on either branch, so they could all meet up whenever they liked. "Maggie, don't forget to call up Greg and Annie, they said they were leaving around ten, right?" Maggie finished her call with the grandparents and nodded her head.

"Yes. Greg's bringing along his girlfriend. She didn't want to wake up too early, so he's leaving later. Annie's meeting up with Buzz and Garth, then they're going to go get Carl." The whole family wanted to do something for Carl's next birthday, as he'd be 102 in 2012, but that was a moment for another time. "Melanie, do you know Carl?" Melanie looked up at Maggie and shook her head.

"Only a little, isn't he our great grandpa?"

"Yeah, he was your grandmother's father, your grandmother being David, Buzz, and Morris's mother." Melanie smiled heartily, but frowned after a second. Sam looked over at her with concern and tilted her head, she and Melanie talked about their family a lot, but she never really thought about how the girl must have felt over never knowing her family. Maggie looked back to Melanie and frowned. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Nothing, it's just…I can't believe what Aunt Lucy did, I…I never knew my family. I try not to hate anyone and I don't want to hate her, but…I never even got to have a memory of my mother." Sam's heart sank and she reached over to hug Melanie close. Maggie reached back and took Melanie's hand, smiling kindly at her.

"I know it is hard dear. I can't imagine what you must be going through, and I know it's not a lot of comfort to you to hear that, but...The important thing is that you are here now. What do you want to know about your family that you don't already know? I know we've never been the perfect family in the past, at least not for Sam."

"Yeah, Sam told me about that, and why Mom made Marissa the legal guardian. She says that you guys have really come through and I think you're great people." Morris and Maggie smiled and Sam leaned back slightly. "Just…what is everyone like? I mean, I know I met them all once, but I feel like I never really got to know everyone."

"Well okay. I'll start with your great grandfather, Francis Puckett. He had two children, Reggie and Rose. Rose had one child, Todd. Todd has a son that was born back in 1990, so he's five years older than you. They're actually doing their own thing this Christmas." She understood, it was okay though, considering Todd was only Morris's cousin. "Reggie had three triplets. Your father, Morris, and Buzz…." Melanie nodded as Maggie tapped her chin and Morris looked started speeding up to get on the freeway. "Buzz has one son, Garth. He's 23. Morris and I have two children, Greg and Annie…Greg is 30 now, Annie is 26."

"No cousins under 20, huh?" She chuckled lightly and Maggie laughed at the sarcastic tone. Sam smiled and decided to give a quick run through of their mother's side.

"Depends on which side you're looking at. Dad's side, no, but on mom's side we have one." Melanie raised her eyebrows up and listened eagerly to her sister. "Grandma and Grandpa Daniels, that's who we're going to visit. They had four children, though _I_ used to think just three…"

"Yeah, Aunt Lucy…"

"She was the second born, I think. Uncle Brian is the oldest. Mom's the next, and then Aunt Violet, all right?" Melanie nodded and leaned back, smiling as she started thinking about everyone in the family. "Uncle Brian is married to Aunt Madeline, they have one kid. Our cousin, Leon, he's actually 25. Aunt Violet's a widow and has one child, Venus, and she is 18 years old."

"They're all going to be at the house too?"

"Yes. Also don't forget Aunt Blanche on dad's side, she's Uncle Todd's wife. I can guarantee you, in the next couple of weeks, you're going to really feel good about them. They'll all make you feel like family."

"Yeah, except you forgot someone Maggie," Morris said with a quiet voice. He moved over to the fast lane and Maggie's brow furrowed for a moment. After a second or two, her lips formed a circle and she slowly shook her head. "Mom and Dad had one kid before us." Sam lifted her eyebrows and smacked her forehead, how could she have forgotten? Even at the reunion they didn't talk about him. Hell, no one talked about him, he was so taboo! Melanie looked amongst her family with growing curiosity. "He was the real reason your mother didn't want you girls with all of us." Sam slowly nodded and took a deep breath.

"Uncle Carmine. He's in prison right now for murder, isn't he?"

"Yeah, actually I don't think it was intentional murder. He was playing with fireworks as he did all his life, they went off, burned someone's house down. The occupants didn't make it out in time." Melanie gasped and Sam felt a pang in her chest. The whole reason no one talked about him, though, was he was basically crazed. All his life, Carmine loved fire and loved setting fires. He almost got all of his brothers killed when they were young, he would sometimes try to burn them as they grew up. "Once we turned eighteen and could leave home, we all agreed to never speak of Carmine again."

"So I got a crazy uncle on my dad's side and a crazy aunt on my mom's side, we're a dysfunctional family." Melanie shrugged and smiled as Morris chuckled. "I couldn't be happier to have a _dysfunctional_ family."

"Yeah, who wants a _perfect_ family, right?" Melanie laughed and Sam gazed out the window with a smile on her face. "Anyway, everyone is happy that you're here, regardless of the circumstances. You _are_ a part of the family and there's nobody who would ever want to change that. You're a Puckett, we Pucketts stand strong and along with the Daniels family, we're all just one big happy, slightly dysfunctional, family." Melanie grinned happily and closed her eyes, she was perfectly content with them. Sure it hurt that it took sixteen years to know them, but at least she had from now to the rest of her life.

Sam pointed her camera at Melanie and tapped her foot gently as she rested her finger on the snap button. Melanie looked over and gasped in surprise as Sam snapped a picture. Melanie laughed and Sam snapped another photo. "Okay come on Mel, pose!

"Okay." Melanie put her hand behind her head and winked. Sam laughed and snapped another picture.

As they continued on their journey, they found themselves out of any cities and driving through forests and then mountains. Sam was snapping photos at every tidbit of scenery that she could. The road trip was great in the sense that they played many car games, they sang some road tunes, joked around and just had an all around great time. Melanie was comforted that she would get to know the members of the family who were alive. At least that consisted of two grandparents, one great grandfather, several aunts and uncles, and several cousins. That was considered lucky, for the most part. Most people didn't even have that. Not only that, most people didn't have a _whole_ family, rather, a mother's side and a father's side that remained separate. Unlike hers, they were just all one big family, part of a great big portrait.

Over the years, Melanie had only ever spent Christmas with Lucy, no others. Now, she was ready for the best Christmas of her life.

* * *

So Christmas begins, hope you've enjoyed this chapter.


	167. Arriving at Grandma's

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 166 (Arriving at Grandma's)

"We're almost here girls." Melanie felt someone shaking her knee and slowly opened her eyes, she'd fallen asleep somewhere during the last leg of the trip. With a loud yawn, she took a look outside and saw Morris turning onto Arcadia Avenue, the last street just before Putnam Street, where her grandparents were. She looked over and saw Sam still flashing pictures, they were passing the Liberty Christian School on their left. "We may be the first ones here. Cross your fingers, ladies!" Melanie blinked and looked at Maggie as Morris staretd chuckling.

"She has a running bet with Madeline, and Violet. Whoever gets there first, the other women and their husbands have to wait on them." Sam shook her head and Melanie laughed. She crossed her fingers and watched with growing anticipation as her Uncle pointed off to the right. "Look, we're here!" Maggie practically jumped for joy as they duitily took notice that they were indeed the first ones there. Morris rolled his eyes and laughed once as he drove into the driveway and glanced at the clock. "12:55, we made good time." They didn't have to stop to grab lunch or breakfast since Marissa had prepared a brunch for them all to have along the journey, but the other family members probably did.

"Okay girls, everyone out and breathe in the fresh air." As Sam and Melanie stepped out of the car, they were in total awe of the home and area before them. The house was on the corner of the street and had beautiful green, freshly mowed, grass and a sidewalk right in the middle going all the way out to a stone mailbox. The house itself was a beautiful two story, crème shingled home with a white metal fence going around the peremiter. On the front of the house, there were four windows, two no each story, and the front door right in the middle. The door was a double door, brown oak with a dark wood frame that formed an arrowhead at the top. Sam flashed a picture of the home and lowered her camera as Melanie took a breath of the fresh air.

The two sisters looked to each other, their eyes both filled with wonder, eagerness, and awe. "Race you to the door?" Sam asked with a broadening smile. Melanie nodded her head and smirked as they ran towards the door.

Behind them, Maggie eyed the street to see who would show up next so she could boast about their win. Morris opened the back of the car and pulled out two bags, inhaling softly and smiling over at his wife. "Maggie, I think Brian and Madeline will be pulling up soon. Last we spoke to them, didn't they leave around the same time?"

"Yeah, but they stopped for food." She lowered her hand from above her eyes and looked over at the front door, Sam and Melanie were eyeing them. "Aw, look at them Morris, they look so happy."

"These are the memories we live for, Maggie."

Sam waved at the two and Melanie bounced a bit. "Come on! What are you waiting for?" Melanie laughed and her sister quickly looked over. "Mel, ring the doorbell. I can't wait to see Grandma and Grandpa."

"Me either!" She reached up and hit the doorbell. They heard an almost whimsical chime and grinned as their Aunt and Uncle made it to the door. She felt Maggie's hand on her shoulder and looked back, her heart filled with excitement. "You just missed a great doorbell. I hope you know that." The two elders laughed and watched as the front door opened up. Susan opened up the door and gasped with delight as Melanie and Sam hugged her. "Grandma!"

"Oh what a surprise, you didn't tell me you were coming!" She joked as she hugged her granddaughters.

"Yeah we did, you didn't forget did you?"

"No, I couldn't forget you! Come inside, have you girls eaten today?" They nodded and followed their grandmother in the house. "Have a look around if you like, I'll go get Hugh and let him know you're here. He's out back."

"Okay Grandma." When the entered the home, they were in complete awe of the place. The carpeting was a pearl white, the front room was wide and open with a large vanilla couch sectional against the left corner wall, a coffee table in front of it and a television against the wall facing the couch. Above them was an opening that revealed the second floor, it had a white railing with a maple top. Through the arch of the living room, where Susan was walking, they could see the white tiled kitchen and marble countertop running along wall. In the other corner of the room was a very well decorated Christmas tree. Lights and garland were also prominent around the area. Sam went on ahead as Melanie carefully eyed the bookshelves along the wall with the railing for the second floor. She would enjoy reading some of these, if she got the chance. It was possible to have too much fun, wasn't it?

"Mel, come here!" She hurried into the kitchen and lifted her eyebrows up curiously. She laughed as Sam slowly closed the door. Adjacent to the kitchen was a small alcove with a glass door that led to the backyard, two computers next to each other, and another door that led into the master bedroom. Sam was at the kitchen closet and was eyeing all the snacks and treats inside. "I think I'm going to enjoy the food here too much at this rate, if I'm not careful."

"What is it with you and food?"

"I love it?"

"That works. God this is a big house…"

"I don't think we've seen the half of it yet. Come on, let's see what else there is!" They hurried around the wall of the kitchen and through another arch, into a wider area, but not quite as open and bright as the front room. It looked more like a den. There was a table in the center area with several wooden chairs around it, a fireplace off to the right, and a stairwell to the left. Next to the fireplace was a brown recliner chair, then a door leading out to the backyard. Next to the stairwell was another arch into a hallway. "Wow…come on, let's go check out the hallway!" Sam took Melanie's hand and ran into the hall, both of them laughed with excitement.

The hallway was long and had family pictures strewn about. In the center of the hall was a bathroom, right next to the hall closet. On either end of the halls were two bedroom doors, leading into two different bedrooms. The bathroom and hall closet doors were also right next to a bedroom door. "So how many bedrooms is this? four so far, counting the master bedroom?"

"Let's check upstairs!"

"Good idea!" With quick feet, the girls ran out of the hallway and up the stairwell, taking notice of more family photos along the side wall. When they made it upstairs, they saw a large pool table, a rack holding the pool sticks and other essentials. Behind the table was a small brown couch that faced a television with a PS3 connected to it. "Grandma and Grandpa play the Playstation?"

"Evidently." An amusing thought, but yet, it just showed the grandparents to be fun and lively. On the opposite side was an arch that led down a hallway. At the end of the hallway was a bathroom, a hall closet, and a bedroom door. When they moved into the bedroom, they were astonished by the brightness of the sun coming in through the window and the large bed with vanilla comforters. "It's _beautiful!_"

"I _know!_" The girls made their way back to the pool table and stood at the railing, looking down as Morris and Maggie brought in the last of the luggage. Sam grinned happily and waved. "Uncle Morris! Aunt Maggie! Up here!" The two glanced up at the girls and smiled at them.

"You two enjoying yourselves up there?" Morris asked.

"They have a _pool__table!__"_

"Oh? I can show you a few tricks of the trade if you want."

"You'd _do_ that?"

"Of course, I used to be a pool champ when I was a kid!" Maggie laughed with disbelief and Morris slowly looked at her. Her laugh deflated him. "Hey, let the kid think I was good, I don't want her to think she can beat me."

"Oh I _know_ I can, Uncle Morris!"

"You're on!" Maggie sighed and rubbed her forehead, smiling lightly as she walked towards the wall and looked up.

"While you two do that, I'll actually be hanging out at the pool in the back yard." Sam's eyes widened and Melanie's heart leapt up with glee.

"They have a _pool?__"_

"Last I checked, they did, unfortunately it's probably sealed for the winter."

"Awesome!" Melanie took Sam's hand and quickly bolted down the stairs. Once down, they almost ran into Hugh. He was dressed up in outside work clothes and covered with dirt. "Grandpa! Hi!" Hugh smiled as his granddaughters hugged him. "What were you doing outside?"

"I had to finish up some yard work. I'm happy to see you made it. Now we just have to wait for the rest of the family." Maggie set down a bag and moved over to Hugh.

"By the way, Greg and Annie, Buzz, Garth, and Carl have all said they're going to stay in a nearby motel."

"Okay, that's fine. Eleven people to a house with the bedrooms we have is just fine." Sam and Melanie eyed each other for a moment, both were curious as to why Hugh and Susan lived in a five bedroom, two story house.

"Hey Grandpa, why do you live in such a big house?" Hugh smiled and folded his arms over.

"This was the house your mom grew up in, Samantha." She gasped and Melanie's eyes filled up with pride. It made sense now, since there were four children growing up in the house. Brian, Lucy, Sarah, and Violet, one kid to a room. "That room upstairs, that's where your mother slept." The sisters looked back to the steps and felt a warm, yet ghostly feeling take them. It felt odd to have just crept around their mother's old stomping grounds without even knowing. Hugh looked over to Morris and tilted his head. "Any clue where the others are?"

"Yeah," Morris replied with a grunt as he dropped his bag next to Maggie's. "Greg and Annie should be arriving soon. Carl, Buzz and his son are coming in from Tacoma, so they have just a bit longer. Brian and his family should be here any time." The majority of the family was centered in cities around Seattle, with only Morris, Maggie, Greg, and Annie actually living in Seattle. Buzz, Carl, and Garth were in Tacoma. Madeline, Brian and Leon lived in Redmond. While Violet and Venus lived in Edmonds, giving them a full four hour drive. "I think everyone should be here by two at least."

"Great, I don't want anyone to miss the roast I got cooking for tonight."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Susan placed her hands on Morris and Maggie's shoulders and stepped between them. "You guys ready to be shown to your room? I've got the upstairs room made up for Sam and Melanie." The girls breathed in sharply and practically leapt for joy. Both of them wanted to have that room, and now they had it. They grabbed their luggage and quickly dashed up the steps. Susan smiled a cheerful grin and slowly led Morris and Maggie to one of the back rooms. "We may have to get an air mattress out for some people, I'm not sure how we're going to do the whole sleeping arrangement." Hugh chuckled and slowly shook his head.

"We'll figure something out dear." He leaned into Morris and whispered. "She's been so worked up, always worrying about something. Has to have everything done right."

"Tell me about it, Maggie's the same way!" The men laughed and abruptly silenced when their wives glared in their direction. "Sorry dear."

* * *

What a nice family get together, and isn't it great, I'm getting together with my family for the holidays XD. Stick around. By the way, Mitch will be around for the second christmas of this story XD. Who will he affect this time? We'll just have to see.


	168. Just Resting

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 167 (Resting)

Sam bounced in the window and threw her head back as Brian, Madeline and Leon pulled up in their silver four door Nissan truck. Behind them, Greg and Annie, the two siblings had stopped at the motel first and unloaded. "Guys! Uncle Brian and Aunt Madeline are here! Greg and Annie just pulled up behind them!" First to come running was Melanie, the adults walked in with stride. Sam gazed out the window and watched Brian get out of the car with his family. Her eyes shifted over to Greg and Annie, who were standing outside of the car and talking amongst themselves. "I thought Greg was bringing his girlfriend with him…"

Morris raised his eyebrow and opened the door. He motioned with his hand and smiled softly. "Let's go out and help them with their luggage." The others followed after him. Madeline looked over with a chuckle as Maggie smirked at her. Morris stopped and leaned back, whispering to Hugh. "There she goes." Hugh laughed while Brian stared at his wife pitifully.

"Hey Madeline, I told you we'd get here before you! I win the bet." Greg and Annie walked up to their mother and cleared their throats, smiling in vain at her. "What? It's true." Madeline looked over to Brian and crossed her arms.

"See, I _told_ you we shouldn't have taken that stop earlier." The man rolled his eyes as everyone else laughed and made their way to his car to help with luggage. Within minutes, they had all their baggage in the house. Brian and Madeline had everything in one of the back bedrooms that had been his old bedroom growing up. This left one bedroom and it would be left to Violet and Venus, who would have to share the bed in there. Leon would be fine with sleeping on the couch during the holidays. Greg and Annie were fortunate they had a hotel room, otherwise they'd just be out of luck. Buzz, Garth, and Carl would likely think the same. Although, it worried everyone that the 102 year old man in a wheelchair would be on the move every single day. They all were going to be staying at the Knights Inn.

Everyone was resting easy on the sectional, chatting about their trip and waiting for the other relatives to arrive. "If anyone passed through those mountains without pictures, I got em!" Sam held up her camera and grinned.

"We didn't catch anything," Annie said as she took the camera and started shifting through the photos. "Whenever bro gets behind the wheel and his foot hits that pedal, there's no stopping him…No matter _how__fast_ he's going." She slowly glared at Greg as he ran a nervous hand through his hair. Her eyes darted back to the pictures and her eyebrows lifted up. "You have some great shots, I may be able to make some paintings out of these."

"You should. Every scene is just waiting to be immortalized in paint, right?" Annie laughed at the use of her old catch phrase and nodded her head.

"Yeah, you got it. Though I got the inspiration to paint my lead-footed brother, then chuck the painting out the window." Greg laughed and looked over, only slightly offended.

"Was my driving really _that_ bad?"

She closed her eyes and replied, sparing him no blows. "Yes. Be glad your girlfriend decided not to come at the last minute, she saved herself from having to endure your driving."

"I'll have you know, Georgia actually _likes_ my driving." Annie's eyebrows rose as her lips formed a very subtle smirk. Sam and Melanie watched with bemusement.

"I'm stunned, maybe she is more of a race car type than I thought. I guess you'd better pick up speed, bro. You have a lot of competition ahead of you." He sighed and she leaned back in the cushion, feeling very proud of herself. She turned her head to the front door as it opened and Venus walked in with her mother following. "Hey, you guys made it! It's about damn time." Venus appeared energetic, but her mother looked a tad worse for wear.

"Such a long ass drive," Violet said as she tossed her bags on the ground. Venus nodded and set hers next to the wall. Altogether, they only had about five bags, an ample amount for their time. "Mom, Dad, you two need to move to Seattle. I swear, the drive is hellish!" The others laughed as Susan moved over to Violet and hugged her.

"I'm glad you made it Violet." Violet smiled and hugged her mother back. Venus made her way over to Sam and Melanie, then grinned as she high fived them both.

"Looks like all the teenagers are here. I bet you feel good about that."

"Just a little," Melanie joked. Sam chuckled and nodded her head. She wouldn't _mind_ being the only teenager there with her sister, but to that same respect, she really didn't want to _be_ the youngest there. "Did you know we got mom's old room?"

"Really? Awesome! Have you guys been out back yet?" The girls shook their heads and Venus glanced over to the family. Her mom crashed next to her brother and sister in law, so they wouldn't have to worry about getting their stuff in the room for a while. "Okay then, let's leave these old people and go check out the back!"

"All right!" The adults looked up and stared back at Venus with flat stares. She laughed and quickly hurried to the back door with the girls. When they made it outside, they were pleased to see a large fence encompassing the yard. Vines and plants ran along the fence and met with the lucious green grass. Each corner had it's own little garden of shrubs, roses, trees, and other plants. In the middle was a large blue, 8-shaped pool. The pool had a screen over it, covering it up for the winter. It was a bit depressing, since the girls really would have liked to go swimming, even though it was far too cold to do that.

"It's so _beautiful_," Melanie swooned happily. Sam moved over to a rosebush in the far left corner. She reached down and lightly held the bulb of one rose. The other two girls moved over to her and bent over to smell the flowers. "Grandma and Grandpa sure know how to keep a garden. Maybe one day I'll have one of my own! That would be awesome."

"It would be."

Venus stepped in between the girls and moved her hands to their shoulders, smiling brightly. "So girls, how are your boyfriends? They're not getting into too much trouble with Morris and Maggie I hope." The twins chuckled nervously and Sam's head rolled to the side. She wasn't sure how to respond to that, but was pretty sure she was the cause of Freddie's punishments. Studying their faces, Venus laughed and shook her head. "I'm not surprised _Kyle_ gets in trouble, but I would have thought Freddie could get away with anything." Melanie laughed and Sam's face fell flat for a bit.

"No, Uncle Morris definitely laid down the ground rules for him. Just because Freddie and I are going to get married when we turn twenty means nothing, really, we're not married yet and are still young. I'm fine with it." She honestly thought having those restrictions and boundaries was a good thing, it kept them both aware of each other while not overstepping the line. "We don't need to be having sex."

"True, you don't want to run that risk."

"What about you, Venus? Any boyfriends?"

"Me? Nah, I'm not too interested in the dating world. Don't get me wrong, but I still would rather focus on my career."

"Oh? What are you planning to do?" Sam knew Venus was going to start college soon, but she didn't know where she was going. "What's in your plan for the future?"

"Me? Oh, I'm going to go to Julliard. I want to pursue a career in Theater." Sam's eyes widened with surprise, she was both happy and nervous hearing that. So long as Venus kept in touch, she'd be just fine with her going off all the way to that prestigious school. "I graduated with high honors, so I know they'll accept me. At least, I'm hoping."

"I'm sure they will. They'd have to be stupid to _not_ accept you!" A gleam sparkled in her eyes as Venus laughed happily.

"Thanks." The three girls shared a hug, not letting go for a minute. Sam had no _major_idea what she wanted to do. She really liked the idea of law enforcement, though. Seeing Marissa at work was awesome and inspiring. She had plenty of time to figure it out though, why worry now, when she could have fun with her family and her life?

"Hey girls!" The three looked over to see Susan standing in the doorway, smiling at them. "Carl, Buzz and Garth are here now. Also, I'm going to be making some cookies, for anyone who is interested." The three gasped and quickly ran for the door. Susan laughed and stepped out of the way. "You know, the cookies will have to wait until after dinner. Hugh doesn't want anyone's food spoiled."

"Okay Grandma."

Once inside, the girls practically tackled Buzz and Garth. They hugged them while Carl rolled his wheelchair behind them, speaking with a laughing tone. "Hey, any hugs for me?" Melanie turned around and started over, but Sam was faster.

"Grandpa Carl!" He grinned as they hugged him close. "I haven't seen you since the family reunion! I missed you."

"Yes, and have you gotten taller?" She laughed and quickly shook her head.

"Of course not."

"Aw, that's a shame. You will grow some more, though. Tell me, is your boyfriend's great, great aunt still kicking around?"

"Era? Yeah, she's still around. Are you still trying to ask her out on a date?"

"Oh yeah." He grinned and slicked his hand over his head, causing Sam to laugh. She honestly thought it'd be interesting if the two ever did hook up, but unlikely still. It'd be good, considering there weren't that many 100 year olds around to date. "Well, good that we're all finally here, now we can enjoy the Christmas season." The others nodded as Hugh started to hurry into the kitchen, the roast was almost finished.

Hours later, after dinner and after everyone was settled down, Sam and Melanie were in the upstairs guest bedroom, getting ready for bed. Melanie was brushing her teeth while Sam put on her night gown. Sam watched Melanie with a sad heart, knowing full well that Melanie probably was going through a lot of emotions just by being in the room. She was. She felt sorrow, joy, warmth, and confusion. Her mother's old bedroom, what life could have happened in this room?

She bowed her head as she recalled a childhood memory of playing with her mom, being read a bedtime story. Melanie didn't have that. She lifted her head up as her sister rinsed her mouth and turned around. "All done." Melanie flipped off the bathroom light as Sam moved under the covers on the right side of the bed. She lay on her back and watched Melanie move over to the left side. She flicked the lamp next to her off, the only light was the moon shining in on them. After a minute, she heard her sister mutter something. "Sam."

"What?"

"What was she like? Mom?"

"Mom…" She smiled softly and moved her hands behind her head. "She was a kind woman, loved everyone and tried her best to make people smile. If something was wrong, she was the first to try and find a way to solve that problem."

"Do you ever think about her?"

She moved her eyes down as a quiet breath left her lips. Did she think about her mom? Yes. Not a day went by that she didn't think about her mother in some way. "Yeah, every day…I miss her."

"Daddy too?"

"Yeah, Dad too."

"It isn't fair…" Her heart sank as she heard a small sob. She never thought Melanie would break like that, but then again, she hardly ever talked about the subject. "It isn't fair what Aunt Lucy did. I never even got to know my own parents."

"I know Mel, I know, and I'm sorry. It'll take some time to get used to it all, but you will. We'll all be here for you the whole way through. We're sisters for life, no matter what."

"Thanks Sam…" Sam moved her eyes over and smiled. She watched as Melanie turned over onto her side, her back facing inwards. Her eyes drooped for a minute, then moved to the ceiling. She prayed this Christmas would be everything Melanie needed to feel better, but truthfully, how do you cope in a situation like hers? With a heavy sigh, she rolled onto her side and closed her eyes. Maybe over the holidays, she could talk to her grandparents about some home movies, letting Melanie see her mother for the first time. She needed that.

* * *

A calm chapter this is, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes there will be home movies coming up, there will be a breakthrough, a turnaround, and a fantastic christmas gift :P


	169. Tyrone, Scolded

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 168 (Tyrone Scolded)

"I-I don't understand, how can this be?" Tyrone was still mulling over everything he'd discovered just days ago. He was sitting in the park with Nora, going over the journals. So much history, so much blood, so much violence and death, how had they gotten away with it all? Did it change how he felt about arranged marriage? He never gave it a shot. "I don't agree all that much with arranged marriage, I still think Freddie's bride ought to be able to grow some more, but these things…things that my ancestors…"

"Mr. Shay, you are aware, because you just read it, you're one of them." He was more than aware, the words just kept repeating through his head. He didn't understand it in the journal of Shane's mother, so much had been left out, but now there was the whole picture. "I don't know where my dad is, I don't know where this Lionel is either, it might be better for the police to deal with it. I would have gone to the police, but I've been so fearful up to this point. If the iCarly's had continued their webshow, it'd be easier to find them. I'd like to at least warn Freddie to take care of his bride."

"Do you _know_ who his bride is?"

"Yes I do." His eyebrows rose and furrowed together. Why was he not surprised? Then again, she saved everyone at the family reunion, as per what her journal stated, and that was where it was technically revealed who Freddie's future wife was. "I respect them, and you have to also realize that…no matter how you were conceived, they are your family too. Until you can learn that, until you can be trusted not to tear those two aparrt, then you're not going to know who it is. I'm just saying for the record, I don't want you trying to ask me who it is.

"Of course…" He rolled his eyes momentarily and stared down at his leather journal. Did it matter? If Shane would report back to him, he would at least know if his suspicions were right or not. "I just want to talk to her family, try to convince them to let their daughter grow and experience relationships as they're supposed to be." Nora closed her eyes and slowly shook her head.

"There are times when you should meddle and get involved, and there are times when you shouldn't. From what you told me the other day, you got into a fight with Arian after learning how you were concieved, then you not only became cruel, you lost your wife. He pressed his lips together and shrugged slightly. Angeline was a good woman, he missed her. Yes he lied about what happened to her after the divorce, but just couldn't bear the truth of the matter. "So, whatever grudge you're still holding onto, maybe you want to fix it? I know you know how it feels to lose your family…you've also shown your grandson how it feels. Your son as well…"

Tyrone winced and held his side, groaning inwardly in pain of the moment. "I just wanted what I thought was best for my child, I didn't realize-"

"That you did the same thing to your son that your father did to Drita?" He growled and narrowed his eyes, he was beginning to resent the fact that he talked to this person about anything regarding his past. She was right though, he did the same basic thing by taking Spencer away from Marissa. "Now your entire family hates you and they all avoid you."

"They do not..."

"Who are you trying to convince? Me, or yourself?" With a hefty scoff, he folded his arms across his chest and looked away. As he started to think about the situations regarding his family, he realized that she was probably not as far off as he was thinking. "With my dad running around, going after all the Davidsons, Lionel running around going after all the Shays, I have to say…can you give your son the same gift of not speaking to you for thirty years?"

"Huh?"

"Your father…" He swallowed and moved his eyes towards the ground. Robert _was_ on his way to never speaking to him. After all, he wasn't even allowed to go to his son's wedding, and probably deserved that as a punshiment. "You said you never even knew he was dead, right? You think your dad would know if Lionel killed you? It seems like he's getting more and more secret about his kills. To this day, Connie Shay…nobody's found her body."

"You mean she's not buried in that grave?"

"Exactly. There'd probably be a high chance if Lionel found you, your family would never know it. They'd just carry on as though you were still alive, or just simply missing. Just like you did with your dad, never knowing until you chanced upon a descendant. Lucky too, I think."

"Yeah…I can't say my dad didn't deserve what he got." He was thankful that Robert had been adopted, simply because he didn't carry the cruel and arrogant gene that he carried. "Only question is, do I still believe I'm right? That I'm justified?" Nora lifted her eyes to his and locked them, staring with great seriousness at him.

"Do you? You're arrogant, you're exactly what it sounds like Lionel would go after." She tapped Shane's journal on her knee and shook her head. "Sounds to me like he's pretty mixed up, it doesn't matter who the person is, if they have a single iota of evil, he kills them. If they've done something that he justifies as wrong, they're gone. Mostly only Shays…" Tyrone chuckled hopelessly and closed his eyes, leaning back on the wooden park bench.

"It sounds like Lionel would enjoy Bana. Honestly, I'd rather have Lionel after me rather than Bana." She lifted her eyebrows and slowly nodded her head. "So, besides fear of your father, why haven't you gone to the police with this?"

"Well, I can't be sure my father _hasn__'__t_ been following me. I mean, he's the type that stalks his victims. He may not be as studious as Lionel, but dad's a beast. Also I need to make sure the police won't just _ignore_ the whole thing. A sixteen year old kid gives them a couple notebooks and tells them to read them. They're not going to read for a couple weeks."

"You need to hand them to a reliable source, then…"

"Exactly. I've been trying for Freddie, Sam, and Carly…only because Ms. Benson is always so hard to get to. I have to set up an appointment, and there's no way she's going to want to set up an appointment without a very good cause."

"Please, I get through to her all the time." Nora leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands. Her eyes narrowed onto a weed a few paces in front of her. Tyrone ran his hands through his hair and sighed. He didn't want to trouble Marissa and her family around Christmas. Not now. "You know…Lionel apparently only strikes on Friday the 13th days, so…we could easily wait till after the holidays to trouble them." Nora raised her eyebrow and gave him a skeptical look.

"Okay, and you weren't planning on bothering them during the holidays? Also, what makes you think Bana wouldn't try to do something? If anything, we should give them the books. I do know that they know about Lionel, I was at the reunion when they talked about him." Those words practically decked him, he couldn't understand why they would know and not want to warn him.

"Then how come it's been this long and I didn't know until _now_?"

"They were not sure how to bring it up. I think they're still struggling to figure something out. I don't know, I haven't been around them. Actually, truth be told…I lost them after the reunion. I have absolutely no idea where to find them." He didn't know either, they moved without ever letting him in on what where they would be living.

"I know that Benson kid's got his band started up and they're doing something down at the Groovy Smoothie this weekened. Still, I'm not so sure we should bother them. I'd hate to think their Christmas would be ruined because of worry over a serial killer."

"Honestly? You've spent years trying to tear that family apart, causing them to hide from _you_, and you're worried about letting them be upset over a serial killer?" Once more, her words seemed to cut him.

"I'm just concerned about that girl's future, okay!"

"Know your place, Tyrone. I warn you…If you're not careful, you'll lose your entire family."

"Please, I still have my granddaughter on my side, don't I?"

"Do you, Tyrone? Do you?"

"Unless they brainwashed her…"

"You really think they'd do that? Maybe you need to start using that brain, or else maybe you may as well wait for Lionel. Your choice." He frowned as she stood and started to leave. He was stunned and confused, not to mention hurt. Perhaps he had it coming, maybe she was right. Maybe it would be best if he just waited for Lionel. He didn't think he was all that bad of a person.

"I'm just concerned, that's all. You can't tell me it's wrong for me to be concerned!" She stopped walking and he drew in a silent breath as he watched her turn her gaze to him.

"It may not be wrong to have an opinion. Maybe it's not wrong to assume things, but until you have done your research, you're really only just an arrogant and angry man trying to force your opinions and views on an otherwise peaceful family. So either A, you have no business doing that, or B, you're no better than Lionel and Bana. Figure out what you want to do about those journals, you have my number."

Tyrone slowly nodded his head and watched with an aching heart as Nora departed into the distance. He swallowed hard and his hands began to shake. What was so wrong in wanting to be concerned? What was so wrong in what he wanted to do? "I'm not forcing anyone apart…they don't know what love is. How can they? They're too damn young…aren't they?"

* * *

Well, Nora seems pretty smart, knowledgable about the world around her. Tyrone's got a bit of stuff to think about here.


	170. Flatline of the Heart

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 169 (Flatline of the Heart)

"So who's going to be your maid of honor, Mom?" Carly asked as she and Marissa walked through the store. Freddie and Robert were walking through another part of the store. While the men bonded over cars, the women bought their presents. The house was already set up for Christmas and it already had several wrapped presents under the tree. Marissa was pushing the cart while Carly walked backwards in front of it. "Well? Who's going to be the maid of honor? Is it Sam? Sasha?"

"I'm not completely sure, I was thinking of having all of you as my bridesmaids." Before Sarah died, she always said whenever she got married again, that she would be her Matron of Honor, but that obviously didn't happen. "I think Sasha could be the matron of honor, so when she and the bridesmaids walk out with the best man and groomsmen, the couples will fit. I know Robert's wants Spencer to be his best man."

Carly bounced back and turned around, nodding her head with approval. "That sounds good to me. Are these our last batch of presents? I mean, it's only the 21st, so we have a few more days, if necessary?"

"Yes, but I think the next few days are going to be pretty busy, aren't they?" Carly looked over and hummed briskly. Her mom was right, tomorrow was the last day to practice before their big performance at the Groovy Smoothie. Hopefully Nevel wouldn't be too pissed about having lost his spot, but people did seem to be more interested in the Imperial Fireballs, so it was better for business. "So, will you guys be performing for tips?"

"Yeah, it'll help with the band's income and stuff. So, we're doing tips as well as T-Bo is paying us 150 to perform. That's for the total number of days we're performing. We're a primarily rock group, so the Christmas songs will have some rock theme with an innocent tone as well." It was a good plan, Freddie and Jonah thought of it. "Gibby says his Uncle's going to try and book us for a Battle of the Bands. He hasn't said where it is yet, but whatever it is, I hope we'll be able to go. It'll be awesome!"

"You guys have been practicing together all week, so you're getting used to each others' notes. That's a positive. You guys keep doing what you're doing and you'll become great." Carly grinned and thanked her.

"Are we going to the hospital later? I think you said the doctors said Zamira was waking up?"

"Yeah, we'll visit her."

"Didn't you say her daughter, Amy, was completely distraught over the news?" Marissa nodded and closed her eyes. She'd gone to the prison to tell Amy the news in person, it was perhaps the most difficult thing she ever had to do. Amy broke down and sobbed, cursing like mad, and saying she should have been there.

"It was horrible, her reaction. She was completely devastated. Her brother, George, handled the news a little better. He's allowed to be on parole, so he's going to care for his niece."

"Kelly? My god, I felt really bad for her…"

"Yeah, it's going to take her some time. I've instructed the parole officer and courts to move George and Kelly to another state. They should actually be out of the state by now, so whoever was targeting Zamira's family won't get to him."

"Amy? How is she?" Marissa's face fell and Carly gasped softly. She swallowed hard and shook her head. "No, not going to think about this on Christmas." Marissa walked over to Carly and hugged her close. It appeared that Amy had hung herself in her prison cell, but that was being investigated. The fact of the matter was, the pipe she'd hung the rope on was too high and she'd not had anything around her that she could have stood upon. Not only that, but there was speculation to how she got the rope in the first place, most inmates hung themselves with bed sheets. "It isn't fair…who would do something like this? Cause that much pain?"

Marissa didn't have an answer, but who really _could_answer something like that? The two slowly continued their shopping, moving onto other topics of discussion. Neither were going to let all the hell going on get to them, they were going to enjoy Christmas as much as they could.

An hour later, they were at the hospital, visiting Zamira. Freddie had decided to step out and go to the restroom. The hospital had a long public restroom with several blue stalls. He sat in the corner stall, which had the door right next to the toilet.

While he was on the toilet, he head the bathroom door open and took notice of it. He wasn't too sure why he even thought to care, but there was a feeling inside of him that made him feel weary. A chill ran down his spine as he listened to heavy footsteps walking across the tiled floor. His eyes fell to the door and spotted a shadow leading to two black shoes and black pants. They were right outside the stall. His heart started beating erratically the longer they remained in place. "Hello? Do you need something?"

"Freddie Benson?" His eyebrow rose and he slowly reached for the toilet paper. He didn't recognize the deep voiced man, so he had absolutely no clue how he would even know his name.

"Yes…"

In Zamira's room, she was supposed to have a roommate, but didn't. Marissa, Robert and Carly were still with her, nobody was saying much. Her hands were holding the blanket tightly and her body was shaking. Her dull eyes stared down at the white sheet as she swallowed hard. "This is…the third attempt on my life in my entire eighty years of life…" Marissa's eyebrows rose and Carly's expression quickly changed to worry.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean quite simply, someone has been trying to kill us at least since I can remember. My family…I…Why them?" An eighty year old woman shouldn't have to go through such pain. She didn't want to outlive all of her children, it wasn't right, it wasn't fair. "You say George and Kelly are safe?"

Marissa nodded and pulled the bed sheet up to Zamira's neck. "Yes, Aunt Zamira. They've been relocated to another state." She stood straight and closed her hands. "I promise you, we'll find the person who did this. They won't get away with it."

"Good. As long as my son and granddaughter are safe…"

"They are." She watched Carly step out of the room for a minute and breathed in. As she was about to say something else, Carly came rushing back in.

"Mom! Dad! Freddie's on a stretcher!"

"What?" Marissa turned suddenly as doctors and nurses came barging in, pulling Freddie into the room. Her eyes widened and Carly put her hands to her mouth. Zamira looked over and a heavy feeling dulled her heart. Freddie's head was covered with blood and the heart monitor sounded erratic. "No! Not my son!" She started to run over and Robert held her back, knowing that she shouldn't get in the doctor's way. "Freddie! Freddie!"

"Freddie!" Carly whined as the doctor turned to them and ordered them out of the room. "What happened to him? Someone tell me!" Once more, the doctors ordered them out. Carly left without answer to her question.

Zamira watched with growing sadness as her hands started to close up. Was he alive? Was he dead? Could it be by the same target who tried to take her family out? She uttered a raspy breath and whispered. "Marissa doesn't deserve this…she's gone through so much loss in her life…she doesn't need this." She lowered her head and groaned as she moved a weak hand to her chest. Her eyes closed and another moan left her lips.

"Nurse, we need to clean this blood! Stat!"

"Doctor, he's bleeding from the leg!"

"What?"

"I think he may have a fracture, we need an X-Ray." The heart monitor was in the process of flatline, the doctors didn't have long.

Zamira tuned out the noise and lifted her eyes skyward, closing her hand upon her chest. "God," she whispered with a subtle tone. "I know…my family is the religious type and well, I'm not as religious as I'd like to be…but please, hear me out if you're up there. I am an eighty year old woman, I've survived my fair share of life. My niece has been through so much and her son's life is practically just starting. Please. Please don't take him. My family, they're all with you now…take me too, please."

"Doctor, he's fibrillating!"

"Nurse, grab the shocks!"

"On it!"

Zamira moaned as her chest rose and fell. "Don't take him. I beg you. Don't take him…I will gladly take his place. Please remove your hold on him…take me. I don't want to outlive anymore of my relatives."

"Stand back! Clear!" Her eyes slowly closed as she heard the sound of the defibrillators shocking the body.

Outside, Carly was in a panic as Robert held Marissa in his arms. Carly's eyes were wet with tears and worry, she hated the thought of losing her brother. "He can't die! He _can__'__t!_ Sam needs him, the _band_ needs him! Most of all, _Sam_ needs him! He can't die, he just can't!" She beat her fists on a wall and sank to her knees, crying hard as her parents watched her with tearful eyes. "I feel like I _just_ got to know him! It isn't fair! It isn't _fair!_" Her throat was dry and sore from her cries, her chest was aching, and her tears were beginning to burn.

They hadn't called anyone, they were in too much shock and confusion about what happened. Nobody was telling them anything. The hallway felt colder than a large ice box. The chill of death seemed to surround them and overtake them. colder than a large ice box. The chill of death seemed to surround them and overtake them. An ominous feeling crept over their hearts as everything became still. As a nurse walked past them, Marissa reached out and grabbed her arm, gazing firmly in her eyes and pleading for whatever was happening to not be true. "Miss…my son, can you tell me…what happened?"

The woman looked to the room and her lips turned down. Marissa felt her heart tearing in two as the nurse looked back to her. "An orderly heard a racket in the bathroom and ran in to see what happened. Nobody was there except for your son…the stall had been busted down and he was lying there…beaten. The doctors in there are trying everything they can."

"Someone…tried to kill my son?" Her eyes widened and her blood ran cold, she clenched her teeth and her throat locked tight. Her arm lowered and her heart started to sink. Carly flipped over and sat on the ground, staring with wide and blank eyes at the wall in front of her. Robert was frozen and quiet, his body was quivering, as if ready to fall apart. He wanted to punch the nearest thing he saw. "How can someone…who would want…to hurt my son?"

Her immediate thought was that it was someone trying to get to her. All her work in the police force could easily create such animosity. Still, she was in such a state of disbelief that she wanted to deny it. Her son would be fine, they would go and celebrate Christmas as a family. He would go and perform at the Groovy Smoothie, then he'd be here when Sam got back from her family.

The door opened and the head doctor stepped outside. Carly quickly stood as the Doctor moved his eyes to Marissa's. They were preparing for the worst. "Ms. Benson, we've done everything we could, and…it's strange, but-"

"No!" Carly exclaimed, interrupting the doctor and catching everyone off guard. They could hear the sound of a flatline, it disheartened them and sank them like a torpedo. She ran past the doctor and hurried inside the room, freezing up when she saw Freddie. Her eyes widened and her hands began to shake. "Mom. Dad. Come in here…" Robert and Marissa hurried inside and paused, tears were fresh in their eyes.

Freddie was sitting upright in his bed, no wounds or blood on him whatsoever, he was looking at them with a smile on his face. The doctor walked in and cleared his throats. "As I was saying…we started working on him and the strangest thing happened. We _thought_ he had crushed ribs and a skull fracture, but as you can see here…" He walked to the X-Ray screen and pointed to a normal looking skeleton. "Nothing, he's completely clean."

Carly whimpered and her heart tightened in her chest. "I was so scared…" With a quick foot, she ran to Freddie and hugged him tight, crying hard. Marissa put her hand to her chest and Robert breathed in softly. She put her hands to Freddie's face and looked in his eyes, then continued inspecting him.

"Uh, Carly, I'm okay…" He breathed in as Carly turned her head to the heart monitor. It wasn't a flatline, it was a normal and steady heartbeat. They had to wonder where the flatline sound was coming from. As Carly inspected his eyes again, it hit her. The others slowly looked over to the curtain around Zamira's stretcher and quickly rushed over.

"Aunt Zamira…" Marissa's voice was soft and saddened as she stared down at her Aunt. Zamira's body was pale, her lips were parted, eyes closed, and hand flat against her heart. The doctor walked up behind her and scratched the back of his head. Marissa put her hand to Zamira's arm and slowly lifted her other hand to her eyes. Robert wrapped his arm around her and pressed his lips tight together. Carly held her breath and looked up to the doctor for a statement.

"We couldn't find a cause for her passing. Nothing other than old age, no complications or anything, simply old age…" Marissa slowly nodded her head and closed her eyes. A tear stroked her cheek and her breathing steadied. "When her EKG flatlined, that's when Freddie was found in good condition. It's as though nothing happened." An unexplainable, but precious, miracle indeed, somehow Freddie was lucky to be alive.

Almost two hours later, after considerable inspection, Freddie was allowed to leave the hospital. On the way home, Robert was driving, as Marissa was still incredibly shaken up by what happened. Carly was in the seat behind Robert while Freddie remained in the seat behind Marissa. Marissa rested her head on the headrest and sighed in exasperation.

"Freddie? Did you happen to catch what the person looked like?"

"No…" He frowned and looked to the side, ashamed that he couldn't help them out. "I could hardly react to the door being slammed down."

"Okay…just…I'm glad you're okay. I love you, you know."

"I know Mom, I love you too." He contemplated telling Sam, it wasn't something he wanted to scare her with. He wanted her to enjoy her Christmas at all costs. Of course, she did need to know of Zamira's passing. Marissa was going to contact her father with the news once she was relaxed enough. She had to know who did it, she really hoped it wasn't Tyrone. Yet, by that same concept, if it _were_ him, at least she'd know and could arrest him. Most likely, it was someone else. "Let's just all get some rest. Carly, the band's practicing tomorrow like usual, okay?"

"Okay Freddie…" She was looking at him with tears of joy in her eyes and a soft smile on her face. She wasn't sure whether this was a happy occasion or a sad one. Zamira's death was normal, old age happens to everyone, but it was still depressing. She reached over and hugged Freddie. At least she didn't lose him.

* * *

It was a miracle indeed, Freddie survived. Zamira, you will always be loved and remembered.


	171. Home Movies

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 170 (Home Movies)

Melanie opened her eyes the next morning and smiled as the sunlight shone down upon her. It was the 22nd of December and slowly, but surely, Christmas was coming! She sat up in her bed and looked around, Sam wasn't in the room, she must have gotten up earlier. With a yawn, she stood from the bed and walked to the window. Her tentative hand rested upon the cool window as her eyes gazed out at the snowfall. She'd dreamt that she was out there, playing with her mom. She and Sam were children. Such a pleasant dream, so why couldn't it be real? A tear left her eye and she quickly brushed it away. She had to buck up, she couldn't let this ruin her joy.

She hurried to take a shower and get dressed, once done, she hurried out of the room. She placed her hands on the railing and looked down into the living room. She smiled as she saw everyone huddling around the couch. Susan and Hugh were on the corner cushion, he had his arm around her shoulder and she was resting her head on his shoulder. Morris and Maggie were in the same position on Hugh's side. Brian and Madeline were on Susan's side and were cuddled up as well. On the outer cushions of the sectional, Violet and Buzz were seated. On both sides of the couch, recliners had been pulled up to make some extra room. Greg and Annie were sitting in the recliners. Leon and Venus were sitting on the ground, up against the feet of the couch on both outer sides, leaving the center area for Sam and Melanie. The coffee table had been moved away as well. Sam was hooking something up on the television, it looked like a DVD player. She glanced up and grinned. "Melanie! Come down here! We have something for you! Hurry!"

"Okay, okay. How come no one woke me up?" She hurried down the steps and made her way into the living room just as Sam sat back against the couch. As she got closer, she saw a rack full of DVDs next to Sam. Beside her was a DVD player. "So, what's all this?" Sam grinned at her and motioned her over. She hesitated for a split second, then moved next to Sam. "Okay, so what's going on?"

"Home movies," Susan said with a smile. Melanie furrowed her brow as she swallowed. "A few years ago we compiled all the family home movies over the years and put them onto DVDs. Sam suggested yesterday that we watch some."

"Really?" She turned a bewildered gaze to Sam, who nodded with grace.

"Particularly the ones of mom…I thought you should really see her and know her." She gasped and turned back to the television as Sam flipped it on. Her hands started to sweat and she bit her lip nervously. She was scared, but excited at the same time. "It'll probably be a day thing, so I hope you're ready to really meet mom. This is our Christmas present to you."

"I…You're serious?"

"Yep. You deserve it."

Brian reached forward and pat Melanie on the shoulder, comforting her. Her lips moved upwards as she saw the start of the home movies. There were three children huddled around the couch where a much younger Susan was holding a small baby in her hands. Melanie smiled and could almost instantly pinpoint the children, but they were just guesses.

_"August 5th, 1970, we just got a new arrival!" Hugh's voice shot over the camera and Susan lifted her head up anxiously. She was still weary from the labor. "Violet Daniels was born on the 2nd, mother and baby just came home!" The camera zoomed in on Susan, who was giving him the glare of death._

_ "Honey, not now! I'm exhausted! For the record Hugh, the next time you decide to stick that thing in me, you better have protection." _

The family laughed and Susan put her hand to her lips, blushing like crazy. Violet looked over to her mom with an astonished look, she never knew her mother could talk like that. "Really mom?"

"In my defense, I just went through thirty hours of labor with you.'

"Uh huh." Venus laughed and nudged her mother.

"You make such an adorable baby!"

_"Moving on before my sweet wife decides to castrate me. The camera moved to the twelve year old boy in the group. He was rubbing his ear and staring at the camera. "Hey Brian, how do you feel about your baby sister?"_

_ "I'm _still_ the only boy!" Brian crossed his arms over and a small three year old girl with blonde hair walked over and playfully pushed Brian. "Hey, cut it out Sarah."_

_ "No, bu-bu is happy about Violet. Tell the truth!" The other girl, four year old brunette with short hair, stepped next to Sarah and pointed at Brian._

_ "Yeah!" Brian rolled his eyes and sighed._

_ "Fine, I love my new baby sister." Hugh laughed as Susan watched her three children with love and pride._

_ "Sarah Pam Daniels, my wonderful three year old daughter, and Lucy Henrietta Daniels, our four year old. They're adorable standing up to their older brother and getting the truth out of him."_

Brian laughed as Madeline pinched him on the arm and smirked. The other relatives looked at him curiously while Violet raised her eyebrows at him. "All through the years, those two girls _constantly_ ganged up on me."

"I'm just a little concerned you wanted me to be a boy, Brian."

"Hey, I was twelve years old and I wanted a brother to play ball with in the park, not girls that I was going to end up playing dolly." Violet laughed as Leon gave his dad a fist bump. "Yes I was happy about you though. Doesn't mean I didn't want a little brother. I guess at that point of time Mom decided to nix the possibility of anymore children."

"Oh please, you got one, even if he wasn't biologically your brother."

"I will say David was a good best friend to have." Sam looked up and her eyebrows rose in surprise, she didn't know that her dad knew Uncle Brian as a kid. At least now she know how her mom and dad met.

Melanie tuned out her relatives in a way, her eyes focused on her mom. As the home movie went along, she had an almost empty feeling in her stomach. As time went on, more home movies came and she learned more and more about them. She heard Leon laugh and point at the screen. "Hey look, it's Mom!" Melanie gasped and curled up on the couch, covering her eyes.

"I remember this! I can't look!"

_Twenty year old Brian laughed with his best friends David Puckett and Madeline Penta. Madeline and David were both eighteen. Madeline had her arms crossed and was looking at the eleven year old Sarah and Lucy, both of whom were grinning mischievously. In her hair was whipped cream. "Lucy, why is my hair covered with whipped cream?"_

_ "Because I put a pack of whipped cream on the door you just opened. My assistant here will take full credit in her action." Sarah chuckled nervously and quickly ran behind David. Madeline raised her eyebrow and tapped her foot on the ground._

_ "Lucy, do you know how long it'll take to get this out of my hair? I have a date tonight!" _

_ "Is it with Brian?" Madeline and Brian both blushed and looked at each other. Lucy smirked as Madeline shook her head. _

_ "No, it's the football quarterback. I _actually_ got him to recognize me."_

_ "That's why the whipped cream." Lucy clapped her hands together and walked out the door. With a sigh, Madeline followed after her, then slipped on a puddle of melted ice cream. She screamed and crashed hard on the floor. "Oh sorry! I spilled the ice cream earlier!"_

_ "Madeline!" Brian hurried over to Madeline and helped her sit up. She moaned and rubbed her forehead while the cameraman, David, set down the camera on the table and hurried over to help the two. Sarah smacked her forehead and Lucy grinned innocently._

_ "Lucy, that was a _bad_ thing!"_

_ "I know, but I want Madeline to date Brian! Not a football person. They're mean people."_

Melanie shook her head and closed her eyes, she wasn't sure how she felt about Lucy. She was innocent as a child it seemed, but at the same time, she definitely didn't need to be so cruel. Madeline sighed and Brian kissed her cheek as she smiled and folded her arms. "I missed that date with the quarterback and spent all night with Brian. That's when I realized he was the one for me." Maggie looked over with a smile and held her hand over her heart.

"Aw, so sweet!"

"Thank you Aunt Lucy!" Leon commented with a laugh. Brian gently kicked Leon in the leg and chuckled. "What? It's true. I wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for that prank right there. Am I right, or am I right?"

"You're right, you're right!" Brian laughed and Melanie slowly looked over, bewildered. "We found out the Quarterback was seeing other girls at the same time and just wanted to make out. So, in essence, Lucy _did_ do a good thing there."

"Do you think she knew?" Sam's eyebrow was up with curiosity. Brian shrugged and Madeline tapped her chin with thought.

"It's possible, I remember catching her around the school sometimes. It was so long ago that I can hardly remember."

As time went on, they eventually came to Sarah's 'Sweet Sixteen' birthday party. Melanie was confused about Lucy, she always seemed like a _good_ sister, not a bad one. Sure she was opinionated, but growing up she didn't seem like the type to want to take someone's kid away. In this video, it was Hugh filming.

_"Okay, everyone can sing happy birthday!" Lucy called out_ _while standing up from her seat. They were at a round table, with Sarah at the head. Next to Sarah was Marissa, her best friend. She didn't look too happy, despite it being her best friend's birthday. "And Emily, that means you too!" Marissa frowned and flicked her eyes to Lucy, glaring at her. Lucy cleared her throat and sighed. "If you want, that is. It's up to you."_

_ "Thanks." _

_ "Geez." Sarah laughed once and took Marissa's hand._

_ "It's okay Emily, try to have fun. I know it's hard to think about you know who and you know what, and I'm here for you whenever you need me…but today, try to put all that behind and have fun. Okay? Will you try?" Marissa smiled and slowly nodded her head._

_ "For you? Yeah, I'll give it a try." Thirteen year old Violet came running in, wielding a pair of streamers in her hands. She laughed happily and started circling the table. _

_ "Happy birthday sis! Happy birthday!" Brian and Madeline, seated at the other end of the table, smiled at the scene. Susan laughed and had to step to the side in order to avoid being run into. _

_ "Okay Violet, settle down dear, it's time for the birthday girl to blow out the candles." _

_ "Okay mommy! Whee!" Violet squealed and dropped the streamers as she ran for an empty chair. Lucy smiled and cleared her throat._

_ "All right everyone, time to sing!" Sarah blushed as Marissa and her family all stood up. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Sarah! Happy birthday to you!" Sarah breathed in and blew out all the candles._

A tear ran down Melanie's cheek as she watched her mother enjoying her party, though she was also watching the background. It was there she saw the first sign of trouble. No one had noticed Lucy receiving something from the mail, nobody noticed her sitting down in a corner, crying hard about something.

As the video went on, there was a part that the camera was clearly forgotten and left on. The family all stared at the video in shock as Lucy and Sarah argued, Lucy was yelling and ranting while Sarah tried to console her. Eventually, she managed to do so and was talking to her on the couch. Everyone else was in another part of the house.

_"This is what I'm going on about, Sarah." Lucy handed Sarah the slip of paper from earlier and the girl's eyes widened._

_ "Oh my god, you were pregnant?" _

_ "It was just an accident. My boyfriend broke up with me! That's the eighth boyfriend in two years!"_

_ "This says you miscarried and-"_

_ "I can never have children, Sarah. Ever. I'm always so busy trying to make everyone _else's_ life better, that…" Lucy brought her hands to her eyes and sobbed while Sarah rubbed her back. "Nevermind, just…go on and live your perfect life._

_ "Lucy, my life's not perfect…no one's is."_

_ "Give me a break! Brian has a great girlfriend and a great life, Violet's the apple of the family, you're Miss Does-Everything-Right, and I'm…what am I? I screw everything up! I can't even have a steady relationship because…I don't know! All guys ever want to do is have sex, and the one time I give in, the guy leaves me! And no, I didn't miscarry, I just missed my period, that's all. I thought I was pregnant, but the doctors said I'd never have children."_

_ "Lucy…I'm so sorry…" _

_ "Sarah!" Violet came running into the room and grabbed Sarah's wrist, smiling happily. "Sarah come play! I want to do each other's hair!" Sarah hesitated briefly and gave Lucy an apologetic look._

_ "I'm sorry Lucy, we'll talk about this later, okay? Tell mom and dad?" _

Susan gasped and tears ran down her eyes. Hugh swallowed and slowly shook her head. "Lucy never told us a thing, but if she felt like she wasn't getting enough attention…we would have gladly given her some attention. We tried to treat all our children equally."

They shook it off and continued on with the home movies. They ran through high school graduations, Sarah's prom, then her first date with _David._ Melanie was noticing as the home movies went on, Lucy seemed to become more and more depressed. Violet's life was going so well, as was Brian's. Sarah was a happy Aunt when it came to Leon, as was Violet, but Lucy could hardly touch him.

When they came to 1993, the whole family was gathered around Violet, who was holding her newborn baby. Violet smirked at Venus and tilted her head. "Now who makes an adorable baby?" Venus blushed and closed her eyes.

"Oh hush, Mom."

_Sarah swooned over Venus as David had his arm around her shoulders. "David, when we get married, we're going to have a beautiful baby, right?"_

_ "Of course we are. You know, I'm a triplet, so there's a good chance of us having twins, or more." Sarah gasped and her cheeks rose joyously._

_ "I hope so! I'd love to have twins!" Lucy sat in the corner of the room and raised her eyebrow. Marissa was there as well, smiling as Violet and her husband held their baby. She looked back to Lucy, then to the camera. She made a motion to Lucy and mouthed 'nuts' at the cameraman. Sarah moved over to Violet and smiled. "Can I hold her?"_

_ "Of course you can, sis." _

_ "Thanks!" Sarah picked up Venus and squealed as she turned to David. "She's so light! She's a perfect baby."_

_ "You'll have one eventually, baby." Brian cleared his throat from behind the camera and David looked over with a wry smile._

_ "You know, I know you two are in love, but could you not talk mush to my sister while in my presence? It's still kind of weird to me." Marissa laughed and Sarah blushed as David slowly shook his head in embarrassment._

"Well it was!" Brian stated matter-of-factly. The others laughed and pat him on the shoulder. They knew he was just a protective older brother, that was perhaps the best explanation that could be provided. Madeline kissed his cheek and smirked.

"You know, you were always so cute when you get all huffy and defensive."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Violet huffed and folded her arms over. The others looked to her and frowned, knowing exactly what she was upset about. Lucy's confession to Marissa, she stated the reason she abducted Melanie was out of guilt, obsession, and envy, that her sisters had such perfect lives and she didn't. She confessed to the brief affair with Travis, Violet's husband, in which she ended when Violet became pregnant. She confessed to feeling that pang of envy when she learned Sarah was getting her wish and having _twins_. She knew what she'd done was wrong, but once she took Melanie, once the doctors did their thing, she felt she'd crossed the point of no return.

"It's hard seeing Travis…I'm sorry Violet." She lifted her hand and shook her head. Venus glanced at her and frowned, she felt her mother's pain. Travis died in 1998 due to lung cancer. He never told anyone about the affair.

"It's fine Brian, I don't think of the asshole who screwed my sister behind my back." They nodded and continued watching the home movies, passing through Sarah's wedding. Marissa had been the Matron of Honor, which was expected. Lucy had gone missing some time after that, around the time of Sarah's conception and announcement that she was having twins.

_ The day of her labor was a bittersweet one at best, her face was streamed with tears and she was cuddling Sam close to her. David was standing next to her and Morris was recording the video. "I wasn't able to hold my other…why? Why wasn't I allowed? I don't understand this hospital, I don't understand the doctor."_

_ "It's okay Sarah, it's okay." David hugged her close and kissed Sam's forehead. "Samantha is a trooper just like her mother, huh?" Marissa was on the other side of the bed and was staring out the window at the doctor. She flattened her lips and looked back to Sarah._

_ "There's something about the doctor I'm not sure about…and I'm a police officer, I make it my duty to detect things."_

_ "Emily, please…" Sarah closed her eyes and Marissa slowly exhaled. "I don't want to think about what happened, I don't want to think about that doctor. Just…"_

_ "I'll leave it alone, if it makes you feel better."_

_ "Thank you…" Sam's arms moved around and she cried as she looked around the room. "Look at her, she's trying to find her sister isn't she?" Sarah sobbed lightly and wrapped the baby's blanket around her. "It's okay Samantha, it's okay. Don't worry about Mommy. Mommy's here. Mommy's here…"_

Not a dry eye was in the room. Melanie felt like running off and crying. She was comforted by Sam's hand gently squeezing hers. She was able to sit through more home movies. She was distraught when they reached 1998, the year that David was shot and killed during a hunting expedition. She always enjoyed seeing him in the videos. It was heartbreaking, almost like someone she'd known all her life had just got pulled away from her.

The home movies came to an end around 2002. When they ended and the family turned off the television, the family was silent. Melanie slowly smiled and stood up, wiping her eyes. She had a number of emotions inside her. Joy, love, sorrow, fear, anxiety. She just wasn't sure what to think. What she did know was that she needed to see those videos. Sam stood up with her and Melanie hugged her close. "Thank you everyone. Thank you. I'm going to…I'm going to go get some rest, okay?"

"Okay Mel. We'll be right out here if you need anything. Uncle Morris is going to teach us to play pool later if you're interested." She wanted to play, but that would be later. She smiled and wiped her eyes again. "I think Uncle Buzz is going to join us too." Buzz nodded his head and smiled.

"Yep, I'll be joining. Morris and I are the unbeatable team." Melanie chuckled and hugged her two Uncles.

"Thank you. If I'm not out in a couple hours, feel free to wake me. I wouldn't miss pool for the world." They nodded and waved her off as she started up the stairs and back into her bedroom, shutting the door. Once there, she took a deep breath and climbed onto the bed, where everything crashed around her. She pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed lightly, the pain of missing her mother was greater than she'd ever imagined. She loved that woman, though she never knew her. "I wish she never took me from Mommy…" She sniffed and closed her eyes tightly, unaware of the invisible eyes that were watching her closely.

* * *

Heh, you know what's coming. Ol' Mitch is here!


	172. Mitch is Back!

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 171 (Mitch is Back!)

Melanie lifted her head from her legs and looked around her room, she was overcome with a strange, almost whimsical feeling that she couldn't explain. It also felt as though someone else were in the room. "Is someone there? Hello?" She stood up and swallowed hard. A breeze moved the curtains beside the window, yet it was shut. It grabbed her attention though, she moved over and peered out. It was difficult to see with all the snowfall, but still it was like a gorgeous painting, one that Annie could do.

She wrapped her arms around herself and slowly turned around, pausing momentarily and staring at the bed. Her eyes widened as they fell upon a tiny bald, bearded man lying sideways with his hand on his head and elbow in the pillow. "Who are you?" How did he get in her room? The guy quickly sat up and pushed his hands in the air, chuckling nervously.

"Relax, I'm Mitch! The Christmas angel!" She raised her eyebrow and stared at him with growing skepticism. He closed his eyes and hopped off the bed. "You might not believe me, but I am. I'm here to earn my wings this year. Got to earn them each year, you know." She scoffed and turned around to ignore him, but he popped on the windowsill in sitting position. The act caused her to stagger back onto the bed. "Sorry, I hope I didn't scare you. See, I grant wishes. Last year I tried to help some guy learn a lesson or see what life would be like, but it didn't end too well for me. I did get my wings though!"

"Uh uh, I'm sure you did. I'm not too sure I trust you."

"Oh I'm trustworthy. Well, I mean, this year I was going to help the guy's best friend realize what life would be like if he'd never met his wife, but the guy seemed to think that I was using a similar scenario that was in a dream that his friend had in Christmas last year, didn't give me a chance." Melanie's eyebrow arched up and her face scrunched. "Anyway, if you'll let me, I can show you what life was like if, as you said, Aunt Lucy never took you." She sat up, still skeptical and unsure, but honestly she wouldn't mind a _peek_.

"You could do that?"

"Of course, would you like to see what life would be like milady?"

"I'm not sure…" She rubbed her arm and moved her eyes to the side. She didn't want to risk anything bad happening. Like he said, he took someone's lover away from them a year ago. "I wonder if it comes with a return policy." Mitch chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. Melanie snapped her head to him and quickly moved to her feet. "Wait a minute, Mitch. I need to know-"

"Well…you see…" He snapped his fingers and the room begun spinning. The window became flurried with snow like a blizzard. Melanie screamed out and closed her eyes. Her stomach churned and bile begun to rise. She put her hand on her stomach and groaned as she started to fall over.

"Mitch! Stop this! Now!" Mitch chuckled once more as Melanie fell to the ground and caught herself. The seemingly spinning room ceased for once, but when she opened her eyes and adjusted her hazy vision, she noticed a dramatic change of scenery. The song _Billionare_ was heard from the room over, it was the first thing she noticed. The walls around her were purple with some flame tint to them. The bed she was on was a very dark, almost black color. "Weird…I hate dark stuff."

"No you don't, you _love_ dark stuff. At least here you do." She raised her eyebrow and brought her hand to her mouth, choking up on the colors. She heard a rapid knock at the door and looked up as it opened. Her eyes widened when she saw her _father_ rushing into the room. "Oh, and you live with your dad."

"Melanie! Are you all right? I heard you scream."

"Daddy?" Her jaw fell as David reached down and helped her to her feet. "You're _alive?_" David raised an eyebrow as Mitch walked over to the nearest wall.

"Did you hit your head when you fell, dear? Yes I'm alive. Anyway, I ordered some chinese for tonight. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She looked to Mitch for answers and waited as David walked out of the room. She hurried over to him and glared into his eyes, she _really_ wasn't sure what was going on. "How is Dad still alive?"

"You weren't taken by your Aunt Lucy, so he never went on that hunting trip with Sam back in '98. Lewbert, the true target of the debt collector, was killed that day. Melanie's eyes widened and her heart started to pound inside of her. She couldn't believe her ears, _her__father__was__alive!_ "Oh, and you're kind of, sort of, rich."

"I am?"

"Yeah, your dad invests in the stock market, knows how to spend his money, and works on coding for a computer company. He works at home. By the way, you live in Shoreline, WA with your dad. It's just you and your father."

"Why? What about Mom?"

"She passed away in the same year as before, she aquired the same illness. Hey, I'm just an angel, there are certain things that even _I_ can't change." Melanie's jaw fell and her legs started to quiver. This was devastating news, she couldn't _believe_ that er mother was actually still gone! "Don't worry, you knew her and loved her well, she was a great mother to you and loved you dearly for as long as she lived and breathed. As for living in Shoreline, your dad relocated here, things got a bit…odd…in Seattle. What with all the stuff going on…" Melanie shook her head and grunted while pushing her hands in through the air.

"Wait, back up a bit. You're saying 'you' as if I'm the only child. That, and what is going on in Seattle?" Mitch groaned and started to rub his beard. The act threw her off and struck her with worrry and grave concern. "Where's my sister? Or am I just misreading you?"

"Sam? She is…she is alive and well." She put her hand to her chest and sighed with relief.

"That's good. For a second there, I thought maybe you were going to say-"

"She just lives in Seattle and doesn't know who you are." Her blood instantly ran cold as her eyes widened and her hands quickly found Mitch's shirt collar. He yelled out and quickly backed up. "Hey, watch the merchandise! Don't manhandle me like the last guy."

"Where…is Sam? Where is my sister?"

Mitch mumbled and wiped his hands on his jacket. "You weren't specific. You only asked if Lucy didn't take _you_." The words tattered and abused her heart, knocking her off her feet and onto the bed. She started to shake as Mitch slowly rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, Lucy had the option of the baby on the right, the baby on the left. In your timeline she took the left, which was you, but this time she went for the right. Such a simple decision on her part…" Melanie swallowed and thought back to the home movies she'd seen. _Simple_ _decision_? Was that really all it was for Lucy? A simple little choice between right or left?

"No…" She closed her hand up and slowly shook her head. "I don't believe it was a 'simple' decision. I think she suffered from that guilt. But if Sam's in Seattle, then…I want to go there."

"Er, you might not want to go to Seattle, actually." She narrowed her eyes and gently tapped her foot on the floor. Her heart was going a mile a minute and her mind was spinning out of control. Why was Mitch so adament _against_ Seattle? "Besides, if you're looking for Freddie, Carly, Robert, Spencer, Marissa…you're not going to find them."

"What do you mean?"

"Well see, this _sort __of_ ties in to the guy I dealt with before. It seems Sam's rather important. So…Freddie has never met her because Lucy took her instead."

"Show me…"

"Really?"

"Show me the differences!"

"Yikes! No need to yell…" He sighed and clapped his hands together. Once again the room began to spin and throw her off balance. She screamed out and closed her eyes for a minute, opening them up to a horrible scene. They were at Ridgeway High School, the halls and lockers had been coated with graffiti.

"W-Who did this?"

"Freddie. He's a bit of a bully these days." Melanie looked to the side when she heard someone shout. That was when she spotted Freddie shoving Gibby against a locker, his fist clenched around Gibby's shirt and free hand ready to strike him down. After a moment of struggling, Gibby handed him some money.

She was frozen in shock at what she was seeing. This was _impossible_, _prepostorous!_ Mitch tugged at his collar and closed his eyes. It was at that time that she began noticing his nervousness. Putting it all together, she wondered if he'd seen this timeline before, but with someone else. He seemed terrified of Freddie. "Let me guess, you did this with Freddie?" The midget angel looked up and chuckled again as she turned to him, narrowing her eyes. "Well. Answer me. Who am I? Why is Freddie messed up? What's going on!"

"Well, there are _some_ changes to the timeline. See, Freddie's question…well he didn't actually _ask_ it, but it was if he never met Sam. So in his thing, you were still taken by Lucy. This time, Sam was. So one difference is Sam is with Lucy, your dad's still alive, and one more difference that wasn't quite around last year. See, last time, Jonah was in juvenile because he'd been framed by Carly planting a bomb under his car-"

"Repeat that?"

"Oh, Carly was _really_ against Freddie and blamed him for her father's death. See, someone put anthrax in an envelope addressed to Marissa, Tyrone had a heart attack, and Robert killed himself. Well, that still happened since Sam wasn't around to accidently drop the letter in water…" Melanie's eyes widened fearfully as Mitch continued with his speech. "The car bomb killed Spencer, unintentionally, Carly and Freddie had been warring ever since. So, one more difference regarding this timeline and the effect of Sam never meeting Freddie. Not sure how this ties into it all, but in regards to family, and a year _has_ passed since…Back then Freddie's aunt hand been offering to take him in, but he kept refusing. Eventually they made their presence and the family's presence in Seattle known to certain people, and well, let's just say…Freddie's the last Davidson left alive."

* * *

Well this is just _great_. Mitch has managed to turn the world upside down again. Poor Melanie, well, I wonder what Mitch's lesson is going to be, this time.


	173. Changs

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: By the way, if you're an older reader or a new reader, chapters 90-94 marks Mitch's first appearance. Yes, he went with Freddie in that arc, simply due to the fact that I, as the author, felt it was more appropriate for that episode to center Freddie, for this story. _Some_ things that happened in those chapters will be discussed as happening in this mini arc with Mitch.

* * *

Chapter 172 (Changes)

Melanie stood in a cemetery, overlooking all the plots for the Davidson family. At some point of time, a lunatic serial killer named Bana, had been hunting down all of the Davidson's. She moved a shaky hand to her hair and tucked it behind her ear as the wind ruffled her. She felt her heart breaking for the loss of Freddie's family. She didn't believe they could _all_ be dead, it just didn't seem probable. As she wiped a tear away, Mitch appeared beside her. "Tyrone died a year ago in this timeline, which means…the person who was trying to find and warn the Davidson family had been found by Bana. Without being able to run into Tyrone at the cemetery, she was doing something else when they were fated to meet. Bana found and killed her. Which made the family susceptible to his attack, there was no way to prevent it."

"Attack? I don't understand…So, in my real timeline, Tyrone and this person meet up?"

"Yes. They _have_ met up. Also because of the changes in this timeline, the family reunion wasn't until around the Christmas season. As you can see…everyone in the family just died recently." Her eyes moved to the plots and she saw a date that could have happened just a few days ago. "Of course Freddie didn't go to the reunion, so Bana probably doesn't know that."

"I-I knew there was someone named Lionel that was after the Shays, but I didn't know anyone named Bana…"

"No one does, not even Freddie knows about him. All that remains of him were journals…_these_ journals." She looked over as a bunch of notebooks appeared in his hands. She breathed in heavily and took them from him. As she read through them, tears began to pour. "Of course you're free from all this, you're safe. However, because of all the deaths that Bana's created, along with Lionel, your father doesn't even want you near Seattle. It's become a bad place…" She understood that and sniffed. Rubbing her nose, she realized that Mitch's words hinted that she could get into serious trouble by remaining in Seattle and her father possibly finding out. "Carly goes to Ridgeway with Freddie, but they're never close enough to each other. I figure if they saw each other, it would come to blows."

"They shouldn't hate each other so much…You said Lionel. I thought he only hit on Friday the 13th."

"Yes but he's getting much older and has discovered more Shays around. Starting with that Mitchell Shay…Spencer wasn't alive to put him away, so he wandered free in the streets. Lionel, deciding it's time to come out of hiding, found him and killed him. He has also managed to kill off Jennifer and Shane Johnson. Now, all that's left is himself, Bana, and Carly. God knows those two serial killers have descended upon Seattle and are willingly seeking out their final two victims."

"I…wait…then where _is_ everyone?" Mitch rubbed the back of his neck and glanced to the side as Melanie continued to stare at him, she _needed_answers as soon as possible. One of the few people left that she didn't know about was Kyle. "Where's Kyle? You said Jonah's in prison? Where's Valerie? What about Griffin?"

"Okay, I can answer your question about Jonah. Jonah is no longer in prison. Someone came in and proved him innocent, but he has never known Freddie." Her heart sank as he took her by surprise. How could Jonah _not_ know Freddie? "You see, it was through a game Freddie was playing with Sam that he met Jonah, but in-"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Rolling her eyes, she put her hands to her hips and mocked him. "In this timeline Freddie never met Sam, so he never met Jonah. Right? Give me _one_ reason not to drag you back into that school and convince _Freddie_ to kick your ass!" Mitch winced and quickly shrugged it off, he wanted no part of that threat. "Speaking of which, who am I?"

"Rich, stuck up girl."

"What?"

"You let your money get to your head, that's all."

"Y-Y-You're lying!"

"Nope…"

She shouted and threw her hand to her forehead. She sucked in a breath and closed her eyes, fearing hyperventilation if she got too frustrated. She held out her hand and sighed. "You know what? Nevermind, where are the others?"

"Okay…Valerie is…Well she dated the school's bully last year." Melanie's eyebrows rose in surprise as her heart began to sink. She instantly recognized that Mitch was talking about Freddie, who else appeared to be as big of a bully?

"Where is she now?"

"Gone. Her family moved to the sunny state of Florida. She's now cruising happily on the warm, sunny beaches. Which brings me back to Jonah…Eighteen years old, out of prison, he got to yearning for the coastline. He's also in Florida. I believe he and Valerie have met each other about three months ago."

"Oh, that's good…" She put her hand to her heart and smiled at the bit of good news. However, he was still pissed off at Mitch. She wanted to go home already! Not home to where her dad was, though she did love him, but home to where all the normalcy was!

"Kyle…doesn't know you. He doesn't even know Sam. The only reason, in your old timeline, that Lucy went to that particular supermarket, was because _you_ wanted to go there…" Her eyes widened and she practically fell to the ground then and there. "He's just going through life, doing is own thing. Griffin _is_ dating Carly, but they have a bit more arguments than they did before."

"Everything's messed up! Why? Why did you mess everything up? I didn't _ask_ for this! I only made _one_ statement and it was out of _sorrow_, that's _it_. You don't have _any__right_ to mess around with someone's life! Especially if they don't ask!"

"Funny thing, that…that's the same thing Freddie said last year." Melanie screamed with frustration and pushed the angel into a puddle of water on the street, she couldn't _stand_ this.

"How does someone else tell you the same thing and you don't learn from it! Can you tell me?"

"Uh, I really want my wings?"

"Dirty!"

"What's dirty about it?"

"You're a liar, a cheat, a swindler, and you ruin lives! I want to go back, I don't even want to deal with this world! It isn't right, it isn't fair! You're going to take me back to the right timeline _now!_" She watched as Mitch slowly pulled himself up and took a step back. "I uh, I can't do that…"

"What? So, I'm _stuck_ here now? You're just going to abandon me here!"

"No, no, nothing like that, I mean…you have to work at it. Make things right."

"How am I supposed to do that? Everyone I care about is either dead or gone!"

"True…"

"So you want to tell me that I need to do something? What am I supposed to do!"

"Make the world a better place for people?" She gaped and started walking towards Mitch, reaching menacingly for his throat. She wanted to kill him, and to strangle every last breath from his body. He chuckled nervously and backed up, putting his hands up defensively. "Now come on, you don't want to do that."

"Oh you don't _know_ what I want to do. Yes, I want to do this. I'm going to do this until…wait…" It hit her, where were her aunts and uncles at? She'd forgotten to ask about them! She lowered her arms and hummed a slight tune. "Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie, where are they?"

"They're, uh…Maggie lives in Seattle and is a depressed wreck. Morris…" She was beginning to feel extremely nervous and anxious now. He mentioned Maggie, but not Morris, so what happened? She knew they'd had their share of problems in the past, and since this timeline was different, chances were likely they still had the same troubles. "Well let me put it this way. Buzz is in prison for shoplifting. Brian still talks to your dad, so does Violet, but she lives all the way in Richland with Venus and her daughter."

"What about Morris?"

"Morris is…" Mitch took a heavy sigh and shook his head. Melanie's breathing became slow and shallow as she feared the worst. "Without Sam to take care of, he was left to his own devices and was also trying to figure out why his sister in law's best friend was losing her relatives. He eventually found Bana, then it was all over."

"No…No, not Uncle Morris! You asshole! You ingrate! It's not fair, it isn't right!" She fell to her knees and grasped the grass, sobbing frantically. It was too much for her to take in all at once. She knew she shouldn't blame Mitch, but wasn't it his fault anyway? Wasn't he at fault for this? "You're the one who did all this! You're the one who changed this!" She wanted to tear him limb from limb, to make him feel the pain she was feeling inside. "Take me back, Mitch! Take me back, please!"

"I can't, you have to do something more! If I don't get you to make things right, then-"

"You know what? Screw your wings! You don't deserve them!" Mitch gasped and turned his head down as she huffed for a minute. After a few moments, she felt a pang of guilt. What was she saying? This was just an angel who wanted to have some fun, he'd get her back to her timeline, hopefully. At least, he better. If he said she had to do something more, then maybe there was no getting away from that. Her heart sank as she slowly moved over to him. "I'm sorry Mitch, it's just…I really don't like this place. I want to go back _home_. If I have to do something, I'll do it, but please…I don't want to be trapped here." He looked up at her and slowly smiled as he met her eyes. "You _will_ return me home, won't you?"

"Yeah, I'm just doing my own thing, you know? I mean, I only get to come out once in a while, it gets lonely. A friend is nice to have around…So, you'll be okay if you just do a couple things to turn around what's been going wrong."

"Right now, it just seems like a jumble. Freddie, Carly, Bana, Lionel, even my own family…everyone's all mixed up. I'm _glad_ my dad's still alive, but, that might just be the only thing good about all of this."

"Well, as for Bana and Lionel, the police don't know about them, but you do."

"No I don't."

"Oh don't you?" He pointed to the journals and Melanie gasped with surprise. "There may not be much you can do for Carly and Freddie, but maybe you can make them reach an understanding? See, I shouldn't be helping you, but I like you, you're not as mean as some people…" She chuckled and closed her eyes, she was glad to know he didn't seem to mind _helping_ if he could. "As for your family? Who knows what finding Sam could do. You remember the name your Aunt used, don't you? You know Marissa's subordinate, Gunsmoke? He's the leading cop and has a good spot for all Puckett relatives, simply because they were Marissa's friend."

She smirked and processed her thoughts, chances were likely she could be getting home soon enough. She just had to follow these steps and maybe, just maybe, things would get better. "I got it. So where do I begin?"

* * *

So she's learning a few things, she should be home shortly. (Fun thing about this christmas arc is it's actually taking place around Christmas here XD, so Merry Christmas everyone!)


	174. Not How Siblings Act

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: By the way, if you're an older reader or a new reader, chapters 90-94 marks Mitch's first appearance. Yes, he went with Freddie in that arc, simply due to the fact that I, as the author, felt it was more appropriate for that episode to center Freddie, for this story. _Some_ things that happened in those chapters will be discussed as happening in this mini arc with Mitch.

* * *

Chapter 174 (Not how siblings act)

Melanie first wanted to try to talk to Freddie and _maybe_, just _maybe_, she could convince him to cut these people some slack. She just _had_ to get him to listen to her. Carly might be more difficult, but she was just guessing. For all she knew, Carly might be the easier of the two. As she watched Freddie move behind an alley, she thought for a moment and narrowed her eyes. "I just realized something, Mitch. How the hell am I going to convince them that they're family?" She looked to the Christmas angel and smiled sweetly. "Please tell me?" Mitch blushed and kicked the gravel.

"Aw, well…it's simple, really. Well, only because you asked." He held his hand up and grinned as another dusty old journal appeared. Melanie's eyes sparkled as they landed upon the front cover, it was Marissa's old journal. "This, from front to back, describes her relationship to Robert. How in love they were, how well they worked together, everything. All these journals will tie together to explain how Carly and Freddie are related. Melanie, try to remember, they are the last ones in their family. Lionel's on the prowl, Bana's on the prowl. If they're ever found…it's all over for them." Her lips tightened together and she carefully nodded her head, she couldn't screw this up. "Another tidbit of advice…as we learned in Freddie's timeline, he grew up having no friends. When his father died, all that sadness, anger, and despair he felt…he wallowed in it. He let it become him. That makes him a very angry, troubled soul."

"Okay, I got it." She closed her hands and took a step forward, confident in her ability. She took the journals from Mitch and looked down the alley. Freddie could be heard arguing with someone, so she listened for a minute, until she heard a female voice. _"__Carly__…"_ Thinking fast, she hurried to the Alley and saw both brother and sister in each other's faces, cussing the other out. "No! Stop fighting! Now! That's now how siblings should act!"

The two stopped instantly and slowly turned their angry glares to her. She winced and sucked the air in through her teeth. "What did you just say?"

"Yeah…that so could have gone better." She started moving towards them, not showing any fear whatsoever. "Anyway, I know you don't know me. You should know me, but…I'm Melanie Puckett." Freddie's eyebrows rose while Carly hung back. It seemed he recognized her last name, which shouldn't be a surprise. Marissa and Sarah _had_ at least been best friends. "I uh, I found this in some old stuff. I don't know what it was doing there, but maybe Marissa dropped it…but it's the proof you need to know that you two are siblings. In case you're inter-" Freddie swiped the book from her and bounced his body to the right as he opened it and started reading it.

"What's this anyway, mom's old journal? Shay, get a load of this." Carly rolled her eyes and moved over as she followed Freddie's finger on the sentences. He raised an eyebrow and her lips parted briefly. Studying their reactions, Melanie was thrilled to see them at least _calm_. As they continued to skim the pages, Melanie started explaining all she knew about their history.

"As you can see, even Mrs. Peeloff was a _Davidson_, born to Zamira. You also very well could be brother and sister, and you actually are. Robert and Marissa found each other again, they loved each other and were going to get married." Freddie shifted his eyes to Melanie, licked his thumb, and turned to the next page. Carly kept her eyes glued onto the page. "Carly, your dad killed himself when Marissa died. Please, it's like Romeo and Juliet! Only, the other way around…All this warring you two do, you shouldn't. You're all you have left, seriously."

"What does that mean?" Carly asked while glancing up at Melanie. Melanie then handed the two a couple more journals. Carly's face fell and her eyes narrowed. "Seriously? You can't just _tell_ us?" Freddie clicked his tongue and lifted his eyes skyward.

"I do not have the patience for this."

"I know, I know, just hear me out. Freddie, Carly, you two…there are killers hunting your family. Freddie, at that family reunion…you didn't go to it, did you?"

"Of course not, I don't want to be stuck with a bunch of old fuckups…"

"Okay then." She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, a bit taken aback by his words. "Still, a man named Bana Shay…murdered them all there…"

"Huh?"

"Carly, a man named Lionel Shay has been going one by one, killing off all Shays. Used to be, it was a Friday the 13th thing, but now he's changed his game plan because of the number of Shays there are. I guess he's after Bana now, but Freddie, Bana's hunting you…read those journals."

He growled as he opened up the journal and leaned against the school building. Carly did the same and crossed her leg over the other, frowning as she read. They had such emotionless faces that Melanie wasn't quite sure how they felt. She cleared her throat and hoped they'd hear her out. "You two just can't fight like this, you're all you have left in this world. You can survive this hell together, you don't _have_ to end up fighting. Do you seriously think this is what your families would _want_?"

They swallowed as they flipped through the journal entries. Their faces twisted and lips fell, clearly they were sickened by what they were reading. The two lifted their heads up simultaneously and met each other's gaze. Freddie looked to Melanie and handed her the journal. "I can't read anymore. Tell me…just what the hell do you intend to do? I mean…"

"We don't want to be hunted down." Carly said exactly what Freddie was thinking, neither of them wanted to _die_. "What are we supposed to do, sit here and wait to be found by Lionel or Bana? I certainly don't feel like _waiting_."

"We're sitting ducks." Melanie agreed and took the journals from them. With a sigh, she met their concerned eyes and gave them a smile for confidence.

"I intend to take these journals to the police. Marissa's subordinate would likely shelter you two, if you needed it. You probably do. But listen, family is _very_ important. I know it's hard to, but you can't just focus on one parent forever, otherwise you…you lose sight to what's important. The rest of your family." A lesson to be learned, and she needed it most. "Please think about it, don't let an old unnecessary grudge tear apart the last vital connection you two have. Each other…"

"Yeah, thanks…How's uh, how's your dad holding up? I know you guys moved back in 2005, right?"

"Yeah, he's okay. Uncle Morris was killed, though…" Freddie smacked his lips and Carly let out a pitiful sigh. Melanie breathed in and turned away from them, trying hard not to cry. She kept forgetting that this timeline wasn't _real_, but damn it, it felt real. "Anyway, I have to go…get these journals to the police."

"All right…"

"You guys…Find a place to hide until it's safe. Watch the news or something. Okay? There has to be somewhere…"

"We'll be fine." She nodded and quickly hurried off. Mitch appeared next to her, floating happily in the air. She rolled her eyes and stared dryly at him.

"I'm running, trying to save my friends' lives and _you__'__re_ all happy?"

"Of course! I have someone to spend the holiday with, even if it is for a short time. Anyway, if it helps, I can tell you where Bana and Lionel are, I magically wrote it in Nora's old journal, that she found their locations just before she was killed." She raised her eyebrows and lifted her hand up, giving Mitch a high five.

"For an annoyingly intrusive angel, you sure come in handy sometimes."

"Well no one _ever_ is friendly with me, so I thought I'd help you. Besides, if you had a lesson to learn, I'd say you're learning it."

"What? Family is important and not to focus on the one relative I can't be with?"

"Exactly!"

"Great…"

When they made it to the police department, they ran through the offices until they found Gunsmoke. Melanie started ranting about Bana and Lionel, saying how she found their journals, and just as she was about to be carted away from the officers, Gunsmoke raised his hand up for them to stop. "Okay, you're saying you found some journals indicating Lionel Shay and Bana Shay, their whereabouts?"

"Yes, they were taken by some girl named Nora, she has a journal of her own. I think Bana may have done something to her, because I found these in the cemetery. She set the journals down on the desk and waited patiently as the veteran officer began reading through them. After some time, he started to pale.

"Holy shit, how can someone…" He groaned and flipped over to the last page, where he saw that Bana was staying at the docks while Lionel had checked himself into a five star hotel. "Okay, if they're still here…we'll find them and arrest them. What of Freddie Benson and Carly Shay?"

"They should be safe, but…" Melanie put a sheet of paper with two phone numbers down. "These are their numbers, you can call them and help them. Please make sure they're safe."

"I will, and thank you, Miss."

Just hours later, the police were in two separate locations. The dock, and the large hotel. When they found Bana, he was sleeping on one of the docked boas. Gunsmoke narrowed his eyes and reached for his belt. Bana's eyes flew open and he quickly leapt up. "Bana Shay, you're under arrest for the suspected murders of the entire Benson-Davidson clan."

"You cannot prove a thing."

"I believe we can, but nonetheless, you are to come with us."

"Okay…" Bana chuckled and reached down in the ship. Gunsmoke's eyes widened as he watched the killer pulled out two semi-automatic rifles.

"Shit! He's loaded! Everyone down!" The officers ducked as Bana started firing off and charging into the crowd, laughing insanely. Thinking fast, Gunsmoke rose up and placed a well timed bullet into Bana's chest. The killer abruptly sank to his knees and landed on the ground, convulsing. He sighed and lifted his head to the sky as his radio went off. He grabbed the radio and spoke. "Any news on the hotel front?"

"Yes sir...the hotel manger caught his name and let us know what we needed. We arrested the man then and there."

"Good. God knows we don't want any more deaths in this town. Let's get moving."

At her own home, Melanie was watching the news on television with her father. She cheered when they ran the story about Lionel and Bana. David chuckled and rubbed her shoulder. She had so much to do, and yet, so little time.

* * *

Now that is quite a bit of action and so forth, hope you enjoyed the chapter


	175. Coming Together

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: By the way, if you're an older reader or a new reader, chapters 90-94 marks Mitch's first appearance. Yes, he went with Freddie in that arc, simply due to the fact that I, as the author, felt it was more appropriate for that episode to center Freddie, for this story. _Some_ things that happened in those chapters will be discussed as happening in this mini arc with Mitch.

* * *

Chapter 175 (Coming Together)

It wasn't until the next day that Melanie was almost certain how she wanted to go about getting her family back together. Obviously Morris's death, along with Sarah's, kept them apart. So, what would they do when they realized Sam was around? That Lucy was alive? She could either force Sam away from Lucy, or maybe try to talk to her about the _truth_. "Mitch? Mitch!" She was in her bedroom, tapping her foot and growing impatient. Mitch already told her that when she did everything she needed to do, no matter how many days passed, he could get her back to the very moment she was brought into this timeline. "Mitch, come on, I'm ready to get moving."

"Sorry!" Out of nowhere he appeared, smiling brightly and dancing around happily. She crossed her eyes and gave him a deathly serious glare. "Okay I get it, we have work to do, fun time's over." He clapped his hands together and Melanie prepared herself for the room to begin spinning. It wasn't nearly as nauseating as it had been before, she must have gotten used to it. "When we get there, what do you intend to do? You said you wanted to talk to Lucy before the others showed up? Ask her to turn herself in or something?"

"Yes, but I'm going to call my family. They need to know what's going on. Even Buzz, though he's in prison…he still deserves to know Sam's okay. I've already called Aunt Violet, because she was the furthest away. Told her that I'm in Seattle and I'm in trouble. She said she's driving over with Venus. Then I did the same with Brian, only I told him that he _had_ to come with Madeline and Leon."

"He bought into that?"

"Took a bit of convincing him _why_ I felt he should come. I told him it was of grave importance and involved the family, that if he didn't come, he would be forever deemed an asshole in my book." She grinned as the angel lifted his eyebrow.

"And so…"

"Well I know he doesn't want to be deemed an asshole to his niece, so he couldn't _possibly_ refuse. He's on his way to the same park that Violet will be at. Maggie, Greg, Annie, and Garth are all in Seattle, so I haven't _quite_ called them yet. Dad's actually here on a business meeting today, so, that helps me out immensely."

"You really thought this through!"

"Had all night." She beamed with pride and took a step forward when she appeared in front of Lucy's home. Her heartbeat slowed when she saw Sam in the backyard. All this time, now she found her sister. Was this how it felt for Sam? She moved her hand to her heart and breathed in quietly. "S-Sam!" When she called out, Sam stopped walking around and glanced over. She was covered with dirt and grass, a sign she was probably gardening. "Sam, please come out here."

"What? Who are you?" In a moment's time, Sam came walking out of the backyard. When she saw Melanie for the first time, her eyes widened and her heart stopped. "Holy…shit…" She remained still as Sam looked her up and down, her eyes filling with anxiety. "W-Who-"

"Whatever you do, Sam. Do not call that woman 'mom'. She isn't your mom." She pulled off the backpack she was wearing and much like Sam did in her timeline, pulled out everything Sam might need. "In this manilla folder is all the important documents and papers. The woman in there is our mom's older sister, Lucy. Dad's still alive…Mom passed away a little over five years ago…" Sam froze as Melanie slowly handed her the papers. "I know this is a shock, god believe me, I know…There isn't anything you can do to prepare for something like this."

"I don't understand, how…how did this happen…"

"That woman in there…" She pointed to the house and Sam slowly looked over. Her emotions were shot and her heart was beating hard, Melanie hadn't felt this way since she'd been found. "Is Lucy Davidson, going by the name of Sheila Carmichael. She took you when you were a baby, with the help of the doctor helping to deliver us. Mom was…she was distraught all her life, since then, she and dad separated from the rest of the family. Hell, they all kind of went their own ways. Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Brian, Uncle Buzz, Aunt Maggie, and…Uncle Morris seemed to be the only one…believing…that you were alive. Mom and Dad never stopped praying something went wrong."

"They didn't?"

"Right." Melanie started to tear up and quickly wiped her eyes. Her stomach was churning and her throat was clenching up, trying to prevent her from speaking. "All these years, I thought it was just me, I thought…I thought I was alone, but to think I have a sister…it's the greatest gift God could ever have given me." The tears started to stream down her cheeks and Sam quickly moved over to hug her, tearing up as well.

"I think we need to talk to…Aunt Lucy?"

"Yeah, she has all the proof of what happened…probably under her bed. I can distract her while you look, if you'd like?"

"Yeah…I'm still not sure…"

"Go around back or something, I'll go in the front." Sam nodded and started walking away. Melanie watched her wipe her eyes and turn the corner. She breathed in heavily and made her way into the house. When she got in, she was overcome with a sense of nostalgia and grief. She hoped to never have to see this house again, yet, here it was. It even _looked_ the same. Lucy came walking in and smiled when she saw her.

"Oh there you are! Strange, I thought you were out in the garden, and wearing other clothes?"

"I-I changed real fast." Lucy nodded and lifted her eyebrows up as she watched closely.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because, I…" She shook her head and walked over to the couch. When she sat down, she bent over and brought her hands to her face, sobbing lightly. Lucy moved over next to her and started rubbing her back, attempting to comfort her in the best way she could. Melanie fought her urge to cry and slowly sat up, breathing in and exhaling softly, she had to steady herself. "I know who you are…" How was she supposed to have this conversation? How? "Your real name, what happened, everything." Lucy's eyes widened momentarily as Melanie turned her head to her. "Why? Why'd you do it? You were such a good woman before, you could have adopted, Aunt Lucy." Lucy gasped and brought her hand to her chest.

"You…You can't know that…"

"I know everything, but I'm not who you think. Think back. Right or Left, you could have gone for left, but you went with right."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying…I'm Melanie." Lucy's eyes widened as the girl pointed to the doorway. "Sam is about to find out…what you did." Lucy could have screamed right there, she was going to run and call for Sam, but Melanie took her by the wrist. "Please. Hear me out, okay?" Lucy looked to her eyes and frowned. "What you did, it tore your entire family apart. They were always so close, but now…Morris is _dead_ Lucy. Uncle Morris died trying to find you and trying to help Marissa's family." The woman's eyes started to water as a look of shock struck her face. "Uncle Buzz is in prison because he shoplifted something. Aunt Maggie's depressed, Mom's passed away several years ago…"

"N-No, it can't…"

"Aunt Violet doesn't even keep in touch with her family. Uncle Brian…God, I don't know _what_ he's doing. Everything is just so…so _wrong_." Lucy lifted her hand and pointed to her chest, as if to ask if it was all her fault. "I don't know if it was a series of things, I don't know if it's what you did or if it's what someone else did. I know you went through a lot of pain, struggling and dealing with a quote, perfect, family. I don't think they're all that perfect now, or ever were to begin with. No one can ever be perfect, Aunt Lucy. It's when you expect that they are, that it all crashes."

"I…I can't go back…"

"Why? No one's going to hate you, you're family. They'll be disappointed, yes, but…you do have to prepare for them to be really mad at you, of course. Yet, if you consistently lie to them, then they're going to want nothing to do with you."

"Sixteen years…my sister's gone? I didn't know…"

"She and dad went through a lot of pain losing Sam like that." Her cell phone went off, so she quickly checked it. She was receiving a text message from Uncle Brian. He was asking where she was, the _entire_ family was at the park, everyone was looking for her, worrying about her. Her dad was distraught and they were trying their best to keep him calm. She sighed and clicked off her phone. The good thing was, they were all working together. "They're all looking for me at the park, not that far from here."

"All of them?"

"Uncle Brian, Aunt Madeline, Leon, Aunt Maggie, Greg, Annie, Garth, Aunt Violet, Venus, Grandma, Grandpa, and…Dad…"

"Oh, I see…so…" Sam came into the living room, holding all the important papers. Her face was red and streamed with tears. She heard _everything_. Lucy gasped and stood up, covering her mouth and letting her own tears fall. "What have I done?"

"You've torn a family apart. This is the first time in years that they're all together. Working together, no less…"

"Samantha?" Sam turned away from her and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I…I was jealous of your mother…"

Sam choked back a sob and clenched up her fists, screaming at Lucy. "My mother's dead now! You lied to me all my life! How do you expect me to trust you ever again! How do you expect me to forgive you?" The words struck Melanie in the heart, they were almost word for word with what went through her mind when she discovered Aunt Lucy's secrets. Lucy lowered her arms and sighed, she was definitely feeling the ramifications of her actions.

"Let me…Let me take you to your family, then…" Sam's eyes widened as Melanie felt a pang strike her. All Lucy needed was someone who cared, someone who understood her pain, someone to tell her it would be okay. Maybe if she'd gotten counseling long ago, she never would have taken one of Sarah's children, but no one ever took the time to listen. "Look, I..I know I can't erase what happened, but maybe…I can do something for my family, if they'll find it in their hearts to forgive me. I wouldn't bother forgiving me, though…"

"Aunt Lucy." Melanie took Lucy's hands and cupped them together, smiling gently at the older woman. "They're your family. You're family, no matter what. It will be okay, I promise."

"Nothing scares me more right now."

"I know, but you have to face up to your consequences, and that takes a lot more strength and effort than hiding. Do you understand that?"

"Yeah…"

"So are you-" Her phone went off again and she let out a sigh of exasperation. "Excuse me one minute." She pulled out her phone and answered it, it was her father. "Hi Dad."

"Melanie? Where are you! We're looking everywhere!"

"Oh give me the phone," Violet said as she grabbed the phone away from David. Rather than dealing with David's frantic, panicking tone, it would be best if Melanie listened to someone calm under the pressure. "Melanie dear…where _are_ you?"

"Aunt Violet, please tell everyone to stay in the park. I found someone who wants to meet you…" She turned her head to Sam and Lucy, then turned her attention back to the phone. "Just give me five minutes, okay?"

"Okay…" She heard Violet pull away from the phone and call for everyone to gather up. She valued the act of bonding under stressful, tense situations. This was one of those times, so hopefully her family would be a little closer after this. She hung up her phone and pushed it back into her pocket.

"I really need a purse." The other two women raised their eyebrows up and Melanie emitted a small, nervous chuckle. "Ignore that. Let's go! Remember Lucy, no matter how painful this could be…the truth is always less painful than the lie. Imagine what would happen if…one of your other relatives, say Brian, found you and a police officer arrested you right off the bat? No chance to talk or anything."

"Really?" Lucy started to pale and Melanie shrugged nonchalantly.

"It could happen."

When they made their way to the park, they saw everyone positioned randomly around the central fountain. David was pacing back and forth, his hair was a mess. Maggie was sitting with Annie and Greg, putting out a cigarette with a depressed sigh. "I hate smoking…"

"So why do it, mom?" Annie asked.

"I don't know…it calms my nerves?" Violet moved over to her and took her hands, gazing into Maggie's eyes.

"Do you want to quit?"

"Yeah."

"I think I can help you with that, if you'd like."

"Really?"

"Sure…anything for my brother in law's family. David and Morris were always great friends of ours." Brian nodded his agreement and Maggie smiled in return. This exchange lifted Melanie's heart, she was watching them from a hiding spot, not quite ready to come out. "Maggie, I'm really sorry to hear about Morris, he was a good man." Maggie smiled softly as everyone started to move closer to her. "I don't know what happened…"

"I'll tell you what happened," Susan said from behind. The family looked at her with sorrowful expressions as she rebuked them for only a second. "You let little things separate you from your family. Each of you forgot the importance, and it took David's daughter to remind you of the importance of being together as a whole family unit."

As Susan talked, reminding them what family was supposed to be, Melanie carefully made her way to them. After a minute, they finally noticed her. "Melanie!" David hurried over to her and hugged her. "I know I've told you to stay out of Seattle."

"I know Daddy, but I had a reason."

"What reason would have your entire family searching this town? It's so dangerous here now…"

"It shouldn't be. The killers are gone, they've been arrested. That's not important right now, though…I have a few people you need to meet." She backed up from her family and smiled at them. "But for the record. This, this right here…is great, but it's not perfect yet…" She looked to the side and called out. "Aunt Lucy!" The family gasped and Violet's eyes widened as she watched her sister and Sam walk into view. "_Now_ it's perfect."

"Oh my god, Lucy?" David's eyes were frozen on Sam while Melanie hurried over to her and held her hand. It didn't take long for them to put one and two together. Violet stammered and pointed to Sam, staring at Lucy. "Explain this, please. Why…why is Sarah's daughter with you? Didn't she…" Lucy's eyes started watering as Sam slowly moved over to David.

"Look, I know what I did was wrong, and I'm sorry. It's just…I was jealous, I thought everything was going so well for everyone else and I…I was just falling. I took Samantha and ran, without looking back, without thinking of how my actions could affect everyone. I screwed up, I _know_ I did…I know you might hate me, but you have to understand…"

"Lucy." It was Hugh who spoke up, he looked extremely disappointed in his daughter, but he still seemed to care. Lucy bowed her head as he walked over to her and set a firm hand on her shoulder. "If you were having problems, you should have _said_ something. What you've done…taking a child from your own sister, it should be unforgivable by anyone's standards."

"I know!" She held her sides and choked out a sob. "I'm just…I messed up, I know I did. I didn't know how it affected anyone until now. Please…I've raised Sam well, so maybe…I just didn't want to be alone."

"You never were alone. And now that our family is together again…" He turned to his two children and Maggie, the cousins walked over and met his firm eyes. "We're going to start _acting_ like a family. No one's going to be alone again, got that?" They nodded and Lucy quickly wiped her eyes, trying desperately to stop crying. He turned back to her and breathed in. "Lucy, thank you for bringing her back to us, thank you for being honest…"

"A-Am I…am I going to jail?" He pressed his lips and slowly shook his head.

"I can't condemn my own daughter to prison. I suppose it's really up to David, but you were honest and you came clean…I don't think any of us need to press charges, but you will have to give David custody of his daughter."

"I will Daddy, I will."

"Okay. Come here." He hugged Lucy and she sobbed on his shoulder. Melanie smiled pleasantly and closed her eyes. This was appropriate, this was what needed to happen, and now they could all be a happy family again. When she looked to her right, she saw Freddie and Carly walking through the park, talking like brother and sister for once. They smiled at her and moved over to her. With that, she moved over to Lucy and tugged on her shirt.

"Aunt Lucy, if you would like…I have two friends who have no family, they need to stay with someone." Carly and Freddie raised their eyebrows as Lucy looked over to them. "Marissa passed away a while back, Bana and Lionel destroyed their families, so…if you can please take them in? Carly, Freddie, do you want to?"

"Sure, I guess," Freddie said with a slight smile. "I wouldn't mind hanging with my sis." Carly nodded and folded her arms over.

"Yeah, I'll go for it."

"Great! So what do you say, Aunt Lucy?" She saw Sam was hugging David, so there wasn't an upset there. Lucy thought about Marissa and slowly nodded, smiling lightly as Carly and Freddie walked over to her. "You won't regret it!" Sam walked over to Melanie and gave her a hug, when she did this, Melanie watched Freddie's gaze fall onto her.

"So, uh, Mel…that's your sister?" Sam stepped back and looked over at him with a friendly smile.

"Yep, she's my sis!"

"She doesn't look a thing like you…"

"Thanks, I uh…I think." Freddie walked around Sam and grinned.

"Hey, you're kind of cute. Are you doing anything this weekend?" She sighed as Sam's face started to glow bright red.

"I don't think so, I mean…I'm going to be hanging out with my family for a bit."

"Well if you get the opportunity, maybe you'd like to hang?"

"Sure…" Sam leaned in towards Melanie and pointed her thumb to Freddie. "He's hot!" Melanie laughed and started walking off, leaving the two to spend some time together. Mitch appeared next to her and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well you did it Melanie, I have to say, you sure know how to get things done. I guess you've also learned the value of family.

"Yeah Mitch, is there anything else? I'm thinking that I'm pretty much finished, right?"

"Yeah, yeah you're done. You've done everything you can, so get some rest, you've earned it."

"Awesome…" She walked over to a small, grassy hill and sat down, watching her family with a smile on her face. They were laughing, talking, catching up on old times. Perhaps, even talking about Morris and Sarah, and learning to be a family again. After a few minutes, Sam came walking up to her and sat with her.

"Hey Mel, I just want to say…thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything…I mean, it's okay now with Aunt Lucy. She just didn't want to be alone, I see that. Now she doesn't have to be. I'm back with you and Daddy, our family's whole again…and now I've got a date with a cutie. I never thought I could be this happy."

Melanie laughed briskly and laid back, putting her hands behind her head. "If only you knew, Sam, if only you knew." As she closed her eyes, she felt Sam lay beside her. She basked in the warmth and glow of the sun as she slowly drifted out of consciousness. Her work here was done.

* * *

So everything's coming together. I know it looks like there's a missing chapter, and I can't explain it, I don't think there is but my save files indicate a gap between 173 and 175. I don't think there is a problem, but again, not sure. Just hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	176. Back Home

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: By the way, if you're an older reader or a new reader, chapters 90-94 marks Mitch's first appearance. Yes, he went with Freddie in that arc, simply due to the fact that I, as the author, felt it was more appropriate for that episode to center Freddie, for this story. _Some_ things that happened in those chapters will be discussed as happening in this mini arc with Mitch.

* * *

Chapter 176 (Back Home)

Melanie opened her eyes and moaned as she stretched her arms out. The first thing she noticed was it was far too soft and smooth to be grass. Her eyes flew open and she found herself lying in her bed with the covers pulled up. "What the?" Her voice was groggy and vision blurry, so she rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up, yawning as the sunlight hit her. "Were am I?" Her eyes adjusted and she found herself in the guest bedroom of her grandparents' home. She gasped and threw off her covers. "Oh my god, am I back? How'd I get here? Was it a dream?"

"Nope, not a dream, it was _all_ real." Mitch's voice pulled her back and caught her somewhat off guard. She turned her head and chuckled, Mitch was floating in the air with a bucketful of spicy barbeque wings. "You're petite, but damn, to me you're just a bit too heavy." She growled and glared sternly at him, causing him to reel back and smile apologetically. "I'm just saying, I had to get you under the covers there. You're fine though, back home and in your 'comfort zone'. Sorry for pulling you out like that…" He lifted a wing and bit into it, sighing happily as he swallowed down the precious meat. "Oh god that's good! Anyway, I think I've learned my lesson too, I'll leave people alone on the holidays."

"I don't mind the hanging out, but don't just jump in and do the thing you do, throwing everyone to god knows where…" He chuckled nervously as she rose from the bed, making sure she was careful where she stepped. She didn't want to lose balance or anything. Once she regained footing, she left the room and saw Morris, Buzz, and Sam setting up the pool table. When her eyes fell onto Morris, her heart practically skipped a beat, she could hardly contain her enthusiasm. Sam glanced over at her and smiled.

"Hey Mel! I was fixing to come in, did we wake you?"

"No…No, not at all." She ran to Morris and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you Uncle Morris!" He raised his eyebrows and smiled, returning her hug.

"You too."

"I missed you."

"Was it really that long of a nap?" He chuckled as she let go and ran over to Buzz, hugging him back.

"Uncle Buzz, you're not a shoplifter!" Sam put her hand to her mouth and chuckled as Buzz raised up his eyebrow. Sam leaned against her pool stick and watched in amusement as Melanie started bouncing about joyously. Melanie ran over to Sam and hugged her tight. "Sam…"

"Melanie." Sam closed her eyes and lifted her eyebrows up, chuckling softly as she recalled Freddie's experience last year. His descriptions seemed so real that she actually believed him. "Did you happen to have a visit by a Christmas angel named Mitch, by any chance?" She chuckled nervously as Sam opened her eyes and smiled almost teasingly. "Did he happen to take you back somewhere?"

"Yes he did, and he taught me something important about family. I think we should talk about that later though, let's play pool!" Morris and Buzz chalked their sticks up and laughed at the whole thing going on. Sam grabbed a pool stick from the rack and tossed it over to Melanie.

"Good luck. You know our Uncle's are going to mop the floor with us, right?"

"Maybe, but you know what?" She looked to the two Uncles and smiled as she imagined a small, glowing aura around them. Seeing them was like seeing heaven, even though it really hadn't been all _that_ long, it still felt like it had been forever since she'd seen them. "At least they're here. Even though Mom and Dad aren't here anymore…" The men looked over with sad smiles. Morris set the cue ball on the table while Buzz put the triangle on the chair behind him. "Even though they're not with us, our Uncles _are_. Our Aunts are with us, we have our cousins with us, and most of all we have each other. I miss mom, I miss Dad, I do wish I had more of a chance to know them, but after those home movies…I feel like I _do_ know them. Still, I don't want to miss out on everything I have now by worrying about what I didn't have."

"You do have a right to miss mom and dad, Mel. Remember that."

"I know, but you understand me, don't you?" Sam was to shoot first, so she moved to the other side of the table and with a heavy sigh, she lined up her shot.

"Yeah Mel, I know what you mean. I'm happy that you see that, too." She smiled at her twin and hit the cue ball. A smirk of satisfaction graced her face as the three, one, and six balls went into the left corner pocket. Morris and Buzz lifted their eyebrows as Sam turned her gaze to them. "Looks like Mel and I are solids. Enjoy the stripes, my dearest Uncles." She did a mock curtsey, causing Melanie to laugh. "Hey look at me, I'm a comedian!"

"Uncle Morris, Uncle Buzz, you're going down!" Morris arched his eyebrow up and Buzz scoffed. He pat his brother on the shoulder and watched as Sam walked to the other side of the pool table.

"We're not worried. Morris here is a champ at pool! He's competed in tournaments when he was much younger." Sam hit the cue ball and stood up as it bounced off a ball and sent that ball spinning into a wall.

"Damn!"

Morris laughed and stepped to the cue ball. "Step aside and watch the _master_ at work." He aimed his stick and positioned it, narrowing his eyes with determination on the balls in front of him. His hand was steady and his aim deadly. Once he hit the ball, he sank the ten, fifteen, and twelve balls. "Uh huh. That's right, who's the master _now?"_

"No big deal, Melanie and I got this."

"Watch and learn." Morris leaned over one of the balls and hit the cue into it, slicing the fourteen ball into the side pocket. Melanie was beginning to sweat, they hoped to beat them, but they might have bitten off more than they could chew. Morris aimed again and hit the thirteen ball, but it stopped just on the edge of the right corner pocket. "Damn! Well, that's the breaks. Melanie, you're up!"

"Okay, let's do this." She walked up to the pool table and started aiming at cue ball. Her eyes drifted to the nearest solids they had, the four ball. It was closest to the hole. She hung her tongue out the corner of her mouth and struck the ball, knocking it into the pocket. "Yes! Next!" She moved to the next ball and struck the five into the pocket, squealing for joy. Morris grumbled and Buzz slowly shook his head. Next came the seven ball, in which Melanie really wanted to sink. She hit the ball and it bounced off the wall, shooting down the other side, accidently sinking the thirteen ball. The Uncles cheered and high fived as Melanie let out a defeated groan.

"It's my turn now," Buzz commented with pleasure. Sam pat Melanie's shoulder and watched with despair as Buzz swept the pool table with the cue ball. He successfully knocked the nine ball and the eleven ball in the pockets, leaving only the fourteen ball and eight ball. "I hope you girls are starting to sweat. Impressive though, you do know a bit about the game as it is." Sam and Melanie had the two and seven balls left now. They watched Buzz study the table, the cue was on one side and the target ball was on the opposite side against the wall. There was no way he could hit it.

Sighing, he bent over and shot the cue, hitting it against the wall and sending it into a pocket. The girls laughed and Sam grabbed the cue. "Thanks Uncle Buzz!" He groaned as she set the ball down in front of the seven, it was practically in the hole, which made her job a whole lot easier. Once she hit it in, she did a small cheer and aimed the ball for the two, which was all the way on the other side of the table. "Okay, time for the next one. I hope you guys are ready for this. We're about to take you out."

"Good luck with that."

"Okay." Sam smirked and hit the cue ball, knocking the two ball into it's pocket. "Next up, the eight ball!" The Uncles watched as she took a shot for the eight ball, but missed entirely.

"That's it. Morris, take it away!"

"Gladly." The girls watched in desperation as Morris took out the final stripes. Now it was just the eight ball, the girls were biting their nails and watching the sweat drip as their uncle hovered over the final ball. It seemed he was going for an impossible shot. The eight was where the cue normally started, he was going to try to hook it in the corner pocket by a zig-zag motion. When he hit the ball, it struck the wall, crossed to the other wall, and crossed over once more, slowing it's pace as it reached the corner pocket. In the last second, it almost completely stopped, but just rolled over the edge. The girls laughed and everyone cheered on a good game.

They played pool for about an hour longer, learning and enjoying the game to it's fullest. The girls won a couple rounds and the uncles won a few rounds, but what was really important for them was being able to be there with each other. The games ended when supper was ready.

It was there at the dinner table that Melanie made an odd suggestion. Everyone already knew what Melanie had gone through, some weren't too sure if she was dreaming or not, but Sam actually believed her. Others found her tale amusing. "I think tomorrow we should take a trip back to Seattle and talk to Aunt Lucy."

"What?" The others slowly set their silverware down and stared at her with baffled expressions. No one could believe that she would suggest such a thing!

"Everyone deserves family for Christmas. Look, Aunt Lucy just…she was misunderstood and alone, she just wanted to know she wasn't alone. She didn't do anything wrong."

"She took you away," Sam reminded her.

"Yeah, but what if she felt bad about it? I mean, what if...what if it was fear of what could happen that kept her from coming out? What if she just had someone to talk to? That's why, I think it would be best for us to actually talk to her. You remember how she pretended to be insane? Well, knowing her, does it seem far off for her to believe she'd have to be insane in order to take her little sister's child?"

"Probably…"

"It wasn't like she was intentionally being cruel, was it? She could go to prison for the rest of her life, and that's exactly where she's been for the last several years, isn't it? Imprisoned in her mind? She needs her family. She must be afraid that all of you hate her." Violet sighed and grabbed her fork, forking her meat and chewing on it. She swallowed and took a sip of her water.

"It's kind of hard to hate your sister, no matter what she did. I also knew Travis was an asshole anyway, I don't blame her for that…"

"So…why don't we do something about it? Hell, maybe we could convince Mrs. Benson to bring her here. She hasn't had her trials yet…do you think we should condemn her for not wanting to be alone? For being envious?" The others exchanged murmurs and glances. Brian and Violet did want to at least talk to her, find out what was going on these days. Hugh and Susan definitely wanted to see their daughter. The others all agreed and waited for a moment. Susan set her silverware down and exhaled.

"Okay, we'll think a little more on it and tomorrow, we'll ask Marissa to see if she can't bring Lucy down here to talk. Maybe if we figure something out, we can talk to Marissa…" Melanie smiled and nodded her head, it seemed fair enough. Sam chuckled softly and started digging into her food. What wonders tomorrow might bring.

* * *

Awesome pool game, and Mitch has _also_ learned his valuable lesson. Looks like the biggest lesson of all, though, was family, and cheers for Mel XD.


	177. Whole Again

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 177 (Whole Again)

Lucy looked up from her holding cell and tilted her head to the right, her cheeks were stained with red streaks and her eyes were puffed up. The trial hadn't happened yet and wasn't scheduled to happen until the middle of January. The courthouse was so booked up that it was torturous. This was what she'd been afraid of for so long, for so many years. Already a prisoner of the mind, now a prisoner in the physical sense. Why hadn't she just opened up about what happened? Why hadn't she just come clean long ago? Why did she ever take Melanie? If she'd just talked to someone, if anyone just showed the slightest concern about her, maybe things would have been different. "I don't want to spend Christmas alone…"

She knew she deserved it, she also figured her entire family would hate her now. The sound of a harmonica began playing from the cell behind her, that same mournful tune was what she cried to every night. Fresh tears brimmed the linings of her eyes as she buried her head in her legs. "Sarah, I'm so sorry. I sorry I took your baby." She sobbed once more, her body shaking with each breathless sob. "I shouldn't have tried to act crazy, I should have told Marissa the truth from the start. I know even she hates me now…"

"Don't make assumptions about me, Lucy." Lucy's eyes widened as her head shot up. She saw Marissa standing on the other side of the bars with two police officers next to her. She watched as Marissa started unlocking the gate and opened the door. What was she doing? Was she setting her free? No, that couldn't be possible. Her heart started racing as Marissa stepped inside and dusted her arm off. "You're looking worse than I've ever seen you, and that's saying something."

"I'm in a jail cell, Marissa…I didn't think I could go any lower…"

"No, I don't think this is your lowest point, believe me." Marissa helped her up and sighed. "I think your issue stems all the way back to the boyfriend who tried to get you pregnant back in '83." Lucy's eyes widened and she quickly pulled her arm away. How could Marissa know about that? Did Sarah tell her?

"How do you know _anything_ about that?"

"I didn't…" She watched as the woman turned her gaze to her, she was frowning and had an expression of sorrow. "Melanie was watching home movies with the family. That sixteenth birthday party that Sarah had? Someone left the camera running…" Lucy furrowed her brow and shook her head, she was not getting the point of Marissa's statement. "You got some message stating that you couldn't have children. You had an argument with Sarah over everyone else being perfect." She remembered now! Her body tensed up and her blood ran cold as Marissa's expression turned to an upset. "Why didn't you get _help_, Lucy? Why didn't you tell someone! You know your sister probably better than _I_ knew her, so tell me…why did you think she, nor anyone else in the family, cared about you?"

"I…" Her heart quivered as Marissa's words battered her, bringing out that guilt once more. She bowed her head and watched as her teardrops landed on the ground near her feet. "I don't know." Marissa lifted her head up and took a deep sigh.

"If you had just told someone. Hugh, Susan, Brian, Violet, _anyone_, then everything could have been avoided…instead, you hid from them. You let Travis cheat on his wife with her own sister, you stole your other sister's baby, and you _ran_ when your brother called out to you." She whimpered and recalled all of the things that had gone wrong. Now the memory of Travis's hands upon her body, they were like fire cutting deep into her. Fear ran through her as she imagined her family's hateful glares, all the way down to Melanie herself. "You should never have lied, Lucy. To any of them."

"I know…"

"You have to face up to your actions sometime. I'd say you're doing a fair share of that right now as it is. Let's get you cleaned up though, we're going on a trip. Got it?" She raised her eyebrow and took a step back. What _trip_ was Marissa talking about? What could there be? She said something about facing up to her actions. What did that mean? Coming clean? She watched Marissa's lips curl into a smirk as she led her out of the cell. She looked back and whimpered as the guards closed the cell. "See, that's the cell you put yourself into, both physically and mentally for over sixteen years. Time for you to come out. You've not talked to your family in sixteen years. Take a lucky guess, Lucy, at where you're going."

"Wait, what?" Her heart skipped a beat as Marissa nodded her head and walked her out of the prison. "What's going on, Marissa? What's happening?"

"What's happening is I'm giving up the time to see my son's first performance today. All for you, Lucy."

Several hours later, Lucy was eyeing familiar streets with growing anxiety. They were driving down Arcadia street, coming up to the church that she used to attend when she was a little girl. "First Baptist Church, Sarah and I were choir girls there."

"Yeah, Brian was an usher wasn't he?"

"Yeah…" She moved her eyes over to the long line of cars on the street as the road became Putnam Street. She bowed her head and started shaking. "You never told me…we were coming here…"

"Well everybody's here for Christmas, so it's only fair. You think it's right to your mom and dad that they never heard from you in all this time? For Brian to see you and you only rush off? For Violet not to have answers?"

"I don't understand…why am I here? Who…"

"It was Melanie who decided." Lucy's eyes widened as Marissa parked behind Greg's car. "The whole family agreed to a whole. They _want_ to talk to you, Lucy. So, you're going to talk to them. Like I said, it's time for you to face up to everything that's happened."

"Great…" As they got out of the car, she stared at the family home with tears stinging her eyes. A sick feeling started in her gut and began to spread throughout her body. She didn't want this, but at the same time, she did. Did they really want to see her? Why would they care? Her legs remained planted on the ground. "I-I can't walk, I'm scared…"

"Scared? Of your family? Nonsense!" Marissa put her hand to Lucy's back and started pushing her towards the door. With each step she took, her fear started rising. What was she afraid of? Her family yelling at her? Her family saying they wanted nothing more to do with her? Condemning her for everything? She whimpered as she stepped on the front porch. Her chest started aching terribly and her body felt as though it was being torn like a sheet of paper.

"W-Why did you do this, Marissa? Why did you bring me here?"

"Why? Because if my best friend's family believes in you enough to want to talk to you, then I'm going to help them do so. Nobody _hates_ you, Lucy. They may be angry with you, they may be disappointed and irritated, but no one hates you."

"How do you know?"

"Lucy…" She looked up to Marissa, who rolled her eyes and turned fully to her after ringing the doorbell. "I'm Sam's, and Melanie's, legal guardian. Sarah's best friend. If _I_ can move past what you've done and not hate you, there's no way in hell your own family's going to hate you. Be prepared for some questions though, some anger and so forth. Brian's going to want to know why you ran from him at that store, Violet's probably going to want to know what happened with Travis. Hell, everyone's got something. Most of all, think of your mom and dad…"

"Mom and dad…yeah…" She bowed her head and sniffled out a sob. The guilt was twisting her, destroying her, but then, so was the fear. She loved her parents to death. She knew that by vanishing for as long as she did, she probably killed them. It was practically killing _her_ just thinking about it all. "I loved them, I loved all my family. I did, you have to believe me…"

"We believe you." Susan's voice struck her ears and she quickly looked up, gasping as she saw her mom, dad, brother and sister standing at the door. Susan's eyes looked like they were going through hell, and being drowned by all those tears. She whimpered as her mother stepped outside and put her arms around her neck. "My baby…"

"Mom…"

"Come inside sweetie." She was led inside and started sobbing as the familiar smell of the house struck her. Memories came flooding into her mind. She was certain she heard Sarah's voice, Sarah's laughter. Her spirit may never have left, but then again, there were so many memories that had happened in this home.

The sound of the pool balls clattering brought back even more memories of her playing pool with her father as a child. When she looked upstairs, she saw Maggie playing pool with Buzz, Greg, Annie, and Garth. "The old pool table…you still have that?"

"Yeah, Hugh could never part with that. Morris's family is up there, except Carl, who's watching television in the next room. Morris wants to stay down here though, the others are being respectful by being where they are…"

"Oh…" She looked over at the sectional and swallowed hard as she spotted Brian, Madeline, Leon, Violet, Venus, Morris, Sam, and Melanie all on the couch. Brian and Madeline were on the right end of the couch, Violet was next to Madeline. Venus and Leon were on the floor in front of their parents, Morris was sitting on the left end of the couch, and Sam and Melanie sat close to the center. Marissa walked over to the wall next to the couch. She leaned against the wall and watched Lucy closely. Lucy looked to Susan and Hugh, her eyes were mournful. She took a deep breath as she watched them walk over to the couch, they sat down in the center and waited. The family was silent, sometimes looking at her and sometimes looking away. No one really knew what to say. "I-I…" Where does one begin after sixteen and one half years?

"I just want to know…" Her eyes shot over to Morris, who was standing up very slowly. His eyes were hard, angry, but calm at the same time. "Why it takes you sixteen years…to see your family?" He walked over to her and locked his eyes with her. "Why my brother had to be murdered, never being able to see his daughter. Why his wife struggled through years of depression of losing her daughter, only to have her husband taken from her, then finally, her own life being taken away…not once did she know what happened to you or to her daughter. Why…Why didn't you just come out? Why didn't you say something? Why did it take Brian seeing you on accident at the store for _any_ of them to know you were still alive? Why did you pretend to be crazy? You have to answer for these things, Lucy."

She bowed her head and closed her eyes. She heard Maggie telling Morris not to be too hard on Lucy and shook her head. "I…I thought maybe I _had_ to be crazy. Why would I take my sister's baby away? Why would I willingly let Travis use me to cheat on my baby sister? Why would I make my entire family hate me? Why would I stay away from my mom and dad for so long? How am I _not_ crazy?" Marissa chuckled and shook her head.

"You're not crazy because you're able to acknowledge reasons why you _should_ be crazy. I've seen crazy, Lucy. You're not crazy, you're just messed up. You've dwelt on negative shit all your life, and you've let it affect you. That's why you're _not_ crazy. Feel good about that fact."

"You think we hate you?" Hugh asked with an arched eyebrow. Lucy closed her eyes and sniffed again. "We don't _hate_ you. We hate the fact that you think we hate you. You're our daughter, we could never hate you."

"I agree." Violet stood from her seat and walked over to Lucy, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Look at me sis." Lucy turned her head away and Violet sighed. "Please look at me?" After a second, she turned her head up and moved her eyes into Violet's. Violet's eyes were misty and there was a mix of sadness and happiness. "I wish you'd come out and told me what happened before, I really do. I knew Travis was an asshole. I wasn't surprised when I heard he'd cheated on me with you. That was just what he did, it wasn't you at all, it was him."

"But I _shouldn't_ have done it!"

"No. I'm not faulting you. You're my big sister, I can't fault you. I _missed_ you, Lucy. I've always missed you, and I love you because you're my sister, and there's nothing that can _ever_ change that. Our family was lost without you and Sarah. Brian started getting busy, I started getting busy…what kept us all apart was a lack of communication that didn't even really start getting fixed until Sam met Freddie."

Next it was Brian's turn to say something, as he'd been keeping quiet this whole time. "As the oldest child, even back when I was a kid, I felt it was my duty to know what was going on with my little sisters, that I had to be that older brother. When you ran from me in that store…it was a blow. Why couldn't you just be honest with us? I feel like…there must be something wrong with _me_, because you didn't want to tell me what was going on with you. Be it that day or decades ago. And don't you _dare_ use the 'no one cared' thing. That's a cop out and you know it!"

"What makes you so certain that's what it is?" She closed her hands up and her voice started to raise in fear and anger as the old memories came back to her. "Don't you know how many guys I've dated that only ever wanted sex or something? I can't have children because, I don't _know_ why, but that's yet another blow. I felt so alone growing up. I didn't want to be alone and I took Sarah's baby because…I don't _know_ why I took her. I just wanted to raise a child, I wanted to have a child, and I didn't think I could adopt. I didn't know what I was doing, I didn't know how it would affect anyone, and by the time I did it, I realized I'd fucked up altogether. There was no going back…"

Melanie walked over to her and hugged her, taking her by surprise and bringing a quick end to her ranting. "Aunt Lucy." Lucy shook and wept, quickly trying to wipe her eyes. Susan hurried out of the room and returned with a cold rag. She wiped the tears and started patting Lucy's forehead with the rag while Violet and Brian rubbed her back. "Nobody hates you, and yes, it was bad, what you did. You acknowledged it, you felt guilty, but it would have been better to come clean. I can't say you didn't take care of me growing up, you did a good job of it."

"You were Sarah's little baby, I wanted you to have a good life. Are…Are you happy now?"

"Yes. There's no reason you don't deserve to be happy, though."

She scoffed and quickly pulled away, crossing her arms over. "Yeah right. Not after what I've done…"

"You just need someone to talk to you. I know. Everyone here, we all love you Aunt Lucy. No one's yelling at you because they understand you're hurting, you've been hurting for many years. You have a chance to make it up now, a chance to be happy and to realize that you will be okay."

"No I won't…I'm going to jail, Melanie. I realize it's where I-"

Marissa cleared her throat and stepped away from the wall. "I'm not going to let you finish that sentence. You can wallow in self pity or you can accept that your family cares about you and wants to be with you. They've asked me not to press charges against you. I'm the _only_ one that would be able to do that, since I'm both the person who would be filing charges against you for kidnapping, and I'm the arresting officer. If I have them drop the charges, you start a clean slate. Whether or not you deserve it, I don't think you're in the position to decide that."

"Marissa…"

Marissa snapped her voice to a higher volume and everything around them stopped. The pool balls stopped moving, talking from the other room ended, and the whole family just stared nervously. "No. You've gone through a lot of shit, you've pretty much kept yourself in a damn prison all your life. You put _yourself_ away because you automatically sentenced yourself for a crime that could have easily been avoided if you'd _just fucking talked to somebody_! It's frustrating to think that the solution could have been so goddamn simple, but you thought no one cared about you, you thought you were the only one in the whole world who could give a shit about you. Now you've got your entire family right here before you, telling you they love your sorry ass and are willing to give you another chance, telling me to drop the charges and not have you go to trial, but to give you a second chance at life, and you're telling them you want to continue being imprisoned? No! Fuck that, Lucy! That isn't acceptable! Now I happen to know there's a counselor right across the street at that church, so you know what? You're going to march your ass right over there, get a therapist to talk to on a regular basis, you're going to spend time with your family, and that's _final!_ I'll tell the judge, tell the police, tell the lawyers that I'm dropping the charges against you because the family's reached an agreement. It's just a matter of custody now. Got that?"

Everyone turned their eyes to Lucy. She was stunned, her eyes wide and mouth open. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks as her heart's pounding could be heard above all else. A pin could drop and it might echo throughout the entire house. Lucy slowly smiled as she thought on Marissa's words. Maybe she was right, maybe this was a second chance. Why condemn herself when her whole family was here for her. She did need help, she did need someone to smack some reality into her.

Madeline and the others moved away from the couch and over to Lucy. She wanted to have some input. "Lucy, if it hadn't been for you, Brian and I might not be together. I don't know if you realize that." She spoke with a certain softness, hoping that it would reach Lucy. It did. Lucy looked over to her and smiled slightly. "That football quarterback was just a jerk trying to score with every girl he could get his hands on. Your prank kept me from that date."

"Of course he was an asshole, I saw him making out with two girls at the school, that's why I did what I did that day!" Madeline laughed as Brian put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

"Well I for one and grateful you did, Sis. Because I spent the next few hours cleaning her up and stuff, we decided to date each other. Look how well that turned out. Hell, watching the home movies, Leon thanked you for doing that, because he wouldn't have ever been born if you didn't."

"Geez thanks a lot Dad." Leon was blushing red from embarrassment, he'd hoped to keep that little scenario to himself.

"No problem, son."

Lucy's smile grew as she lifted her hand to her eyes and gently swept away a tear. For once, she was beginning to feel like she was being accepted by them. Had she ever _not_ been accepted? Only in her mind. She never understood why she'd worried so much about that before. Maybe she did need help.

"You know what? I bet that quarterback is a big fat, bald man now. You and Brian deserve each other." She looked down and slowly brushed the carpet with her foot. The fear she had earlier was going away and she was feeling connected with them. As she lifted her eyes up, she spotted Marissa, who was still watching her closely. "Would you really…give me that chance…to start over?"

"Yeah, I'm going to do it whether or not you want me to."

"Okay…" She brushed her nose and smiled again. "I…I would be happy for that. I'll…I'll go talk to that counselor at the church."

"Good. I'm glad you will."

"Thank you…"

"Well you needed help. So you're getting help. You needed your family, you're with them. You realized the things you've done wrong, they've forgiven you. I've forgiven you, Morris has forgiven you, so I think you could say we represent Sarah and David if you want. Melanie and Sam forgive you…now _you_ just have to move on. I think you realize that."

"I do."

"Good. I think you'll be working at it. I'll gladly not press charges against you. I know you messed up, I know you won't do something like that again, but you_ have_ to talk to someone. I mean, you can't just go around moping and being depressive without trying to fix yourself."

"I understand."

"Good, so celebrate your freedom. Enjoy your Christmas, you're not going back to the jail. That's been decided." Lucy's eyes widened and Melanie gasped, quickly hugging her Aunt.

"Yes! We have our whole family together again!"

* * *

Well Melanie did it, she made the family whole again XD. Well, it's truly a Christmas miracle, I'd say. The Puckett's are a stronger family unit. Still more to come!


	178. Tribute: Jake

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: The song in this chapter is _In Loving Memory_ by Altar Bridge. It is not mine.

* * *

Chapter 178 (Tribute: Jake)

Freddie walked into the doors of the Groovy Smoothie with Jonah, Carly, Griffin, and Gibby. They had their instruments already on the makeshift stage that T-Bo built. Freddie actually made Jeremy an honorary techie for them, so he actually helped T-Bo with the stage. They had curtains to be pulled away and a few special effects. When they stepped inside, the place was completely filled up with people who were expecting a great comeback from them. Jeremy was actually going to shoot a video for them and put it on their own personal website.

They built a website called imperialfireballs dot com. It had some information on the band members as well as videos and times of their selected gigs. They didn't have any further gigs yet, but on the site they had listed that Gibby's Uncle was searching around. That man was actually going to become their band manager, he'd been a successful manager for some other bands in the past, including one famous one.

Freddie saw a cup flying towards his head and quickly dodged it, watching as a smoothie hit the wall and splattered everywhere. His eyebrows rose and he glanced over as he heard Nevel throwing a hissy fit. "You? You're the ones taking up _my_ slot? No! Unacceptable!" He sighed as Nevel marched up to him and poked his chest with irritation. Jonah and Griffin looked at Freddie, impressed with how calm he was being. "I was expecting some other _punk ass_ band! I thought I was done with you iCarly freaks!" Carly rolled her eyes as Freddie pushed Nevel's hand away and walked past him. So he brought up iCarly, but the sad fact was, iCarly was long over.

"Don't call us that. We are not iCarly, we are the Imperial Fireballs, and we're going to perform here whether you like it or not." Nevel gasped as the band cheered and pat Freddie's shoulders. They walked past him and towards the stage while the onlookers cheered them on. Tonight was going to be big night. Nevel stomped his foot on the floor and shouted his aggressions. Freddie glanced back at him and sighed. "Hey Papperman, if there's enough time after we're done here, T-Bo might be able to put you in. All you have to do is ask him. It's really not that difficult."

"I don't care! I had this spot reserved!" He started pounding his fist in the air as T-Bo and two security guards started pulling him away.

"Okay out of my store! I am letting them play, not you. I don't want you scaring off my customers."

"Get your hands off me you filthy swine!" T-Bo moved back in surprise and closed his eyes as the security guards opened the door. Without a second thought, he kicked Nevel outside and onto the ground. "Gah! You Asshole!"

"And stay out!" T-Bo turned around as the band moved behind the curtains. He walked up to the portion of the stage that wasn't behind the curtain and waved his hands in the air, smiling with brilliant charm. "All right, you came here to hear some catchy tunes by the Imperial Fireballs! Formerly the Seattle Beasts. They're back and I'm proud to introduce them here tonight and throughout the weekend!"

Freddie smiled as he grabbed a hold of the microphone stand. Gibby tested out the drums a bit while Jonah and Griffin strummed their guitars. Carly played a few of the keys on her piano and grinned at Freddie. "All set to go, Bro!"

"Let's do this." Gibby held up his drumsticks and shouted out his enthusiasm. As the curtains opened, Freddie took the microphone off and looked at the applauding fans. "We want to say thank you for coming out tonight, we hope you'll enjoy our music. We'll be performing some Christmas greats for you, but first…We want to introduce a few new band mates." He turned and pointed to the three new members of the band. "We have Gibby on the drums." Gibby smiled and tapped his drumstick in the air. His girlfriend called his name from the audience and he blushed. Freddie laughed and turned to Carly, who played a quick welcoming tune on her piano. "That's my sister Carly Shay on the piano. I'm sure you all know her. Then last, but not least, Griffin on the guitar!" Griffin waved in the air, then strummed the guitar for a second. The crowd roared.

Freddie turned back to them and smiled as he closed his eyes and turned his head towards the ceiling. "I'm sure you remember us back when we were a three man band. Our lead guitar was Jake Krandal. Sadly, a year and a half ago, he was…he passed away. Tonight, before we get started, we want to take a moment to remember him. To remember the good times, the fun, the laughter. We want to perform one song in his memory, one that comes from all of us. It is done by Alter Bridge and is called _In Loving Memory_. Please, let us have one moment of silence for him."

The entire building silenced and bowed their heads. Freddie looked all over them with a tear-filled eye. He looked over to Jonah, who slowly nodded in his direction. They could remember Jake's laughter, his smiling face and laughter, the way he was learning his vocals and doing his best at all he could. He inspired them to start taking vocal lessons as well.

Now, a year and a half later, they felt they could truly pay him their respects. The lights dimmed slowly as Freddie pressed his lips together. Griffin and Carly began their intro as Freddie lifted his eyes to the sky. Gibby wouldn't start until a bit in, the same was said for Jonah's guitar.

With a sniff, he closed his eyes and started singing, his rich, deep voice filling the air. Jonah joined backup vocals with Griffin. The audience lifted their hands, their index fingers pointed upwards as their arms swayed gently in the air.

_Thanks for all you've done  
I've missed you for so long  
I can't believe you're gone  
You still live in me  
I feel you in the wind  
You guide me constantly_

_I've never knew what it was to be alone, no  
Cause you were always there for me  
You were always there waiting  
And ill come home and I miss your face so  
Smiling down on me  
I close my eyes to see_

Jeremy was working from behind the counter of the groovy smoothie. He pressed a button and a screen rolled down behind the band as they played. A projector's light shined through and Jake's youthful face shone onto the screen.

The slides changed every so often, showing Jake as he strummed the guitar. A few pictures were of him goofing around with Jonah and Freddie. There had never been a happier person alive.

_And I know, you're a part of me  
And it's your song that sets me free  
I sing it while I feel I can't hold on  
I sing tonight cause it comforts me_

I carry the things that remind me of you  
In loving memory of  
The one that was so true  
Your were as kind as you could be  
And even though you're gone  
You still mean the world to me

Stephanie was in the audience, Jake's former girlfriend and lover, she had been invited by Freddie to be there. She was weeping softly as the slides and the song carried on. T-Bo was sitting at her table, handing her tissues and rubbing her back.

It felt as though a heavenly light was shining down upon the place, perhaps wishing everyone well. If so, it seemed right. Jake had always been like that for them, always a light in the darkness. His smile and spirit could always lift everyone no matter what the cause.

Freddie's chest ached with grief as he moved his hand through his hair. Jonah clenched his teeth and thought back to the guilt he felt when he learned of Jake taking that bullet meant for him. If not for Jake's love for his best friends, his care and passion, there was a chance that he'd still be alive and Jonah would be the one this tribute would be for. It would be Valerie left behind, weeping those tears of sorrow.

Was it okay to be happy that it wasn't him? Sure, because it didn't mean that he didn't regret Jake being the one killed. Such a strong person, so willing to give up his own life for his friends. Jonah knew that was to be respected, he would have done the same.

_I've never knew what it was to be alone, no  
Cause you were always there for me  
You were always there waiting  
But now I come home and it's not the same, no  
It feels empty and alone  
I can't believe you're gone_

And I know, you're a part of me  
And it's your song that sets me free  
I sing it while I feel I can't hold on  
I sing tonight cause it comforts me

Carly bit her lip and offered some hums here and there, she wasn't as good of a singer as some of the others, so she didn't want to put that into the mix. She breathed in and kept moving her fingers at a skillful pace, never missing a beat.

She remembered Jake for all he was worth, there was nothing bad about him that she could think of. When she first met him, she had that major crush on him, but didn't know he was in love with his girlfriend. She never really knew how close he was to the band, to Freddie and Jonah, and she never knew the circumstances of his death. Now that she did, she wanted to pour her heart and soul out to him.

They all thanked God that Jake didn't suffer from that wound, his death was instant. She turned her eyes to the picture of Jake on the screen, laughing at the camera with his arms around Jonah and Freddie's shoulders. They were laughing as well and had a couple sodas in their hands. It was the final picture in the bunch. On it were the words: _Jake Krandal, March 1 1995-May 14 2010. _

_I'm glad he set you free from sorrow  
I'll still love you more tomorrow  
And you will be here with me still_

_And what you did you did with feeling_  
_And You always found the meaning_  
_And you always will_  
_And you always will_  
_And you always will_

_And I know, you're a part of me_  
_And it's your song that sets me free_  
_I sing it while I feel I can't hold on_  
_I sing tonight cause it comforts me_

The music ended and the band bowed their heads as the lights on them dimmed out, leaving only the picture of Jake readily visible. Freddie opened his eyes and slowly lifted his head up, speaking quietly and slowly. "Jake was strong in character, strong in spirit, and always one of the best friends and bandmates that we could have. Tonight we lift our hearts to him and ask that he watch over us as we carry on the band's legacy with him a part of us. Never forgotten, Jake Krandal."

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. A nice tribute to Jake, I think, well deserved.


	179. Surprising, Frightful Night

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 179 (A Surprising Night)

After the performance, which lasted nearly three hours, the group was hanging around a table, sipping on free smoothies. Gibby was on the phone, talking to his Uncle while the others were talking about how the performance went, among other things. Jonah was on the phone with Valerie, who'd managed to catch the live feed online. "Freddie, you should call Sam up!" Carly stated with certainty. He looked up at the clock and shrugged, it was late and she could be asleep by now.

"Yeah, if Valerie's still awake, then there's no reason Sam wouldn't be." He looked over to Griffin, who was smiling and had his arm around Carly's shoulders. They made a great couple, it seemed. Tasha was next to Gibby, holding on to his arm as he talked to his Uncle. All of this made him miss Sam more than he wanted to. "Yeah, I'll give her a call." He reached into his pocket as Griffin and Carly gave each other a peck on the lips. He smiled gently and pulled out his phone, then pressed down the number for Sam. "I do wonder how they're doing, Mom said she was dropping the charges on Lucy and taking her over to them today."

"That's why she missed the performance, huh?"

"Yeah." He pressed the phone up to his ear and listened to the ringtone play out. After a minute, Melanie was the one who answered the phone with a cheery, upbeat greeting. "Mel? Is Sam around?" He moved his eyes over to the door and listened to Melanie say Sam was asleep. His eyebrows rose and he laughed briskly. "That's what I thought. Did she manage to catch the performance?"

"Yeah, she loved it. I can wake her for you if you'd like. It's been a big day for all of us."

He was a bit disheartened, but didn't want to worry about waking Sam. She wasn't usually too happy with being awakened, even if it was him. "No, don't worry about it. I understand. Let her know I called, I'm glad you guys are having a good Christmas so far." Melanie agreed and started going on about all that had been going on. He was happy to hear these things, everyone deserved happiness through the holidays. When she told him about Mitch, he laughed, remembering that angel well. "Is he just as annoying?"

"Yeah, but he just wanted someone to talk to. I wasn't too fond of the things that happened. He sent me into a world where only you and Carly were left alive, you two were against each other and there were these two serial killers after you guys."

"Two?"

"Yeah, Lionel Shay and someone named Bana Shay." Freddie raised an eyebrow and brought his smoothie to his lips. Who the hell was _Bana_? "Anyway, I'd love to sit and chat some more, but I need to be heading to bed. I think we're getting up early tomorrow morning to help the church set up. There's a performance they're doing for Christmas Eve tomorrow night. Then Sunday is Christmas! We're all looking forward to it."

"Sounds fun, hope you guys have a good sleep. Let Sam know I called, I miss her and love her, can't wait for her to get home!"

"I will, and thanks. Night Freddie, you guys were awesome!"

"Thanks." They hung up just as Jonah and Gibby finished their phone calls. Knowing he'd have good news for them, everyone turned their attentions to Gibby. He had a large grin on his face and a devious glint in his eyes. He took one last sip of his smoothie and slowly set it down, saying nothing and letting the others grow in expectations. "Okay Gibby, suspense is killing us, what did your Uncle say?"

"Okay guys…now take a big breath." Gibby leaned forward as the others exchanged bemused gazes. "Uncle George has booked us a gig in the middle of January, it's going to be on national television, it's going to be a Battle of the Bands…" Freddie's lips curled upwards as Carly cheered a bit, already this was sounding like the perfect opportunity for them. Live, on National television, they could really start making a name for themselves. "Uncle George is getting us some vocal coaches and instrumental coaches who will continue to help us improve as time goes on. Now you want to know the best part?"

"What do you have for us?"

"We'll be there for a week, from the seventh to the fourteenth of January. There's going to be a bunch of bands, local and national, and it's in L.A.!" Carly froze and Freddie's blood ran cold, he knew exactly what was down there. The bile began to rise up in him as he and Griffin met each other's eyes and looked towards Carly, who had begun trembling. Jonah closed his eyes and Gibby glanced around with growing concern. "What's wrong guys, will that not work out?"

What would be the chances of running into Steven down in L.A.? Probably slim, for all they knew. Carly could be mature enough to deal with her ex, couldn't she? The question in Freddie's mind was more, what would he and Griffin do if they ran into the guy. Likely, that was the question on her mind too. They'd tear him apart limb by limb, but would Carly even attempt to tell him he left her pregnant?

She'd already confided in Sam and Freddie that every time she sees Jonah's and Valerie's little baby, she had to hold back the tears. It was still, and probably always would be, a tender spot in her heart. She took her smoothie and sipped it with nonchalance. When she removed her lips from the straw, she lifted her hand up to talk. "I'm fine with going to L.A. I think it'll be a great opportunity. Question is something else…Vocal coaches, instrumental teachers, national television…do we want to become a bigger thing than we already are? I mean, we could become a professional band if we wanted…"

Freddie wasn't too sure about that one, they were probably all going onto other things after college. "Maybe…Only time will tell there." The others agreed to the statement. It was a big step, not something they could really think about right then. "Carly, you're sure you'd be okay with going to L.A.? Nothing there that would make you want to turn back?" Gibby looked over at Carly and raised his eyebrow. She was hard-faced and quiet, her body tense and eyes cold, as though she were trying to keep them from becoming misty.

"There's nothing there that is important besides the Battle of the Band. I want to go, I think we can win." He smiled and nodded his head.

"That's the spirit, Sis." Griffin smiled and put his hand on Carly's, bringing it up and kissing it softly. She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and breathing out. Jonah nodded his head and Freddie looked over to Gibby. "I think it's settled, we'll enter, and we _will_ win." What was the worst that could happen? If they ran into Steven or the guy's girlfriend, then they'd just have to deal with it.

"All right then, I'll call my Uncle up and tell him all's well." The band nodded and decided to depart from the table, they wanted to move around and stretch their legs. As Gibby dialed his uncle's number up and the band moved away from the table, they didn't catch Tyrone watching them from another table with Nora.

"My god…" Tyrone turned his head forward and pressed his mouth against his closed hands while Nora raised her eyebrow. He'd heard Freddie's phone call with Melanie. "His bride _is_ Samantha Puckett." Nora rolled her eyes and glanced off to the side.

"Yes, but we have more important matters to discuss. I have to get them alone and tell them of my father." Tyrone dismissed the thought as he started thinking back on the years he'd gone after Freddie's beloved. All this time, right under his nose. He just couldn't believe it.

"They won't listen…especially if I'm not with them. I need to talk to Carly alone…"

"Oh give it a rest, what are you going to do? Try to convince her not to participate in her family's culture?"

"I know I could…I just don't want…am I really that ignorant?" He watched her face go dull as she turned her head towards him and spoke with a flat tone.

"Do you _really_ want me to answer that?" He heaved forth a heavy sigh and brought his steadily shaking hands onto the table. His lips were pressed tightly together and his eyes quivered. "Tell me, Tyrone. Do you still associate with that small gang of people against arranged marriage? What will you tell them now that you know who Freddie's bride is? I can guarantee you, you know their history, so you know what'll happen…"

"Yes…" He gazed at the screen where Jake's picture still remained. A shockwave of guilt struck his heart. He moved his hand to his chest and sighed in desperation as he recalled the murder of that poor boy. "I-I don't know what to do about them." Nora shrugged her shoulders and rose up from her seat.

"I don't know, you'll figure something out. Maybe work with Marissa to disband them. She _is_ your second cousin, you know." He winced and turned his head to his side. "Ironic, isn't it, Mr. Shay? A man as about family as you are, losing your own family and tearing your own family away, destroying their happiness." She turned her head to the doors and watched the band walking out. "Anyway, you're old and set in your ways. You won't change unless you see a reason to, I suppose. I have important stuff to take care of. Meet me here when I call you next, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure…"

"Oh, and Tyrone?" He looked up as she glanced at him over the corner of her shoulders. "Try not to make them all hate you _too _much. You might run the same risk of becoming just like Bana and Lionel. You don't _have_ to be a murderer to be just like them. You just have to have the same level of dissonance, arrogance, and disgust, and then you're just another typical Shay. Which is odd, because you're also half Davidson…So, what does that say? You have a choice? Whose side are you going to be on?"

Without a single more word, she took off, walking towards the band. As she moved outside, she hesitated and slowly looked from side to side. A distinct smell came to her nostrils and she instantly ducked behind the Groovy Smoothie sign. "He's here…"

As she moved her eyes to Gibby's large van, where they carried all the instruments in the back of, she saw the band unconscious in the back with their instruments. "Shit! How did he do that?" Then she saw someone she didn't recognize, a Mexican man who was well built. As she raised her eyebrow, she thought back to her father. He wouldn't waste time capturing his victims. "Okay…so it isn't Bana…" Now she felt stupid. Narrowing her eyes, she watched another man walk around the truck, he looked similar to the other guy. "Who are these people?"

A familiar voice came from the truck and her eyebrows rose, it sounded like the guy who got carted away before the band started playing. As the Mexican men started talking, she slowly crept closer to the truck, leaping into the back and hiding behind Gibby's drums.

She watched through them and narrowed her gaze as Nevel walked into view with the two Mexicans. "Raul, Alfonso, I'm impressed by how well you two got them. The minute they stepped out that door, they didn't see it coming. Thanks! They'll think twice before taking _my_ spot." Nora rolled her eyes and looked towards Freddie. If Bana was around, he would definitely use this to his advantage. However, that distinct smell, it smelt of extremely strong, overpowering, and unusual bleach like soap. She turned her attention to a door that led into the part of the van for passengers and the driver.

"Okay, I need that…" She quickly made her way through that door as Nevel and his two thugs shut and locked the van's back doors. That was good, those doors could hold Bana at bay if he showed up. She turned her attention to the keys in the ignition, much to her pleasure, the engine was still running. "Sorry boys…I'll be taking your car from you."

Her heart started racing as she leapt into the driver's seat and clicked the stick into drive. Just as she did that, one of the men let out an ear-piercing scream. Her gaze fell on the side mirror and her body flinched as she saw a splash of blood shoot out. That was her cue, Bana was _definitely_ here!

"Fuck! Drive!" She knew he didn't use a car, he wasn't stupid enough to have a vehicle that someone could track him to. She slammed her foot on the gas pedal and shot out through the parking lot. A pang of guilt hit her as she checked the side mirror and saw Alfonso lying bloodied on the ground and a heavily muscular man with fuzzy brown hair, a white muscle shirt and short jeans, fighting with Raul. Nevel had was sitting in shock in a puddle of blood as he watched his two bodyguards being torn apart with Bana's knife. "I'm sorry…I'm not here to help you."

She drove around for miles, trying to make sure there wasn't anywhere Bana might think of her to go. Hell, she was certain he didn't see her, so he probably had no idea who just drove off. After almost an hour, she drove into an old warehouse and parked the car.

After a minute, she made sure to lock the warehouse garage down and flip on the lights, then set herself in front of the van's back doors. When she opened the doors, all the band members were sitting upright, staring at her. "Who the hell are you?" Freddie asked with a quiet and annoyed tone of voice.

"My name is Nora, and I just saved your life. So you can attack me, do whatever you want, I don't care, but I need to talk to you." She watched them exchange nervous glances and continue to stare at her. Freddie held his hand up and stepped cautiously out of the van.

"Okay, so do you care to tell me what just happened? I'm Freddie, by the way."

"I know. Freddie Benson, son of Marissa Davidson, grandson of Arian Davidson. And no, I am not an obsessed fan." Freddie raised his eyebrow as the others stepped outside with him. "I'm sorry it looks like I've taken you captive, but I've been trying desperately to reach you for some time, I knew you wouldn't listen to me if I came to you just off the street."

"So, you didn't do this?" He pointed at the van and Nora slowly shook her head.

"That was Nevel…" She bowed her head and clenched up her fists as she recalled the image of her father slashing apart Nevel's bodyguards. She could only hope that Nevel got away as well.

"Wait, so _Nevel_ captured us? Then why are we with you?"

"I took the van, but…Nevel may or may not be alive." She watched the others freeze and took a slow, steady breath. "Just before I took off, a man named Bana caught up with them. He was going to kill you all…but he got to Nevel and his bodyguards first. Freddie coughed and looked back at his friends, then back to Nora.

"Bana? I've heard his name before. Melanie said she, uh…she saw him in a dream."

"Yes. Bana Shay is my father. Ever since the late 1800s, early 1900s, there's been a vendetta against the Davidson family."

"I don't understand, who? I mean…I know of Tyrone, Lionel, but Bana? He isn't related to them…"

"Bana is their cousin. Descendant of William Shay, who was the child of Deborah Shay and Dirdan Davidson's brother. It was this that spawned the hatred of her brother, Brandon, who taught William to hate the Davidsons…both the Davidson family and the Shays have forgotten about William's line, that's why Bana is such a threat. Nobody _knows_ about him. They don't expect him. I should be dead right now, but my mother bought me enough time to escape…and so I've been trying to warn you."

"And this…Bana…he had something to do with Aunt Zamira's family dying?"

"He had everything to do with that. He had everything to do with almost every attack on your family. Tyrone? He's been innocent of all crimes except what his own gang members have done. Tyrone's gang member shot Jake Krandal, that was it." Freddie started to pale and fall back onto the van. His eyes widened and Jonah put a heavy hand upon his shoulder. "A bitter pill to swallow. Tyrone just learned of Bana. I've been unable to go to the police because I have a feeling that he's been watching me, that he knows where I'm at, and he could kill anyone I contact."

Jonah looked to Nora and asked a question, as Freddie was now unable to speak, remembering the attack he suffered in the hospital the other day. "You've contacted Tyrone though?"

"I have. He had a similar reaction. These are the journals belonging not only to Bana, but to his father, grandfather, and so on…" She reached into her backpack, which was positioned next to her chair. Jonah, Freddie, and the others took the journals and rested them on their laps. "I've also added an additional journal…One that belonged to Shane Johnson's grandmother."

"Shane?" Carly's head snapped up and her eyebrow arched. "What does he have to do with this?"

"His grandmother worked for Lionel Shay. She also had a child with him. Ironically enough, a man that hates his own bloodline would have a child…I don't know if he knows this, but Shane's life could also be in grave danger."

"He would murder his own grandson?"

"With the same emotion as someone swatting a fly." A cold silence filled the air as the band imagined Lionel possibly killing off his daughter and son. What man would be so cold, so cruel and calculating? Then there was Bana, who was just as vile, if not more. "Freddie, I wanted to get those journals to you so that you could give them to your mother directly. It's the safest way." He nodded and slowly opened the journal, then he saw a sight that chilled his bones.

"He was at…the reunion?" She moved her eyes to the side and nodded her head. Freddie started to quake and closed the journal with a quick haste. "I'll get these to mom, but..." Carly interrupted him as she gazed with worry to Nora.

"This journal…Lionel kills based off evil?"

"He deems the entire Shay lineage to be evil, so yes."

"What Shane did…he kissed Sam in front of Freddie…would that make him seem 'evil' to Lionel?"

"Probably, if Lionel knew about it. It doesn't matter though, the man wants to eradicate the Shays. Bana wants to eradicate the Davidsons. Putting them on a scale, Bana's the dangerous one out of the two. I think since my father just killed someone outside the Groovy Smoothie, he'll be laying low for a while. That's how he is, he stays out of sight for a while before striking again."

"Why would he hurt Nevel? If he only cares about our family…"

"Nevel was a catalyst, an obstacle in the way of his targets. Also a witness. Do you suppose a madman would let him live?"

"Madman? He'd have to be if he attacked outside a public place…"

"Pretty sure he doesn't care."

"Go figure…"

"Yeah." Nora pat her legs and slowly stood up. She wasn't sure what else she could tell them, they would have to deal with the shock on their own. "You'll be fine, just don't worry about it and let the police handle it. She made her way to the garage door and opened it up. "Good performance tonight. Have a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Years…"

"Wait? That's it? That's all we get?"

"What more do you expect? I only wanted to warn you. Get those journals to your mother and you'll be fine. I'll give you a description of Bana, but that's about all I can do. I don't know where he's staying, I don't know what he's doing, and in all honesty, I don't want to go near him. As for Lionel…I'm pretty sure he only strikes on Friday the 13th. Tell your mom to beef up the security around the Groovy Smoothie for the next few days. My father's deathly afraid of police officers, he won't go near a place that has more than seven police officers around it."

"Okay…so we've covered Bana, Lionel, I'm guessing Tyrone is…"

"Misguided, angry, and arrogant. He's also discovered why his dad died. He knows Sam is your bride now, Freddie." Freddie paled and Carly threw her hand to her mouth. "Shane never got to him, but he overheard you talking to Melanie tonight. He knows…"

"Shit!"

"Don't worry about it…both of you have strong families and a strong bond. If he hasn't torn you apart in the last few years, he's not going to do it _now_. Even if he attempts to talk Sam's family out of it or attempts to get Carly siding with him, it's just not going to happen."

"You're serious?"

"Hey, I don't know. You tell me."

* * *

Wow, a lot happened here, quite a bit of shock. Tyrone knows about Sam and Freddie now, but he seems to be having some self doubts (and just wait till you see what _Morris_ tells him XD). The group knows more about Bana and Lionel, both the killers that make Tyrone look like a bloody saint XD. The closest to death they came, wow. Stick around ^_^


	180. Tyrone Gets Schooled

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 180 (Tyrone Gets Schooled)

Sam woke up to the wondrous smell of enriched hot chocolate rousing her, commanding her. She slowly sat up and grinned, she loved hot chocolate. So far, she learned many great things about her family, and one of those was that her grandparents made excellent food and hot chocolate.

Looking over, Melanie was already up and out of bed. Go figure, her sister would beat her to the hot chocolate. She tore the sheets off of her and, while still in her night gown, shot out of the bedroom and down the stairs like a bullet. When she made it to the table, everyone was already sitting with fresh cups of hot chocolate next to a plate of bacon, eggs, and sausage. The hot chocolate smelled different than what her grandma made, this one had smells with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. "Melanie, not fair, how come you didn't wake me up!" Melanie snickered as Sam took her seat next to her sister, she already had a plate and cup ready for her. "You know I don't like being the last one awake, right?"

"I know, but I thought it would be polite to let you sleep in." She smirked and Sam quickly reached over for the hot chocolate. "Anyway, you're in for a surprise, this hot chocolate is Aunt Lucy's!" Sam's eyebrows lifted as she slowly lifted the cup from the table and looked up to Lucy. She noticed a very pleasant expression on her aunt's face, something that she was extremely proud of. She and Melanie talked about Lucy last night and she learned that the woman hadn't really smiled that much throughout the years. Maybe now, she could finally be happy. "Aunt Lucy _always_ makes great hot chocolate. This is the first time anyone here has tried it though, they all like it."

"Great! Wait…I'm the last one trying it _too_? Unfair." Melanie laughed and hugged Sam's shoulders with one arm. Sam smiled happily and brought the warm drink to her lips. As the hot fluid hit her tongue, she was welcomed by the glorious taste of chocolate, cinnamon, and nutmeg, mixed in with whipped cream and marshmallows. She swallowed the drink and pulled the cup away, gasping with delight. "Oh my god, that is awesome!" She looked over to Susan, who was standing next to Lucy with a chipper smile. "Grandma, no offense, but I think I have a new favorite hot chocolate maker!"

"None taken sweetie, who do you think taught her how to make it when she was young?" The others laughed and Lucy's face turned beet red. "Now enjoy your breakfast. After that, we're all going to walk across the street to the church and help set up. The Children's Sunday school is doing a performance tonight, based on the Nativity Scene. Well, mostly us women…Morris and Brian are coming, Maggie and Madeline are staying here. Violet's coming to help, Venus is too. We have Lucy going, but she's going to talk to the counselor over there." Sam nodded and sipped her drink again. She was proud of what Lucy was doing and grateful that Marissa believed in the woman enough to let them know the charges would be dropped.

"I'm glad you're going to do that, Aunt Lucy." Lucy smiled back at her and nodded her head. Susan looked over to her daughter and held her pleasant expression.

"Thank you."

"You know something? Mom always spoke highly of you."

"She…did?"

"Yep, made me want to meet you." Lucy's face went red once more and she quickly bowed her head. Sam was a bit amused, but she did understand how sensitive Lucy was right now. "Okay Grandma, who else is going?"'

"Greg and Annie are going to drive up, if they can ever wake up. Hugh is staying here and Buzz is going to drive up with Garth. I think Garth said he and Buzz were just going to help Hugh out with some preparation for tomorrow's Christmas Dinner."

"Okay, that sounds like a plan." She moved her fork over to her fried eggs and grinned at the pepper atop the eggs, if she'd known she was going to have an all star breakfast like this all the time, she would have started visiting her grandma more often! She paused and flicked her eyes up at everyone else. They were, for the most part, already dressed. "Uh, I'll have to get cleaned up first, after eating." Susan nodded and closed her eyes, lifting her eyebrows up, causing Sam to emit a nervous chuckle. She stabbed at her egg and quickly brought a piece of it to her lips.

After breakfast, she and Melanie were upstairs. She was brushing her teeth while Melanie was sitting on the edge of the bed, kicking her feet through the air. Sam grabbed her hair and held it over her shoulder while leaning over the sink and spitting out. "Hey Mel, isn't it great that Aunt Lucy can finally be a part of her own family?"

"Yeah, I think it's great. She deserves to be happy like anyone else. Anyway, I forgot to tell you, but Freddie called last night." Her head perked up and she stared at herself in the mirror, she couldn't believe she missed a phone call from Freddie!

"He did? How come you didn't wake me?"

"I didn't think you wanted to be, but I offered and he told me not to worry about it. Respectful."

"Yeah, I'll give you that. Do you think it's too early to call him?" She turned her attention to the clock on the wall and frowned, it was only nine in the morning. Freddie usually was a late sleeper, so chances were likely he wouldn't be awake until noon. "Yeah, it's too late to call." She looked back to Melanie, who was looking at her with a curios sadness.

"Do you ever miss living with him? I know you started living with Aunt Maggie and Uncle Morris in October, so…"

"Yeah I miss it, but it's better this way sometimes. I mean, we're not as tempted and we can be apart healthily and prepare ourselves for a life together." Melanie nodded and smiled dreamily as Kyle came to her mind. Sam raised her eyebrow and folded her arms over, smirking at her sister.

"Now what are you thinking about?"

"Kyle, and Marissa's culture…do you think I'd go through the arranged marriage thing?" Sam tapped her chin curiously and pulled Melanie from the bed. The two girls started heading towards the stairs in silence.

"I'm not sure. I mean I know Carly's going to go through it because Marissa's her mom. Spencer, _sort of_ went through it, he didn't really, but for the hell of it he asked and they 'chose' Sasha for him." Melanie laughed and started heading down the steps first. People were talking down below, it sounded like someone arguing with someone, but no one had reason to argue. "I went through it because Mom asked Marissa. Sure she's your legal guardian, but I don't know that she'll actually put you through the arranged marriage thing."

"It would be nice…but I understand if she doesn't. Especially not with people like-" Melanie stopped talking abruptly and froze in her steps. Sam raised an eyebrow and continued her descent.

"What's wrong, Mel?"

"Tyrone! Upstairs Sam, upstairs!" She yelped as Melanie began shoving her back up the stairs. Her heart began racing and her feet started working as she scaled the steps. Why would Tyrone be here? What did he want? He couldn't know about her, could he? She and Melanie ran to the railings and peered over, seeing Tyrone talking with Morris and Hugh. Everyone else had already gone over to the church, so that just left Morris, Hugh, Maggie, and Madeline.

Morris had his arms crossed and face etched with displeasure, Hugh looked angry and annoyed. Maggie was sitting in a chair, reading a book. She looked up at the girls and frowned, slowly shaking their head. It was her way of telling them to stay upstairs for now. Madeline was actually in the kitchen, washing all the dishes.

"Look Mr. Puckett, I'm not saying anything, I'm just asking you to _think_ it over. I can tell you everything you want to know about arranged marriage and why it's a piece of crap." Morris growled and took a step forward, poking Tyrone in the chest with his finger.

"You have a lot of balls to come _here_ on Christmas Eve to try and discourage me from letting my niece remain involved with Freddie. It isn't up to me, Tyrone."

"It should be, don't you think?"

"Why? If Sam is in love with Freddie, and Freddie's in love with her, then what's the problem?" Sam's eyes widened and her heart crashed to a stop. Tyrone _knew!_ She knew it was coming, she knew it was coming when Shane kissed her and started that uproar! Only, now that he knew for a fact, what did it mean? Was she in danger? Was Freddie in danger? She looked to Melanie, who was looking at her with concern. She whimpered and felt her sister wrap her arm around her shoulder.

"It's okay Sammy, Uncle Morris is dealing with it. You're not going to lose Freddie..."

Tyrone placed his hand on Morris's shoulders and the man quickly brushed his arm away. "Think about it, how do you, or even a couple sixteen year olds, really _know_ if they're in love? Isn't it brainwash?"

"I don't believe you would even attempt to say something so absurd. Do you not realize driving up here was a waste of your time? Ours as well!" Tyrone lowered his arms as Hugh started walking toward the front door, he was ready to shove the old man out the door, but Morris put his hand up. "No, now wait a moment…I have something I want to tell him." He narrowed his eyes and circled Tyrone, crossing his arms over and spreading his legs. "Tyrone…"

"What…"

"You know that family reunion that took place back in October, correct?" He nodded his head and Morris took a deep breath. "We learned a lot then. I don't know if it's pure arrogance, ignorance, or stupidity on your part, but are you aware of who your relatives are?"

"I recently became aware, yes…"

"And what? That changes nothing? Is that it?" Tyrone's lips went downward and scowl lines formed around his mouth, there was no possible way he could answer that question. "Or are you just so bent on that energy you've spent trying to deport your own family that you don't know _how_ to change? What's your problem? I'm almost certain it isn't arranged marriage you're against…so what's your beef? What's the real reason you're here? It may be Christmas Eve, but I'm not afraid to leave you out in the cold."

"What my issues are…they're none of your concern."

"They may as well be, because right now, you're only screwing yourself." Morris walked around him once more and glared into his eyes. "You lost your wife because of your anger, you _agreed_ to set Marissa up with Robert, but changed it because something pissed you off. Now it wasn't Arian, was it? It wasn't arranged marriage, but maybe…you don't believe in all that 'love' stuff, do you? Is that it?" Tyrone huffed turned his eyes away. Sam's jaw dropped, she could see him starting to sweat, to become hot under the collar. He wiped his brow and walked over to the table, tossing his briefcase onto it and opening it up. He pulled out some papers and handed it to Morris, who was standing with his chest puffed out and eyes still slanted.

"Here, facts and myths about arranged marriage, not biased-"

Morris swatted the papers away and growled as Tyrone watched them fall onto the ground. "I don't give a fuck about your research. It's all bullshit, and something tells me you know it. I think you're a closet case."

"A _what_? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean…I think you support arranged marriage. I think you support it because you don't believe in love. I think it scares you, Marissa's concept of arranged marriage, it's _so different_ from what you know." Sam's brow furrowed as Tyrone started to stammer. Uncle Morris had him backed into a corner, there was no escape. "I did my research too, Tyrone. I know plenty about arranged marriage."

"You…" Morris flipped his index finger out and Maggie closed her book, setting it calmly on her lap and watching her husband closely.

"In some cultures, there is no love. In some cultures, a man and woman do not know each other and are put together based on status circumstances. Be it wealth, social status, class, whatever the hell it is. They're then supposed to marry upon meeting, maybe never even _meeting_ before they marry!" Sam's eyebrows rose and Tyrone straightened his back slowly as Morris lifted his second finger. "There are some cultures out there where a woman absolutely _must_ remain a virgin until marriage. Not bad so far, right? Hear this. Assume the first case is true, there are some cultures where the night before the wedding, the man and woman _must_ have sex on a bed of white sheets. If there is blood, she's a virgin. If there's no blood, no matter what, she's immediately a disgrace to her family, dubbed a 'whore' to everyone who knows her, not marriageable, and can be banished or disowned. Doesn't sound too fun, _does it_? Does love exist? Well, apparently love is supposed to develop _after_ marriage."

Sam swallowed and felt her stomach flip. That information was a bit scary to her, but at least she knew it wasn't like that with Freddie and Marissa.

"However you should know this third fact to be true as well. Couples in arranged marriage can be more satisfied than otherwise. You also note Marissa's culture, different from the two I just mentioned. There are many different cultures, Tyrone…you _know_ this, don't you?" Tyrone slowly nodded as Morris smirked with satisfaction. "Every culture has its own stuff. Now if Marissa practiced one of the two I just mentioned, do you think I would let my niece be involved with her son? Fuck no." Sam felt a chill run down her spine and chuckled nervously as her sister rubbed her back, she was definitely grateful her uncle knew his stuff. "You know Marissa's culture though. I know you do, because I know without a doubt Arian would have educated you."

"H-How do you know…"

"Marissa educated me, she educated Sarah. It's a continual thing in her culture, they educate the potential spouse's parents on the matter and on their culture."

"That's true…"

"So you know Marissa's culture allows the bride and groom to know each other well beforehand, you also know that they encourage dating, like _so many_ other cultures out there. The bride and groom should date each other a while after selection and just like Marissa, if the two don't like each other…they must say so before marriage. Sam and Freddie get along and those two are very much in love, believe me, I've seen it. My wife can vouch for it. Arranged marriage…that's not your problem, so what is it?"

"Maybe you're right, maybe I don't believe in love. My wife left me-"

"Why? You don't think she loved you? I'm willing to bet she did, but there was a reason she left, what was it?" Tyrone clenched his hands and glanced off to the side.

"I let my anger get the better of me and then changed my mind on Robert and Marissa. It was too late though…and then I…I did the same thing my father did to…"

"Say it. What did your father do? Who did he do it to? These things came out at the reunion." Tyrone stuttered and started picking up his papers. As he was reaching out, Morris slowly put his show over his hand, causing him to freeze up. "Go ahead. I want you to focus on me. I know it's hard accepting, I know it's hard to understand. I can see it in your eyes, you _know_ who your mother is, don't you…"

"D-Drita…Davidson…"

"Yeah. I'm sorry to hear about that, man. Then your father, whatever happened to that old sap anyway?"

"He…He died…I didn't even know." Tyrone's eyes started to glaze over as Morris removed his shoe from the old man's hand. He slowly stood up and started to tremble. "I hadn't spoken to my dad in thirty years because he told me how I was born. I thought…I thought maybe mom and dad cared about each other, but…apparently not…"

"Then you became angry, angry at the world. Maybe even accused your own wife of not giving a shit about you…maybe you accused your son's bride of not giving a shit…maybe that's what happened? I personally don't know, nobody knows except for you. Maybe you've wasted all your time being angry at the world instead of really looking at it. God knows what went through your head."

"You think…You think I wanted this?" Tears ran down the old man's face as he tried to cover them up by turning away. Sam's heart sank and she slowly backed away from the railing. "Of course I'm happy for my son marrying Marissa, maybe there's more to that arranged marriage shit than I know. I don't know, I don't even know if I _should_ or even _can_ bring myself to care."

"Yeah, well I know one thing. You continue down being as arrogant of an asshole as you are and you'll lose your family. Don't believe me, just take a look at your own son. Now you've wasted your time coming here to try and talk me out of letting Sam be with Freddie. You've wasted _my_ time, as I had other things I wanted to do. Figure out your problem, work on it, and don't bother me again. You're not convincing me to break up my niece's relationship. Just because you couldn't be happy in life does not mean that my niece is going to be unhappy. Sorry."

"R-Right…I understand…I'm sorry for wasting your time." Morris closed his eyes and pointed to the door, heaving a heavy sigh as Hugh opened it up.

"Good. Now leave before I personally kick you out of the house. Don't think I won't do it, either." Tyrone nodded and quickly hurried out the door. As she watched Hugh shut the door and pat Morris on the back, Sam's face brightened with a smile. Her heart lifted and she embraced Melanie in a tight hug. She was eternally grateful to her Uncle just now and hoped that maybe, just maybe, Tyrone would leave them alone for a while.

She parted with Melanie as she heard her aunt calling up to her. "Sam, Melanie, it's time for you guys to get over to the church. I'm sure your grandma's wondering what's taking so long."

"Okay Aunt Maggie!" Sam practically jumped for joy and started rushing down the steps, with Melanie fast in tow. The two were laughing for no particular reason. Their family smiled at them as they ran out the door and across the street where Susan was waiting for them. "Grandma! We're here!"

* * *

So we learn a few things and Tyrone gets a sharp kick in the ass by _Uncle Morris_! Maybe Tyrone will start coming around, who knows. He's learning a few things. Hope you enjoyed the chapter ^_^.


	181. Marissa's Struggle

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 181 (Marissa's Struggle)

Freddie sat at the kitchen table with Robert. He was reading the morning paper and sipping a cup of coffee. The morning paper was talking about the awesome return of the band at the Groovy Smoothie, then it also spoke of the murders that happened outside. Nevel survived the murders by some miracle, he said he had to lay down in a puddle of blood and pretend to be dead until the man left. The description he gave police of the man was well built, fuzzed hair, piercing brown eyes, bushy eyebrows, and a man in his mid to late thirties, maybe early forties.

He took a sip of his coffee and set the paper down. His stomach churned inside him as he recalled the events of the prior night. He may not remember them very much at all, but everything about what Nora said, he did recall. It was sickening to think that there were men out there like Bana, like Lionel. He'd not given the journals to his mother just yet, he wasn't sure _how_ to bring them up. They were great evidence, great history, but they didn't state where either men were located. "Is mom still asleep?"

"I believe she and Carly are out on the back patio." He nodded his thanks and got up from the table. He brushed his fingertips along the table and started on his way towards the back. As he took a deep breath, he continued to think about how to bring up all the crap that Nora told them. Carly had been traumatized by it all, as she'd been up almost all night, tossing and turning. There was a chance she already told Marissa, but he doubted that.

He stepped next to the glass sliding doors and gazed outside at Carly and Marissa sitting in the iron patio chairs, chatting on as the day passed. Christmas Eve, he didn't want to make Christmas into a bad time, but some things were important. With Bana around, the entire family could easily wind up dead, so this wasn't just something they could easily avoid. His muscles tensed up and he slowly opened the door and stepped out into the cool breeze. His sister and mother looked back to him with a smile and an eagerness to see him. "Hey Freddie!" Carly chimed her voice and stood up to greet him. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Yeah, how about you, Carly?"

"About as good a sleep as I can have…" She frowned and Marissa rose up to her feet. It was clear they'd already been talking about some depressing subject matter. "Did you see the paper this morning?"

"Yeah, at least Nevel's okay." It was hard to believe the person had the gusto to make it through an attack like that. He did not wish ill towards him at all, it wouldn't be right if he thought anything of something like that. "Anyway, Mom, last night we were given something that you need to see…" Marissa furrowed her brow and the color in Carly's face drained. He took a deep breath and folded his arms over. "Carly, you don't have to be here for this if you don't want to."

"No. I need to be. It's just…" She stopped herself short and turned her head away, trying to shake the thoughts of what she'd read. After talking to Nora last night, she and Freddie had sat down and read through everything in those journals. It was a lot to take in, and it frightened them to a great deal. "Mom, Nevel was trying to take the band last night, but we were saved by someone...Her name was Nora, and she was trying to get in contact with us, or you, I'm not sure."

"Nora? Did she know what Nevel was doing?"

"No. She had some other stuff…come on…" The two siblings led Marissa inside. Freddie hurried off and returned a moment later with all the journals. "Nora gave us those, they deal with Lionel and…Bana Shay." Marissa's eyebrows rose sharply as she carefully took the books from Freddie.

"She's gone through hell to get these to you, Mom." The woman lifted her eyes to Freddie and slowly nodded her head. She'd be happy to oblige and look the journals over, if it detailed whom Lionel and this _Bana_ person was, then it would help her to have evidence against them. "I wasn't sure if I should give it to you on Christmas Eve, but it's a matter of life and death, and…Bana was behind the attack on Aunt Zamira. He and his father, grandfather, and so on…were behind everything that happened…" She paused shortly and glanced down at the journals, her eyes were filling with curiosity. "If anything, Tyrone…is just a misguided old fool, but we're not dealing with him…" Marissa put her fingers to her chin and took a deep breath, her hands shook slightly as she eyed the old looking, dusty books.

"I see. I'll look at these. If this Nora went through a lot of work to get these to _me_, then they're worth a study."

"Right. Another thing…the person who attacked Nevel, last night…"

"Yes?"

"Nora said it was that Bana guy…" Marissa's eyebrows rose up and she drew in a sharp breath of surprise. "We were _that close_ to death. All of us." He saw her tense up, fearing that her own children were that close to danger. Her hands loosened and quickly grasped at the journals that were beginning to slip. Freddie took a deep breath and Carly walked over to her mom, hugging her. "It's okay, we're fine now. Let's just try to have a good Christmas celebration tomorrow. I mean, it should be awesome!"

"True, but I'm going to check these journals tonight."

"All right mom." He met her eyes and caught a glimpse of concern. It didn't surprise him that she might be worried for them, this _was_ the second time he got attacked. She needed some time to think, he was sure about that. He moved his eyes over to Carly, who was glancing around anxiously, clearly trying to forget the trauma. "Hey Carly, you want to run by some of tonight's music?" Her eyes lit up and she hastened to her room where the piano was. Freddie laughed and smiled, though his mom remained quiet.

"I'll have the security around the Groovy Smoothie beefed up tonight, I'm not letting you and Carly end up in any danger."

"Understood, Mom, understood." She smiled and hugged him tight, not wanting to let him go.

"We're going to catch these people. Got that?"

"Yeah, I know you will. I'm not too concerned." He stepped back and pushed his hands into his pockets. "I'm just going to focus on the band right now…Everyone's a little freaked out, so I want to make sure everyone's going to be on track for tonight's performance." He wanted them to shine and not to let the events of the prior night eat them up. If they did, then there was no hope left. They _had_ to push through the drama and the death threats.

"You guys will do fine."

"Thanks Mom. I love you."

"Love you too, kiddo." She smiled and rubbed his hair before walking off to her study. His face grew red and he threw his hand through his hair, trying to straighten it back. Thank god Sam didn't just see that. Chuckling to himself, he shook his head and hurried off to the bedroom to practice for tonight.

Marissa and Robert made their way through the hospital, saying nothing at all, only thinking about what they read in those books. She had called him into her study to read with her, so he did absorb some of the shock. However, there was absolutely nothing that could have prepared them for the history they discovered.

She remembered hearing something about her great grandfather's brother being banished, but she never knew the story behind it. If _that_ was the reason for the whole hatred between the Shays and the Davidsons, it seemed to be a pathetic one. She flattened her lips and narrowed her eyes. Did Bana even _know_ what really happened? More than one hundred years ago had passed, why was this still going on?

Robert paused in the middle of the hallway and looked back to Marissa. She stopped and stared at the expression on his face, it was mixed with turmoil. "I just simply can't believe it…I _want_ to believe my father is the worst."

"I know, Robert." Her eyebrows rose sadly as she placed a soft hand on his chest. Tears started to brim her eyes and his face twisted with concern.

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm…I'm not…" She wiped her eyes and shook her head. Robert smiled and shook his head. Even thirty years later, she _still_ acted too tough for tears. "I'm just really having a hard time taking this all in. Aunt Zamira died because of something my great grandfather's _brother_ did. Little Kelly has to live with her one surviving Uncle because of something that happened a century ago!" Her hands clenched tightly and anger flashed in her eyes. "An innocent boy is hospitalized because of this…someone not even involved! Why? It isn't _fair!_" She brought her hands up to hit Robert's chest, but he took her wrists and held them in a firm, yet gentle, grip. She lifted her eyes to him and a solitary tear ran down her cheek. Her heart thrashed about in her chest and her lungs felt ready to explode. She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head violently.

"It isn't fair. It isn't right. That's why you're a police officer, Marissa." His soft voice pierced into her and calmed her spastic nerves. Her eyes opened halfway and met his. "Take a deep breath…relax…"

"I…" Her chest rose as she drew in a powerful breath of air and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, it's just…"

"You're an officer because you put away the people who do the things like this. Justice is fair, you're fair, that's your job, to be fair and to make sure things happen as such." She swallowed and took another breath, calming her nerves a bit more.

"You're right…let's see if Nevel will tell us anything…"

"Okay. I'm right here."

"Good." She took his hand and rested her head on his shoulder as they continued on their way to Nevel's room. They were going as people wanting to know a bit more, but if Marissa could manage to get some good information to use in her investigations, she would definitely put it towards her police work.

When they entered Nevel's room, the boy looked up from his bed with a frown. He moaned and closed his eyes, his body was in too much pain to complain about anything. His right cheek had a bandage, his arms were wrapped up, and his neck had bruising, as though several blood vessels burst inside him."I have a gash in my chest…or I did…" He winced and moaned. "Why am I alive? Why did I survive?" Marissa frowned and slowly walked next to him, then gently placed her hand on his arm.

"It is a miracle that you survived…"

"Yeah. Right." He scoffed and turned his eyes to the side. The lack of soul and life was depressing, but not something that she hadn't seen in the eyes of many victims. He'd been through so much, practically torn apart, and was still managing to stay beyond the reach of death, it was enough to scare anyone. "I don't do anything useful. I yell, I'm violently angry, I cuss out my own _mother_, I try to ruin other people…why would I deserve to be alive?"

"Maybe someone has a plan for you."

"Spare me." He turned his eyes to her and narrowed them. "I gave up on God a long time ago. When my father left us, my grandma lost her mind, and my mother stopped being a mother…what _god_ would put me through that?"

"I'm very sorry that you've had a rough life, but the fact that you're alive is important. Besides, you can be of great help…" He raised his eyebrow and sighed quietly.

"It hurts to breathe, you know."

"I know, but that pain will go away. I just need to know…what was it that happened last night? What did you see?"

"What did I see? Big muscular man with a scar on his cheek and chin slashing my bodyguards." Marissa felt a chill run down her spine and slowly looked to Robert. Picturing Bana wasn't easy for her, but she needed to know _everything._

"Your bodyguards may have saved your life, Nevel."

"Yeah…" He sniffed and closed his eyes. Marissa watched as his hands slowly clenched up and the anger started welling up on his face. "If I tell you everything that happened. Will it help you put that man away?"

"Yes. Greatly."

"Okay…"

* * *

So Nevel, in all his pain, miraculously surviving, is of some help. Start of an investigation I suppose, what do you make of the chapter?


	182. Sasha's Announcement

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

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Chapter 182 (Sasha's Announcement)

The next day, everyone was gathered up in the kitchen while Freddie was in the living room with the phone to his ear. He was talking to Sam, wishing her a Merry Christmas. She'd informed him of Tyrone's appearance, which scared him remarkably, but when she told him not to worry about it, he calmed down a bit. His views on Tyrone were mixed in with confusion, considering the things he'd been discovering recently. "So, Uncle Morris pretty much kicked him out? You didn't have any more trouble from him?"

"No, once Uncle Morris had his fill, Tyrone stayed away. I don't know if he'll come around when I get back home, but he seemed like he was pretty confused. You know, a part of me actually felt sorry for him." Freddie raised his eyebrow and tried to imagine feeling sorry for the guy. Then again, after reading the journals, there was plenty to pity Tyrone for. "I mean, the whole thing he's hung up about is losing Angeline and finding out how he was born. I think he's also afraid to contact his mother's family…if he even could." Freddie felt his heart sink momentarily and blew a strong breath of air.

"The only one left is Aunt Era, Drita's sister. Grandpa's aunt." He thought perhaps Era should really sit Tyrone down and have a talk with him. However, it would probably be a difficult thing to do. They'd have to sift through the pride he had. Freddie glanced over and saw Carly leaning against the frame of the arch, listening with a smile, she really did want to talk to Sam. "Carly's in the room, want me to put you on speaker?"

"Sure!"

"All right." He clicked the speaker button and Carly moved over to the couch. As she sat down, she chimed her greeting to Sam. Freddie set the phone on the coffee table and leaned back in the couch. "Well you're not too late Carly, we were just talking about how Tyrone decided to pay Sam's family a Christmas visit yesterday…" Carly's face fell flat and her eyes narrowed.

"What? Seriously? Granddad actually did that? Why?"

"He knows Sam's my future spouse…" She turned sheet white as Freddie glanced at the phone with almost a glint of nonchalance. "My fault too, go figure. Tyrone overheard me talking to Melanie on the phone and I guess I slipped up and he put two and two together."

"He tried to convince Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie to not let me go through with the arranged marriage, saying that there wasn't any validity that what we felt was 'love'. I don't even know that he believes in the whole thing." Freddie looked over to Carly and saw her with her eyes closed and a great upset on her face. The fact that Tyrone took the time to seek out Sam was disturbing to her.

"This feeling I have…is this what you two dealt with?" Freddie raised his eyebrow and Sam questioned Carly's words. Carly took a deep breath and sighed. "I mean, what if he…what if he took you away, Sam? I don't want to lose you, you're my best friend, we're like sisters!"

"You'll never lose me, Carly."

"I know, it's just…I think I'm really seeing my granddad's arrogance for the first time…" Freddie closed his eyes and felt his heart mourn for her, he never wanted her to feel like her own grandfather was an asshole. Though, she was starting to see what both Robert and Spencer saw, his manipulative and controlling ways. It was hard, but yet a good thing. He moved his hand over to her and pat her knee.

"Carly. He could very well be a decent man if he ever got his head out of his ass. I don't mean that to sound cruel or heartless, but it's the truth."

"I know. It's just…you guys have had all this time, all this preparation, you've gradually come across things that have happened, but me? I'm just getting bombarded all at once!" She threw her hands into the air and shook her head. "I don't want to have to deal with this. It's all too much. I know I _have_ to deal, but it's difficult. Anyway, it's Christmas day! Let's focus on the good things! How was the nativity scene last night, Sam?"

"Oh that? It was great actually. Although, we had a blonde Mary." Sam snickered and Freddie's eyebrows rose. He did find that unusual, as most often Mary had brown hair. "The young Joseph was _adorable!_ Then baby Jesus, baby Jesus was perfect. You should have been there to see it! The church really did put on a great performance."

"I know! It all sounds amazing!"

"I did manage to take a video! Well, actually Aunt Madeline took the video, but _still_, we have a video to watch!" Freddie chuckled nervously and moved his hands behind his head. He could see where this was going, Sam and Carly were about to dominate the phone as usual. So, he closed his eyes and exhaled, letting the girls continue on with their conversation.

After a while, Sasha came in the room and clapped her hands together, grabbing everyone's attention. Arian, Marissa, Robert, Spencer, and Griffin made their way into the living room. Spencer put his arm around Sasha's waist and kissed her lips. Freddie's eyebrow arched as Griffin dropped on the couch next to Carly and put his arm around her shoulders. Marissa and Robert stood next to the tree in the corner of the room and watched as Sasha's lips continued to curl upwards.

Freddie coughed his suspicion and sat forward, meeting Spencer's eyes with growing curiosity. "Hey Spencer, what's going on?" Spencer shrugged his response and looked over at his wife's sly smile.

"I don't know, Sasha says she has an announcement for everyone and wants everyone in the room so she can tell us before we start working on the presents."

"All right, so what's the news? I hope you don't mind that Sam's on speaker right now…" Sasha clasped her hands together and shook her head, still grinning from ear to ear.

"Of course not, she's a part of this family, after all!" Sam chuckled once and spoke up.

"You got that right! Now what's the news? I'm eager to hear!" Even Arian was interested, he had a peculiar gleam in his eye, as if he knew what this news was going to be. He was with Marissa this Christmas, as the last Christmas he'd spent with his daughter Jennifer and her two children. Freddie turned his eyes to his grandfather and thought up a joke.

"Hey grandpa, what would you do if she ended up saying she was pregnant?" Arian grinned from ear to ear and folded his arms over. His daughter's oldest child was born in 1980 and was never married, so with that being said, Spencer was the closest grandchild to giving him his first great grandchild. "You'd finally get that great grandchild you want so badly, wouldn't you?"

"Well, I suppose I would." He turned his attention back to Sasha, who was giving Freddie a glare of death in that instant. Freddie curled back and chuckled nervously as Arian rolled his hand in the air. "Carry on, dear."

"Thank you Grandpa." Sasha cleared her throat and closed her eyes. "Now if my dearest brother-in-law will kindly let me talk, I'd be happy to reveal my announcement!" Sam and Carly laughed while Freddie blushed from embarrassment. "I have my way of giving this announcement...There is no easy way to say this, but at the same time, there's no hard way of saying this."

"What? Saying what?" Sasha smiled and turned around to the tree as the air filled with silence. The family followed her gaze to the presents under the tree. Truly, one could count the number of presents on two hands, give or take a couple extra gifts.

"Spencer, how many presents are under the tree?" His eyebrows rose. He sighed and counted off the gifts in his head.

"Ten or Twelve…"

"Okay, well next year, we're going to have to double that amount." Spencer started to respond, but paused as he contemplated her words. Her lips curled into a smirk as she rested her hands on her abdomen. "You know. For the baby…" His eyes grew wide and Sam's gasp rang out from the phone. Freddie nearly fell off the couch, shocked that his joke had actually been _correct!_ Arian's eyes lit up and Marissa's eyes glazed over with joy. Robert grinned and Spencer struggled to react. "Spencer? Are you okay?"

"B-B-Baby? Sasha, you're…"

"I'm pregnant, Spencer. I found out a little over a month ago. I took a test and the doctor confirmed it." Spencer put his hands on her waist, as if trying to steady himself. He gazed into her wide, misty eyes and his lips formed that goofy grin that hadn't been on his face in so long.

"Is it true? Is it really happening? I'm going to be a father?" Sasha lifted her hand and wiped her eyes.

"Yes, the baby is due sometime in the last week of May or the first week of June."

"Oh my god…Yes!" Spencer jumped for joy and exclaimed his triumph. Freddie winced and smiled as he watched his brother running around the room. "I'm going to be a father!" He ran towards the front door and opened it up, shouting out to the street. "You hear that world? I'm going to be a dad! Top that!"

Sam was busy fawning over the phone and calling her family over to tell them the news. A feeling of elation struck Freddie as he looked over to Sasha's abdomen. He smiled and folded his arms over as the realization dawned on him. "I'm going to be an Uncle…" Tears streamed Carly's eyes and she resisted the urge to jump and cheer.

"Aunt Carly? It has such a beautiful ring to it!" Even Arian had to have his say as he moved his fist slightly in the air, giving a miniature fist bump. Marissa and Robert were hugging each other close. Sure, forty-five was young to be grandparents, but they didn't care. This was truly the _best_ Christmas that any of them could imagine! The joy and bliss of this announcement instantly washed away any thoughts of the past few days.

"Can this Christmas get any better?"

"The only way it could get any better is if you and Sam got married today." Freddie laughed heartily and Sam stammered a bit, caught off guard by Carly's statement. With that, Spencer ran back through the room and embraced Sasha, kissing her passionately. When he pulled away, she had a dazed expression on her face. Spencer laughed and took her hand, raising her arm up.

"The mother of my child! Merry Christmas everyone!"

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Amazing news! I hope you enjoyed the chapter


	183. Carly Versus Tyrone

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 183 (Carly Versus Tyrone)

The next day, Carly slipped out of the house and made her way to her granddad's home. Her eyes were narrow and her lips were flat and muscles tense. She had been thinking about how both her dad and brother had stepped up against him and how her mom and Freddie had clearly done the same. She would never have done it before, but today, she was out for blood. All the feelings and emotions she felt had been stewing for days and now were about to boil over.

Once she made it to his home, she stood in front of his door, breathing heavily for about a minute. When she told Griffin what she was doing, he offered to be with him, but she turned down his offer. She hadn't told Sam or Freddie, because she didn't want them to think she was going to fall under Tyrone's manipulative thumb again. She wanted zero assistance, she wanted answers. Her stomach clenched and her hands trembled. Her throat clenched up and she slowly rose her confident, yet nervous, hand.

After she mustered the strength to knock, she waited. When he didn't answer, she leaned back and looked to the driveway. The garage door was open and his car was inside, so he had to be home. When she tried the doorknob, the door cracked open. With an instant, fear pulsed into her veins. Was he okay? Bana hadn't found him, had he? Why _would_ he go after Tyrone, though? She immediately shook away the fear and moved inside the home. She eyed her surroundings and instantly spotted the single, small Christmas Tree in the corner of the room. For some reason, she was not surprised to see that he'd spent the holidays alone.

"Granddad?" There was an ominous silence in the air, tension as thick as a brick. As she walked through the living room, calling out his name, she questioned why he wasn't answering. Her body began quivering and her heart started to race as a drop of sweat slid down her neck. When she entered the kitchen, she could hear the washer and dryer going, finally a sign of life. On the kitchen counter was a fresh pot of coffee and on the kitchen table, a mug of that same steaming fluid rested at the far end of the table. "Okay, maybe it's just me being paranoid, then…" She inhaled and took her seat at the table, waiting patiently as the washer and dryer in the laundry room continued to run.

"Carly?" She lifted her head and turned her eyes back to see her grandfather walking into the room. He looked surprised to see her. "What are you doing here? I would have thought Marissa and Robert might have forced you to stay away…" She rolled her eyes and scoffed, quickly turning her head away from him.

"Did you always have a habit of saying he wrong stuff, Grandpa?" She folded her arms and watched from the corner of her eyes as he made his way to his seat in front of the coffee. "Inquiring minds want to know…"

"No, as a matter of fact, I don't always make a habit of it."

"It just happens?" She glared into his eyes as he slowly put his hands around his coffee cup. She didn't mean to sound cranky or harsh, but was it her fault that he opened up with the statement that he did? "I'm starting to see how you try to manipulate people, Granddad. So, how can you come right out and accuse mom and dad of doing the same?" He raised an eyebrow and exhaled his exhaustions. "I heard what you did, going over to Sam's and trying to tell her family not to go through with the marriage. Since when has it become _your_ business?" His jaw fell and his hands slipped down the cup.

"When did you find out about the two? Why did you not come to me? I wouldn't have had to do some of the stuff that I wound up doing…"

"No, you're not turning this onto me, Granddad. Besides, I didn't find out until you hired Shane to feel up Sam!" Tyrone gasped as she rose from her seat and slammed her palms on the table. She lifted her dominant hand up and pointed her index finger at him with a rising, accusing tone. "I'm on to you, granddad. You can't control me any longer! For the record, no, Mom and Dad aren't making me do anything. Oh, and yes, I'm calling her my mother. Unlike my real mom, who was a stuck up bitch, but I should thank you for putting her and dad together. If you hadn't done that, I would never have been born!" He winced and his expression showed the hurt in that statement. "Tell me what right you have to try and separate my two best friends from each other! What right do you have to force away people who are in love? Did something bad happen to you, to the point that you can't stand to see other people _happy_?"

"Carly, please sit down." He didn't want to try and control her anymore, he knew it only ended badly if he tried. "I'm not forcing anything. Not anymore. After the past few days, I'm just…I guess I'm lost. I don't know. You're not the only one dealing with stuff going in your life, Carly." She scoffed and threw her hair over her shoulder.

"That's kind of hypocritical of you to say, considering everyone _else_ had problems while you just whittled away and became one of them." He lifted his eyes skyward and brought his coffee cup to his lips. "Is there anything you have to say to me, Grandpa? Do you want me to turn against my family? Do you want me to not participate in the culture? Well? What is it?"

"I'm your family too…for the record."

"I don't know. They're your family too, but you're too stuck up to realize it."

"I am not! I know damn well that they're my family! At least, I know _now_. What do you think I've been mulling over?"

"All these years, all you wanted was to tear Freddie and Sam apart. Now that you know, you're _still_ at it!" Tyrone started to respond, but it came out in a stammer. What was he to say to counter that? For the most part, it seemed true. "You took three hours of your time to go to Sam's family and bug them on Christmas _Eve_ about everything…"

"I just wanted to _talk_ to them. It's not like I was trying to take her from them."

"Oh, cause you wouldn't be that stupid, right?"

He growled and smacked his hand on the table, rising up in a fit of anger. "Damn it Carly, I _do_ care!" She recoiled briefly as his tone of voice hit her hard. "I'm not a heartless fool, Carly! I'm still, have always been, a family man!"

"Yeah, and you've done a great job of showing it." He frowned. She shook her head and smacked the back of her hand down onto her palm. "If you were such a family man, then maybe you should prove it. Until then, I don't think controlling what your family does and trying to tear a family apart counts for anything." She lowered her arms and clenched her fists tightly. "I know more about family than you would _ever_ know, Grandpa."

"You're only sixteen…"

"So what!" She was losing control of her temper. Emotions were burning her and gripping her, pain was stabbing at her. Tears stung her eyes and her muscles tensed. "I know the difference between _love_ and fake. Fake was my boyfriend who went to LA and left me _pregnant!_" Tyrone froze and turned his head sharply to her, paling immensely. She breathed heavily and let a tear run to her chin.

"Carly…You were…"

"Yes! Okay? I was pregnant, but I _miscarried_. I had a goddamn miscarriage and the man who left me pregnant left me to be with his girlfriend in L.A." Carly pointed her finger at the door as her voice continued to rise up. "So I know what mom went through when you took Spencer away from her! I know what it feels like to lose your baby, but I'll never know what it feels like to get it _back_. It's also the same thing your mother went through! Grandpa Arian's aunt, Drita, she lost you…and look at what you've done! You've tried to tear her family apart! Do you think you're_ better _than that Lionel or Bana? Do you? Well you're not much better! Not that I've seen, not that _any_ of us have seen! You're just an ignorant old man who doesn't know a damn thing about emotions. I can't believe I didn't see that before…"

Tyrone looked at her red, angry face and swallowed hard. He would normally respond, react, but her words had already battered him like a ton of bricks. He bowed his head. Carly's chest rose and fell rapidly, her heart raced and her muscles felt as though they were being scorched with fire.

"Granddad, you don't control me anymore. Do you understand? Sure, I was the last person you _had_, but now it's over." He gasped and looked back up at her, his eyes were wide and quivering. "When Sam told me you'd gone over there, when I learned about everything you'd done, that was it…the only good thing I can see about you is you're not as bad off as your two cousins are. However, I see what Grandma saw in you, a bunch of resentment and anger that you'd take out on other people. You wouldn't _dare_ solve anything on your own! Now you have control of some small gang against arranged marriage, that same group of people have murdered in your name, they've terrorized mom's family, and you've done _nothing_ to stop them. I thought you were a good person, I believed in you, but now…now I don't even know if I know who you are."

He turned his head down as she stared at him for a minute, contemplating her next move. She hadn't come to yell at him, she really didn't. She just wanted to talk, she wanted to know why things were the way they were, but she'd lost control. "I understand…I can understand if you don't want anything to do with me. I'm really sorry about that miscarriage you had. Are you doing well after all that?" She softened herself a bit and lowered her arms, sighing quietly.

"I'm dating someone now, and we _are_ in love. Mom and Dad are going to consider him as my groom." Tyrone smiled slightly as he spotted the gleam in her eyes when she spoke of her boyfriend. "Love, Granddad, it is something that's always there. You always feel it, even if there are times where you hate the other person, you still love them. You're willing to do anything for them, it's a mutual thing. True love also knows no end, Granddad, it knows no bounds…That's why Mom and Dad, after thirty years, are getting married. They never stopped caring, never stopped loving each other. Sure, in the last few years, they fought, but they loved each other."

"And you? Freddie, Sam?" She moved her eyes down and breathed in.

"Spencer risked _everything_, went back to law school because of Sasha. She's made him a better person, and her him. Freddie brought Sam's family back together, she went through years of secrecy for him, they've protected each other. Then finally…" She closed her eyes and allowed a tear to flee her left eye. "Griffin didn't leave me when he found out I had been pregnant and miscarried…Even through all that I've gone through and all I'm going to go through, he's _still_ with me. He _knows_ what being in a relationship with me means…and he's not leaving me…"

"So then…you're all in love…"

"Yes. Even Jonah and Valerie, they're sacrificing _so much_. Your gang member could have completely destroyed Valerie if he actually did encounter _Jonah_, not Jake. You'd have to live with that. You'd have to live with killing someone who means so much to Freddie and Sam. I don't think you quite understand..."

"No, I think I do, it's just…"

"Whatever…" She shook her head and turned away from him. Her chest was aching and her body felt like someone was stabbing a million tiny needles into her. "I'm leaving now. I didn't even want to fight with you. I'm sorry, Granddad…Just know that I do love you, but…I guess until you get some sense knocked into you, I'm not dealing with you…"

"Carly…" A flashback of Angeline leaving him nearly floored him. She'd said those exact words to him before he left, but he never really understood them. A soft whimper left his lips as Carly walked to the door and glanced over her shoulder at him.

"By the way, Granddad…Sasha's pregnant." His eyes widened and her eyes moved to the floor. "She announced it yesterday. Her due date is in June." Once she left the home, he let a single tear fall from his eye. It was all over now. He may have just lost the last connection he had. Then, he was also a great grandfather, something he always wanted. He ran Carly's words through his head and made his way to his couch, dragging his feet. With a heavy, disheartened sigh, he fell back onto his couch. As he looked back on his _golden years_, he had to wonder what it was he was doing. These were times he should be embracing family, and here he was, tearing family apart because of something that happened ages ago.

* * *

Well, that was rather intense of a chapter, it finally happened, Carly went head to head against Tyrone. Well, lets see if he'll ever come around or not.


	184. Thirty Years of Longing

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 184 (End Thirty Years of Longing)

January 1st was here, Robert's heart was racing as he stood at the altar overlooking a beautiful lake, surrounded by hills and evergreens, along with mountains that were shaded perfectly in the gorgeous sunset. The sunset was supposed to be symbolic for the end of an old life apart. From now on, the skies would be blue and everything would come up roses. It only took thirty years to reach this point. It had been a long time coming, too long. The gentle breeze blew on his hair, which was skillfully tucked inside his military hat. He bore his Air Force uniform with pride.

He was currently on his own with the minister standing at the white podium in front of him. His best man and two groomsmen were not coming yet, they would walk out when the wedding began. He turned his eyes to the many guests that were seated in the white chairs encompassing the grassy hill that overlooked the beautiful scenery. His eyes were filled with anxiety. He hadn't seen Marissa all day, considering the typical rule of not seeing brides before the wedding.

Angeline was the first person he spotted, she was sitting in the Groom's mother's spot. Next to her was his birth mother. Both women were teary eyed and were attempting to dry their eyes with white lace handkerchiefs. His mom had asked about Tyrone, but to Robert's disdain, he had to tell her the man wasn't allowed at the wedding. He had been astonished when he saw the discouraging look in her eyes. Then, he wasn't surprised to know that she _did_ have _some_ feelings left over for Tyrone. Even after all these years. She had confessed to him that while she seemed hard against him, and it was for good reason, she really did yearn for the man she _did_ love. That was the man who left when Tyrone got the news of his birth and how angry and distant he had become.

Robert shook the thoughts from his mind and gazed at the aisle. Was he scared? Was he nervous? Perhaps the rumbling, yet empty stomach could answer that for him, or even the slightly clammy hands. He wanted this day to last forever, but at the same time, to hurry the hell up. If this wedding didn't start up soon, he was afraid he pass out from the anxiety!

How long had he been standing there for? Five minutes? A whole hour, or maybe even a lifetime? No. A lifetime had been the amount of time he spent without her. Could anyone see him sweating? He swore he wouldn't let his emotions get the better of him. It was times like this, he did want a father to talk to, to tell him what to expect. Maybe he shouldn't have banned Tyrone from the wedding, but he couldn't allow someone so arrogant to be involved!

Police guards were _everywhere_. What was one to do when they were marrying the assistant chief of police, anyway? Chances were likely that _nothing_ was going to disrupt this wedding. He could just picture his father running down the aisle, declaring that the wedding must be called off. With as many cops as there were, there was no chance in hell of that happening. Emily had decided that she wasn't going to charge Tyrone for anything, nor ever arrest him, for the simple fact that there was another man who had done the things that she always thought he'd done. It was very confusing for her and she just wanted to see what the hell was going on before she made any snap decisions. In Robert's mind, this meant Robert just got a free pass. It was before that she wouldn't arrest the man as long as he never took Carly away, but now she _could_ if she wanted to.

Again he had to pull his thoughts away from his father. The music began playing and Jonah's voice rang out through the air. Jonah, Griffin, and Gibby were performing as the wedding musicians. Freddie and Carly were a part of the wedding, so they couldn't be a part of the band for this performance. They were playing and singing a slow love song, to which Robert quickly snapped his attention to the aisle. He smiled and removed his hat, holding it at his waist with both hands. Thinking fast, he groomed his hat hair and returned his hand to his hat visor.

As the song continued, the groomsmen, bridesmaid, Best Man and Matron of Honor were to walk in order of importance of the wedding. Before them, however, Marissa's niece, Stephanie, came walking down the aisle. She was in a bright yellow dress and was doing her best to laden the ground with flowers from her bucket. After her came the groomsmen and bridesmaid. First was Carly and Griffin, walking arm and arm with one another. Carly had a white strapless dress and some light frills at the bottom towards her ankles. Her hair was up in a bun and adorned with specks of white flowers. Behind them came Sam and Freddie, dressed up very similarly. Once they made it to the altar, they gave each other a smile and walked to their respective positions. Once there, they straightened their shoulders and kept their smiles on their faces.

Next up was Spencer and Sasha. Spencer had the ring for Robert to put on Marissa's finger while Sasha held the ring for Marissa. They were arm and arm, and beaming with joy. Sasha had on a beautiful dress filled with lace and frills. She had lace shoulders and white arm warmers pulled up to her elbows. Her dress looked the closest to the bride's.

As the music shifted and Jonah began to sing another song, the guests rose to their feet. Robert felt the air in his lungs rush out right as his eyes fell upon Marissa. She was wearing a slightly similar dress as Sasha, but it was more adorned with lace decorations, flowers, and had a much longer tail. Behind her were two girls provided by the minister's church, holding up the tail so it didn't drag. Next to Marissa, arm and arm, was Arian, grinning with pride.

He struggled to find his air. If this was a dream, he didn't want to wake up. Every step she took, she seemed to be further away. That aisle must have been miles long! When they finally reached the altar, the minister spoke his first words. "Who gives away the bride?" Arian smiled and met the minister's eyes.

"Arian Davidson, the father." Arian led Marissa's hand to Robert's and shook his other hand. "Take care of her." Robert nodded and looked into Marissa's misty eyes as Arian walked to his seat. The minister smiled at the two and looked out among the guests. Jonah's song soon ended, and he lowered his microphone to his waist. The band were to remain where they were, as they would be needed right after the talking was done.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are here today to celebrate the matrimony and union of Colonel Robert Benson and Marissa Davidson-Benson." They wanted to avoid confusion, but the guests knew that Robert had been the brother of John Benson, biologically. "It is customary for the brother of a widow's husband, in Hindu culture, to marry his brother's wife. For Robert and Marissa, this is not quite the case of that fact. After thirty years apart, they have found each other and have decided to share the rest of their lives together. If there is anyone here who does not believe these two are meant to be together, please speak now or forever hold your peace."

Nobody spoke a word. The silence was like music to his ears. The minister took note and smiled pleasantly as he opened his bible. Robert, Marissa, and the others turned to the minister and waited calmly. "Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and it is not arrogant, love does not act unbecomingly, it does not seek its own, love is not provoked, does not take into account wrong suffering. Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; love bears all things, believes all thigns, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails this is the way the bible says you are to love your bride, and if you will do that, it will bring more joy and happiness into your life than any other relationship you will ever have in the future."

Robert nodded to the minister and felt Marissa gently squeeze his hand. He wasn't sweating so much now that he had her next to him. A sense of peace overcame him as the minister turned to Marissa. "As his bride, you must love him at all times, follow the words the Bible speaks. Together, you two will walk the roads of life and endure all together. This bond that will be formed on this day will be the greatest bond that could ever be formed and it will be an inseparable bond."

Marissa and Robert nodded their heads and listened to the women in the guests sobbing. Arian was perhaps happy nobody was using his sleeve as a tissue. "Now. As you two have expressed a desire to be united after all this time. You have come before God and requested to be joined in holy matrimony…I am going to ask you to take up a vow." He turned to Robert and locked his eyes with him. "Do you, Robert, take your bride to be your lawfully wedded wife, and do you promise before these witnesses, to love her; to comfort her; honor and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her so long as you both shall live? Do you promise?"

There was no hesitation in his response, only a calm and confident answer leaving his lips, ending thirty years of loneliness. Only two words were uttered, two very powerful and impacting words. "I do." The minster smiled and turned to Marissa.

"And do you take your groom to be your lawfully wedded husband, and do you promise to before these witnesses, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him so long as you both shall live? Do you so promise?"

"I do." Robert's heart swelled up with those words, bringing tears to his eyes. He quickly wiped them away, not wanting anyone to see him crying. The minister and Marissa smiled at him. He flinched for a split second, but was lightened by the bright smile coming from his bride.

"Let us exchange the rings and speak your vows." Robert nodded as Spencer handed him the ring. The happy couple turned to each other and he held the ring to her hand and kept his eyes with hers.

"Marissa, I have longed for this moment for thirty years, never have you left my thoughts. True love is never fleeting, and I believe that we were meant for one another. On this day, I'm more than happy to call you mine and to have you by my side for the rest of our lives. There has never been anyone in this world that I have cared for more than I have you. I love you, I love seeing you walk in the room and brighten everything in sight." Marissa sniffed and brought her other hand to her eyes, wiping away a tear. Robert took a deep breath and released it. "With this ring, I finalize three decades of waiting and unite us together as one. Everything we have together, our souls, our love, our worldly and spiritual possessions, all unite and become one. This is a symbol of my promise to you, my promise to love, to have and hold, to cherish, to be everything you could ever hope for…Amen." Marissa gasped joyously as he pushed the ring onto her finger.

The minister turned to her and gave her a smile as Sasha handed her the ring. "Marissa, please speak your vows." She took the ring and held it to Robert's ring finger.

"This ring symbolizes all that I have, all that I hold, and an end to thirty years of waiting. With all my heart, I love you and I promise to cherish, to love, to be everything you could ever want. There is nobody else in this world that I would want to join my heart with than I would want to join it with you. When this ring slides onto your finger, remember my promises and know my love for you is true and forever." She pushed the ring onto his finger. It was heavy with meaning, but light on his finger. Finally he felt truly whole, no longer would they be apart. The minister smiled as they turned to him.

"Now, you two have agreed to this journey together, with the symbols of your union on your hands and your hearts locked together, hereby pronounce you husband and wife. Robert, if you will remove Marissa's veil, you may kiss your bride." He turned to her and looked into her eyes. As he lifted his hands to her veil and pulled it up off her face and rested it on her head he was drawn in by her wondrous eyes. She moved her hands around his neck and moved closer to him, letting him reach down and kiss her lips.

When the two parted and turned towards their guests, holding each other's hand, the minister spoke up one final time. "Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, I give you Mr. and Mrs. Robert Benson." The guests stood and started applauding for them as the band kicked into gear and started singing a new wedding song. The newlyweds smiled at each other and squeezed their hands together. Now that the ceremony was out of the way, they just had the reception, then the rest of their lives. The day could not be any more perfect than it was at this point.

* * *

Oh beautiful day, finally they are wed.


	185. Vulnerability

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 185 (Vulnerability)

Tyrone's heart fluttered about in his chest and his feet felt as though they were on air. It was times like these, he was grateful for Nora, she managed to get him to see his son's wedding without being caught. It certainly explained how she managed to get around places unseen. There had been a small cabin nearby that was no longer in use, they hid in there before the cops initially opened the place up for the wedding, which meant, they were there before anybody at all had been there. A day's wait was a long one.

When they hid in the cabin, Tyrone kept a lookout while Nora kept perfect vantage points. She also wanted to keep a lookout for Bana, but she knew it would be way too much trouble for him. All the cops would keep him from appearing anywhere. Nora had also set up microphones everywhere around the area, so it had been just like they were right there where the guests all were. She even had a great set of binoculars for him to use. When the wedding had begun, officers had arrived to investigate the premises, but they never bothered to check the cabin.

When he looked through those binoculars and listened through the radio Nora had, it shocked him to see the expression on his son's face. Of course, before that, he'd heard Robert talking with Angeline about _him_, and that had his heart going a mile a minute. More importantly was the emotion of the wedding, the finality on the faces of Robert and Marissa, and the security of their hearts. If love existed, was that what it was? The two of them had appeared so confident, so sure, so relieved, and so very in love.

When he'd seen the Best Man, Matron of Honor, Groomsmen, and Bridesmaids all walk down the aisle, they too had the same basic expressions. _Love_. He didn't want to believe it, he couldn't possibly fathom it, but there it was right in front of him. He'd thought heavily on Carly's words the past few weeks, how could Robert and Marissa be marrying after thirty years if they _weren't_ in love? During that time, he'd been so fixated on the wedding that he never paid any attention to where Nora was. Not that it mattered, she'd been napping on a dusty old mattress they'd found tucked away in a corner.

He turned his gaze over to the mattress and raised his eyebrow, Nora was still lying on it, albeit reading a book now. "I cannot believe you actually slept on that thing, and you're _still_ on it!" She looked up at him and shrugged.

"What can I say? There wasn't anything else comfortable around. Besides, I'm used to dusty old shit. Where do you think I've been staying since my mother died?" His eyebrows rose. He'd always been curious about that, his thinking was she lived in that damn cemetery they met in.

"You're a very mysterious person."

"Yep, and I'd like to keep it that way too." He lifted his eyebrow and lowered the binoculars to his midsection. She rarely talked about herself, her past, what her plans were for the future, so he felt she was doing a damn good job of being mysterious. She hopped off the mattress and moved over to the window, gazing at the wedding guests moving over to a larger building. "The wedding reception…If you lay low, you could probably get in there." He frowned and turned his eyes to the guests.

"Yeah, maybe, but I'm not sure if I want to risk that."

"What? You don't have anyone you want to see?" His heart sank as he eyed the blonde haired woman standing next to Veronica on the groom's side. With drooping eyes, he turned away from the window and scoffed.

"Like who? There's no one there that interests me in the slightest bit." He tossed his binoculars onto the bed as Nora pushed away from the window and moved past him.

"Liar." One word, stabbing him like a serrated blade. What did she know? She was just a teenage girl, there was no way she could see past _him_. Then again, she did seem pretty knowledgeable about the way the world works. She had to be, with all that she dealt with. "You're a horrible liar, Tyrone. You may have a wall up, but you still wear your emotions on your sleeve. Your breathing slows down and you start zoning out, that's how I can tell you're lying. You're a very expressive person." He rolled his eyes and watched her move over to the door. "Anyway, if you can lay low, not be seen, and get her alone, I'm sure you can talk to your ex." The corner of his lip twitched as he immediately pushed down the rising hope inside of him.

"You're nuts. Even if I _could_ get past the some thirty or so officers surrounding the place and slip past all the party guests who could _easily_ recognize me and find Angeline alone, she could easily sound the alarm that I'm in!"

Nora sighed heavily and stared at him with a slightly cold expression. He felt the shivers down his spine and remained quiet as she continued to watch him. "Tyrone...A wedding is a highly emotional time, it brings out joy, love, excitement, thrills, and at the same time, vulnerabilities. It's packed with more emotion than even a _funeral_ at times. Chances are, if she still harbors any kind of emotion towards you, she's not going to 'sound the alarm'." He sighed and looked away, trying not to give away his impatience and frustration.

"Well if you have any plans, then tell me what they are, because I highly doubt there's any way to get in there." She smirked and tilted her head to the side.

"Trust me."

Inside the hotel on the premises, Angeline had taken a step away from the reception downstairs. She was in her room, the door was unlocked and open, she only expected to be in there for a few seconds. Down below, the guests were being entertained by the band, having a fantastic time. The majority of the guests didn't hear what she happened to overhear, apparently Bana Shay was spotted on the grounds, so every officer was out looking for him. She wasn't afraid of that, since it really meant nothing to her. If he was truly there, then the police would take care of it. No one wanted to ruin the wedding, though.

She was busying herself with her purse at the small table in front of the window. When she lifted her head and gazed out, she was drawn in by the breathtaking view of the large lake, rolling hills, and mountains. Her lips curled into a smile as she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. When she heard the door behind her close, she gasped and turned around, her heart racing. Her eyes grew wide when she spotted _Tyrone_, of all people.

"Tyrone! What are you doing here?" He had a hand on the door and lifted his other hand up when she started to reach into her purse for some sort of defensive item.

"Hold on! I just wanted to see you…" Sweat beads were dripping from his forehead and his chest was heaving heavily. It sparked her curiosity.

"How the hell did you get in here? Bana isn't really out there, is he?"

"Truthfully? No. His daughter helped me get in by finding the guards and saying that he was. He's nowhere to be found. I got in by…sneaking through the building." He lowered his hands to the sides and watched as Angeline tapped her chin. "I just wanted to see you, to talk to you…it's been a long time…"

"All that crap just for me? Sneaky and impressive…but since when do you give a shit about me? You told our son that I was dead."

"I know, and I was wrong to do that, it's just…I don't know what I was thinking back then. My father told me the truth of all the lies and everything just…nothing mattered to me anymore."

"The past is past, but what's present is still happening. I have nothing to say to you." He winced as she grabbed her purse and started walking towards him, stopping halfway. "There was the man I loved before, the one that I married, I wouldn't mind talking to _him._ You, however, I have nothing to say to."

"Angel…" He looked at her apologetically and felt his heart tearing apart inside.

"No. That's not going to work. You're still arrogant, still hot tempered, still angry, still trying to rip apart the family…that's from the stuff _I've_ heard. You've caused a lot of people a lot of pain, I don't think you've realized that yet."

"I have! I-"

"Just shut up…" His throat gripped him as she continued her walk. Her eyes remained mixed with his, but they were filled with detectable sorrow. "You think you can just waltz right back into my life and expect me to take you back? I'm sorry, but it doesn't work like that. Maybe it was meant to work like that with our son and Marissa, but for me, it's going to take a lot more than just 'sorry'. I think that's _everyone's_ thinking right there. Is that gang you formed back in 1980, out of your ignorant anger, crusade against _love_ or whatever it was, still around?"

"Uh…"

"The truth, Tyrone. No lies."

"I wouldn't lie to you…"

"That's one thing you never did. You've never lied to _me_. You've lied to our son, to just about everyone. Why is that?"

"Because I…" He loved her back then, perhaps he still loved her. He cherished her as well. "I never meant to lie to Robert. I loved him, I still do, he's my son…even if he's adopted, he's still my son, by all means."

"Yeah, I know. What about me, why are you even here right now?"

"I…" She stared at him, waiting for an answer. She knew well that his gang was still around, she knew he probably still had some anger left in him. At least, from what she had been hearing, but she didn't know a whole lot. She took a deep breath and brought her hand to his chest.

"You can't say it now because you either don't believe it or you're afraid...I don't know, but I can tell you one thing. How I feel doesn't matter. I want to know the man who supported Robert and Marissa thirty years ago, before that fucked up father of yours decided to destroy him. The man you used to be. Who you are now is nothing. You are nobody to me right now, Tyrone…I'm sorry. I can't feel anything for a man who would willingly destroy his own family instead of helping them."

With that, her hand slid away from him and she left her room. His body shook and his hand moved up to his chest, closing up firmly as tears came to his eyes. His heart was splitting in two. He hadn't expected her to talk to him or to take him back, but he hoped maybe there was _something_ there. Remembering the look in her eyes, he saw a flash of hope, so maybe there was. What could be done, though? What could he do to win her back?

As he thought on what he could do, he wiped his eyes and stared out the window at the perfect view. A smile came to his lips as he recalled the vivid memory of his marriage with Angeline. When they were first together, there was nothing holding them back from being happy. Their honeymoon had been in a hotel room very similar to this, with a very similar view. Back then, he would do anything for her, anything at all to make damn sure she was happy. What changed? His father? Should that have changed anything? No, not if he loved her. He never questioned his feelings for her. So very much in love and so jovial.

He walked towards the window and gripped the windowsill. He recalled the day they adopted Robert, finally a family unit. Then there was the day they met Arian and his wife, Angeline and the man's wife got along very well. Even he and Arian had become good friends.

Then it happened, Devlin told him everything about his life, everything had been a lie. He started doubting everyone he knew, everyone close to him, he began pushing people away, including his beautiful wife. It came to a point that she left him. Somehow, he won custody of Robert. After that, he started pushing everyone away.

His hands clenched and his eyes narrowed at the party below the window. There was so much joy, so much happiness. It was his own fault that he couldn't feel it. He blamed his father, but it was his own damned fault for letting his father make him question his own beliefs. Did his wife love him? Yes she did, with all her heart. To this day, she still felt something for him. To this day, he would still do anything for her.

What did she want, then? What did he have to change? His eyes widened as he spotted Marissa and Robert dancing down below. Next to them, Sam and Freddie were slow dancing as well, it was very synchronized. And there it was, staring him right in the face. All the pain he caused them over the years. Did Angeline want him to change that? Did she want him to have some kind of retribution? They all deserved happiness? Was that her point? He scoffed and turned away, crossing his arms and sitting back on the windowsill. What could he do? There was nothing. He was an old man, prideful and set in his ways, why should he change?

She wanted him to.

He didn't feel like changing.

Still her words nagged him.

_Twenty six years old, Tyrone and Angeline cuddled on their bed. Angeline was laughing and Tyrone was kissing her forehead. "I still can't believe you snuck out on your father's birthday party! I never thought you were crazy enough to do that."_

_ "Oh please, he's just my father, you're my girlfriend. You were getting bored and had a headache, reason enough to get out of there."_

_ "So? He's still your dad."_

_ "Yeah, and you're my girlfriend. When you love someone like I love you, you'll do anything for them. Even if it means running out on your father." Angeline blushed crimson and looked up into his eyes._

_ "You…love me? All my baggage back home and everything, you still love me?"_

_ "Of course."_

_ "You know my father won't take lightly to that." She spoke softly and Tyrone's eyebrows rose. He knew her old man was an abusive drunkard, constantly angry and manipulative beyond recognition. He wanted to take her away from that. "I don't know how you can love someone who has a family that could possibly kill you at the blink of an eye."_

_ "Don't ever doubt that I love you. I'd stand up to the world for you. You're my angel." Her blush deepened and she closed her eyes, cuddling closer to him. _

_ "I love you too. Always…I won't doubt it if you don't doubt it. Just promise me that you're real…you're not just saying stuff and I can trust you."_

_ "I promise, Angel. I promise."_

Tears came to his eyes as he took a step away from the window, his body trembled and his tears fell onto the ground. What the hell had he done? That memory was one of their first memories together, the first time he ever told her he loved her. He promised her the world, he would do anything for her.

A hard knocking sound jarred him into reality. He turned around and saw Angeline standing in the doorway. Her lips were pressed tight and her arms were folded across her chest. "Tyrone, you can't stay here forever. I can get you out of here without anyone saying anything or seeing anything, but you _do_ have to leave."

"Angeline, I…" His lower lip quivered and he took a slow step forward. She closed her eyes and slowly breathed in, shaking her head. She wanted to get him away as soon as possible, she just couldn't stand him still being here. It hurt.

"Just hurry it up, I need to lock my room up. You know you're on the banned list. Even though Marissa dropped everything against you and is focusing on Bana and Lionel, that doesn't mean you won't be taken in by the authorities if you're spotted here." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"I understand…Show me the way out, then."

"Follow me." He nodded and left the room, waiting as she closed the door and locked it up. He watched her, his heart longed for her.

"Uh, So Andrew and May…"

"Mom and Dad?" She turned to him and frowned. "They passed away. Dad in 2010, mom in 2011…"

"I'm sorry…"

"It's fine. Dad sobered up in his last ten to twenty years, so whatever." Her words choked him. He watched her walk away and felt a sharp, stinging pain inside his chest. She stopped and looked back to him. "Well what are you waiting for? Come on. The guests are all outside, this is your best chance for getting out of here unseen."

"Right…sorry…" He hurried over to her and chuckled nervously as she shook her head.

"Jesus…"

* * *

Well, looks like we're learning something here. Wow.


	186. Reaching LA

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 186 (Reaching LA)

The day had come for Freddie and the band to fly to L.A. He and Carly had been on their own since the wedding, considering Marissa and Robert had left for their honeymoon that day. No one heard from Tyrone, although someone _thought_ they saw him lurking about at the wedding. It was a total surprise that he hadn't done anything, if he was really there. Of course, Angeline was one to debunk that theory, saying it was impossible for him to be there.

On the plane, all couples were sitting together on the left side. Freddie and Sam were in the front two seats, with Sam sitting next to the window so she could look out. Behind them, Carly and Griffin were cuddled up together beneath a blanket that she brought along with her. She was in the window seat as well, with her head against his shoulder. Behind them sat Tasha and Gibby, Tasha also had the window seat, simply because it felt more comfortable there and Gibby didn't mind people hitting him with their luggage instead of her. Of course, Jonah was sitting directly in front of Sam and Freddie, using his laptop to talk to Valerie via the webcam. She was enthused about the wedding and hadn't had the chance to talk to all of them since then. So, this was her time to go on about how beautiful it all was.

While Sam, Valerie, and Jonah chatted, Freddie had his head turned to Griffin and Carly. His concern was that his sister would be okay in LA. She still hadn't said a word to him about going there. Sam was the one who told him that Carly was a bit messed up about the whole thing, but doing her best to ignore it and not to worry. "Carly, how are you feeling about this trip?" Carly moved her eyes to Freddie and shrugged her shoulders.

"How should I feel? I want this, I'm part of the band and I'm not going to let some stupid asshole keep me from participating. Besides, if we run into him, Griffin will take care of me. Right Griffin?" Griffin smiled as Carly wrapped her arms around his. Freddie nodded in return. As long as Carly was comfortable with going, that's what mattered. Since it seemed she was, there was no issue. "Besides, what could you do about it _now_, anyway? We're already on the plane and could land any time now. I can't imagine you could just go to the pilot or one of the stewards and tell them to turn the plane around."

"True. At least you're all right with this trip. We'll be meeting Gibby's uncle when we land." The man had driven to LA on his own, taking the instruments with him so that they could be there when the band arrived. So far, only Freddie and Jonah had seen the guy, considering they had to hand off the instruments to him. "So it's definitely no turning back then."

"Good." She crossed her arms and watched as Freddie turned back in the chair. He met Sam's eyes and moved his hand to hers. She smiled at him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze, then kissed his cheek and rubbed her head against his shoulder. He would obey the rules that Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie laid down, along with Marissa. When the band got to LA, the women and the men were to be in separate hotel rooms and there would be _no_ sexual activity to speak of.

Carly smiled at the two and looked over to Griffin, speaking quietly with him. "I'm so happy for them. It's just…it's amazing that they're together. After all these years, I just can't believe they've been together all this time, but they have. Do you think we could have kept a secret as long as they did?" He moved his head back and chuckled dryly, earning a curious look from his girlfriend. "What? You don't think we could have kept our relationship secret as long as they did?"

"Carly. Their relationship was only secret to a few people, to their entire family, it wasn't. You and I carried on a secret relationship from _everyone_, in which, someone was bound to find out." She pressed her lips together and hummed a thought. He was right, someone would have eventually figured it out. "In fact…" Griffin lifted up his hand and pointed at Freddie. "He found out on Thanksgiving." Her eyes popped out of her sockets as Freddie glanced back for a split second, smirking triumphantly. He was definitely proud to have figured out their secret. "I think he saw through the window. So right then, our secret was blown."

"Damn!" Thinking back on it, she laughed. It wasn't as though she was as discreet as she could have been about the relationship. She knew she could have done a better job of keeping it on the down low, but a part of her didn't _want_ it to be a secret. "I guess we didn't keep it a secret quite as long as you kept those little plush toys." Freddie's eyebrow rose and Griffin paled considerably.

"You _know_ I don't still have those, right? I mean, I always said a collection was worth a lot of money, and what do you know…someone bought them on Ebay for one hundred each." His lips curled into a grin as Carly's eyebrows rose in astonishment. "They're a bit as every moneymaker that I told you they were."

"Impressive…"

"I know, right? Now tell me you love me." He put his arm around her shoulder and she let out a giggle.

"I love you." Thinking fast, she reached over and kissed him passionately. Freddie slowly shook his head and turned around while Gibby groaned. It wasn't easy being _behind _a couple when they start making out.

After they landed and grabbed their luggage, they found Gibby's uncle standing next to the band's crème colored van with their band's name and logo on the sides. The name had flames growing from the letters while the logo was of a flaming bowling ball.

Everyone besides Jonah and Freddie expected Gibby's uncle to be a bit on the overweight side, but they were surprised to see an average sized, well toned, tanned man with a white cowboy hat covering his sandy brown hair. He was wearing shades and had a goatee. If they didn't know any better, they'd think he was Chad Kroeger from Nickelback waiting for them. Gibby walked up to him and turned to the others. "Guys, this is Uncle Dan." Dan smiled and the girls swooned lightly, causing their boyfriends to raise eyebrows at them. The man removed his shades, revealing piercing green eyes.

"I'm glad to meet all of you finally." He had a thick Australian accent, which surprised the others. Gibby didn't have an Australian accent, so they hadn't possibly expected Dan to have one. "I've put all your equipment in the back. Now…don't you all have a tech guy? Where is he at?" Jeremy was going to come in on another flight. Freddie sighed and folded his arms over.

"Something came up today, so Jeremy decided he'd fly in tomorrow, if at all possible."

"Okay, not a problem then. Now, I have told you all the location of the battle of the bands, correct?" The group nodded and started heading towards the car. It was surprising that while this would be a nationally acclaimed thing, it was taking place at some high school.

"Hollywood Arts, right?"

"Yes. Anyway, I've booked our rooms at the Sheraton Pasadena hotel. Women on one side of the hallway, men on the other side. Since we'll have to get up early each morning, I say ten is a good time to get some sleep. So at that time, you're to go to your room."

"Sounds like a plan."

"All right then, let's get to the school and get you guys registered." Everyone hurried into the car, a tight fit, but doable. Maybe one day, if they ever had the time, they'd upgrade to a bus.

They were very excited about everything. Once they piled into the van and got on the road, they were informed that the hotel was allowing the band to practice their music without worry.

After they were set up in their rooms, they were all ready to relax and were down in the hotel's hot tub. Carly was in the pool section, swimming away. She preferred that to the hot tub, which was a bit crowded now. Dan was up in his hotel room, getting some sleep. They needed rest before they went to sign up.

"Hey Jonah, how's the wife doing?" Freddie asked with a subtle smirk. "You were talking to her the entire way here." Jonah yawned and slowly lifted his head from the pavement. He'd been suffering a case of jet lag for a while.

"She's fine. She and her mentor won the challenge that the channel was laying out for the mentors and their apprentices."

"Cool, I'm happy for her. What did she say about this week for us?"

"Wished us the best of luck and confessed to being the one to tell her mom and dad to keep watch over Aaron. She didn't want the baby to be on the plane just yet." That was the sad fact, but Valerie was most likely in the right for her opinion there. Aaron could have his first plane flight in a few years. "I heard Dan say a local band is originating from Hollywood Arts. A group of kids, am I right?" They looked over to Gibby, whose arm was around Tasha's shoulders. He stared at the bubbles, thinking, and nodded his head.

"Yep, that's right. They're going to be good competition. Some guy named Andre is on the piano, Beck on the guitar, Robbie on drums, a girl named Jade is also on the guitar, but vocals. Lead vocals is a girl named Tori Vega." Freddie hummed and Sam began to pale. She gave Freddie a sharp nudge in the side, causing him to grunt.

"Ouch! Why, Sam?"

"Tori Vega, that's the name of the other woman! The one Steven was cheating on Carly with…" He raised an eyebrow up while the others slowly looked over to the pool, seeing Carly climbing out on the ladder. This was going to be an interesting week.

* * *

And so begins the battle of the bands. Oh, and by the way, someone will have a big secret revealed to them here, the final secret.


	187. Fun in the Pool

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 187 (Fun in the Pool)

After an hour, everyone was already swimming and playing in the larger pool, to make room for other hotel guests that wanted to use the hot tub. Tasha, Sam, and Carly had their backs against the side and were watching the boys slap each other around with the pool toys. Jonah was on the opposite side, eyeing the three boys with mild embarrassment, ignoring their every attempt to call him into the game they were playing. The girls looked at each other and Sam chuckled vainly. "Ladies and gentlemen, the men of our dreams right there." Tasha shook her head, smiling, and Carly laughed.

"Boys will be boys. Can you blame them, though? They see the pool toys and immediately they have to grab them. I'm just surprised Jonah's not getting involved."

"In the years I've known Jonah and Freddie, Jonah is usually the more serious natured one." Sam chuckled once more and smirked. "Hold on, let's see if I can't get him involved in some way." She swam over to Jonah's corner and leaned against the wall next to him. She put her elbows on the concrete and sighed as he looked over at her. "So, why are you all the way over here and not having fun with the guys? You could come talk to us girls if you wanted."

"I'd rather not, but thanks for the invite." Sam pressed her lips together and moved her eyes over to Freddie, smiling as his pool noodle hit Gibby in the back, all in good fun. "They're going nuts over there. I'd join on any other day, but right now, I'm just too exhausted." She nodded and glanced up into the air.

"It has been a long trip." She could tell Jonah probably missed Valerie and missed Aaron. As far as Valerie went, he was doing all that he could to keep up, simply because he knew she would be visiting once a month from here on out. "Does Valerie know when she's going to get a few days to come over here? The last time I talked to her, she said she and Miss Ray were working it out."

"Yeah, they are. I think it's going to be around the twentieth. She's having a lot of fun over there with the Food Network Chefs, you know."

"Yeah, I think that's amazing. I would _love_ to meet with my hero."

"I thought that was Mrs. Benson."

"Well she's someone I look up to. There are _lots_ of people I look up to. Uncle Morris, Aunt Maggie, mom, Marissa…" He nodded and leaned his head back against the concrete, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. "So uh…what do you make of everything?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, like Carly…" She had heard a lot of thrill from Valerie over the fact that Carly knew about her relationship with Freddie, the girl believed now they could all three be even greater friends now that the secrets were behind them. Jonah, however, she didn't know if he still didn't trust her or if he did. "I know it wasn't long ago that you didn't even trust Carly enough to speak to her. Now, you're at least able to keep a cordial conversation with her."

"Yeah." His body sank a bit in the water as he lifted his head up and looked over to his friend. "I think after what happened with Shane, also her being with Griffin, it's all good happenings for her. I mean, it seems like to me, she is a major proponent of you and Freddie. Also, Freddie knew her knowing would make you happy, so he was debating telling her for a while. Shane just had really bad timing." She nodded and felt her heart rise up a bit. She hadn't known Freddie was thinking about telling Carly, all for her. It was a very important thing for her and she was truly happier now with Carly knowing than when she didn't know. "What really matters isn't what I think. She was going to find out anyway, being Freddie's sister. However, yes, I can be friendly."

"I'm glad to hear that. Anyway, feel free to come over and talk to us or get involved with-" She glanced over and squealed as a beach ball came flying towards her. It was too close to hit back and too close to dodge, but it flew past her and hit Jonah instead. Jonah grabbed the ball and glared at the boys, they were taunting him and waving for him to join them.

"Oh that's it, you're dead now." He threw the ball at them and started swimming towards them with rapid speed. Sam laughed and hurried over to the girls, who were watching with amusement as Jonah tackled Freddie. Gibby and Griffin joined in the assault, whacking Jonah with the pool weapons they wielded. Tasha pulled her lips into a smirk and rolled her head to the side.

"The men are whacking each other with their noodles, yes it seems to be a very manly sport." Sam and Carly chortled as the men stopped what they were doing and glared over at Tasha. "Uh oh, we're in trouble now. You boys don't want a piece of this, trust me. Sam. Carly. I'm taking one for the team." She dove beneath the water and started swimming towards the men. Sam watched with amusement as the boys started being pulled beneath the water.

"Yeah!" Sam cheered on and pumped her fist in the air. "You go girl!" Freddie and Griffin began thrusting their sticks into the water as Tasha came for air.

"Careful boys, I'm not sure how Gibby would feel about all your noodles around me like that. Then again, Gibby, you're with them? So you get a kick out of a potential orgy?" Gibby flushed as the other men swam away and released the noodles, then grabbed water guns from the back side of the pool. They smirked and filled them up as Tasha watched on. "Now what are you boys up to?"

"Run Tasha, run! They've got water guns!" The men grinned from ear to ear as Tasha's eyes grew large.

"Uh oh." Just as she started to turn around, they brought up their guns and began squirting her with water. She squealed and laughed while spinning around in a circle. "Okay, okay, you got me! You win! Mayday, mayday, woman down! Backup requested!"

"We're coming, Tasha!" Carly and Sam dove under the water and grabbed two water guns that they had spotted earlier, possibly forgotten by some kids. They popped out of the water with a shout and began blasting the boys, who immediately cringed and held up their hands.

"We surrender!" Gibby proclaimed. "We surrender! Don't kill us!"

"That's what you get! Girls rule!" The three women cheered and gave each other high fives while pumping their guns in the air. As they did this, the men surrounded them and tackled their respective mate from behind as Jonah watched, shaking his head. The women squealed and spun around. Sam put her hands to Freddie's shoulders and smirked into his eyes. "You know, I'm going to win every time." He smirked back and wagged his eyebrows.

"Is that what you think? I think I win when I get what I want."

"Oh? And what do you want?" She eyed him with growing suspicion. He was sneaky and she knew it, so she had to expect something. He closed his eyes and breathed in.

"Well if I did it then Uncle Morris would have my head, but it involves taking off that two piece bathing suit of yours." Her face grew red as he grinned and nipped her neck, light enough not to leave a mark. She breathed in as the sensation of the bite clenched her nerves in a brief moment of pain turned pleasure. The others glanced over and Jonah quickly swam next to Freddie.

"All right you two lovebirds, no making out in the pool with all your friends around, come on." Sam laughed and let her hands fall to Freddie's chest. Her blush grew deeper as she moved her eyes lustily towards his firm pecs. She always enjoyed the feeling of his bare chest. One thing she noticed that she hadn't noticed before, he had some hair growing up from his groin, towards his belly button.

"Oh wow…you really are growing hair." He smirked at her. Jonah shook his head and turned to the others, who were looking off with disdain. "You seem stronger too, I like."

"Okay. Carly, you grab Sam and I'll grab Freddie." She watched Jonah go behind Freddie and gasped as she felt Carly pulling her. As the couple were pulled apart, they playfully reached for each other, grabbing their lover's hand just before separation.

"You evil, evil people, you can't keep love away forever!" Carly laughed and swam to the front of Sam.

"No we can't, but we can do it right now!"

"Evil!" Sam splashed Carly with water and laughed happily as Carly splashed her back. "Oh no, Freddie help, I'm being attacked by a water splasher!" The others joined and began splashing Sam, Carly, and each other. Freddie laughed and started rushing over.

"I'm coming, my love!"

"I don't know if you'll make it, I've been hit! I think I'm dying!"

"No!" He jumped in front of her and put his hands in front of his face, laughing as the others started splashing him with the water. They hadn't done a role play in so long that it was tempting to do just that. Too bad there wasn't much time to do such here. "You can't keep our love apart, I won't let you!"

"It's too late Freddie, they have me." The splashing stopped and Freddie turned to Sam with wide eyes. Her lips were curled into a menacing smile and her eyes were narrowed evilly. "I'm one of them now, Freddie."

"I-It can't be!"

"Join us, Freddie, join us!" As she started chanting, the others began to join their chants with Sam. Freddie swam backwards, looking in between everyone rapidly.

"No! Never! I'll never let you water zombies take me!"

"My love, one hug."

"Begone, foul temptress!" He swam to one of the water guns and quickly filled it up as the others started floating towards him. "You may have turned my best friend, my fiancé, and my sister into one of you, but you won't turn me into one!" He brought the gun up and the group stopped swimming momentarily as a wide grin grew upon his face. "Forgive me Jonah, Sam, and Carly, but this must be done! I must destroy the pandemic before it spreads!" He pulled the trigger and began blasting them with water. They screamed and quickly ducked underneath the water.

Sam held her hands to her chest and gasped for air. "Ugh, I'm hit! My love!" As she started to fall back dramatically, Freddie brought his weapon down and began hurrying towards him.

"Sam!" She smirked as he took her into his arms and buried his face into his chest, giving a mock sob. "Oh forgive me, it had to be done. If only there were a cure, I could have saved you!"

"I'm dying Freddie…I'm dying."

"Oh why!" He tilted his head back and let out a shout of despair. "Why have you cursed me in such a way!" She opened her eyes and started chuckling as she floated backwards and kicked her feet in the water.

"Oh Freddie…" He looked to her and blinked. "I was never hit."

"Uh oh."

"So love is your weakness?" She laughed and splashed him with water while the others rose from their watery graves. "Now you will be a water zombie as the rest of us." He cried in defeat as the others laughed.

"No! It can't be!"

The friends continued laughing for another minute. When they stopped, they saw Dan watching them from the dry area pool space. He was smiling at them and dressed in a pinstripe suit. "Are you having fun?" Sam pushed forward and nodded her head.

"Yeah, we're having a lot of fun! Should we be getting out now?"

"Not for a while if you don't want to, but we should be getting to Hollywood Arts to register the band." Freddie swam over with the others swimming behind him, he grabbed the edge and started pulling himself from the pool.

"All right guys, it's been fun, but I guess it's time to get back to work. Let's do this!"

* * *

What a nice fun chapter, I hope it was nice for you.


	188. Cheater, Cheater

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: The chapters with the band during the Battle of the Bands will be different in a way. The story of the chapter will go, but the song that the band would play/sing later that day will be in the chapter, for instance this song is "Cry" by Rihanna. It would be performed by Carly Shay on the piano while the others, including Freddie, do not sing.

* * *

Chapter 188 (Cheater, Cheater)

Freddie was the first to enter into the large school. The sound of chatter and music serenaded his ears. Classes really had not begun yet, so most people here were either musicians for registration or people following the said musicians. He paused and looked around, raising his eyebrow as the others walked in behind him."Which way is the auditorium?" Sam brushed past him and caught her breath, she couldn't believe how huge the place was. If they didn't get lost or swallowed up by the hallways, then maybe they'd be fine.

"I don't know, it might help to get some directions." As she eyed the lockers, she saw a man who resembled their teacher, Mr. Henning. He was a teacher at ridgeway that was obsessed with nature, most called him a hippie. He had these retreats that he called the root and berry retreats, Carly went on one once, but she herself hadn't gone. "Maybe that guy knows something. He looks a little like Mr. Henning, don't you think?" The man was wearing a brown jacket and scarf, as well as some hippie-style clothing. He was bald, with just a frame of messy brown hair. To top it off, he was drinking from a coconut.

"More like a mad scientist." She chuckled lightly and watched Freddie hurry over to the man. As they talked, Sam moved over to Carly. She was waiting for a good time to tell Carly about Tori, but hadn't had the moment. So, it was now or never. Carly looked at her with a smile, but upon seeing Sam's frown, she instantly frowned and grew worried.

"Okay Carly, I need to tell you this. You know that guy…Steven?" Griffin looked over and Carly nodded her head, swallowing carefully. "Well one of the band we'll be competing against, I think they come to this school, but…he's dating the band singer, Tori Vega. You know that, but I want you to know that she'll be here…" She winced when Carly started to pale. Her friend quickly shrugged it off and cleared her throat.

_I'm not the type to get my heart broken  
I'm not the type to get upset and cry  
'cause I never leave my heart open  
Never hurts me to say goodbye  
Relationships don't get deep to me  
Never got the whole in love thing  
And someone can say they love me truly  
But at the time it didn't mean a thing_

"I'm fine with that. You know how I feel there…" She did know how Carly felt about it. She once told Sam that if she were to find Tori, she would tell her about Steven. "So Tori's going to be a part of this, huh?"

"Yeah." Sam stepped next to Carly and closed her eyes. She listened for her friend to draw a breath and opened her eyes as she spoke her thoughts.

"Do you think it would be wrong to talk to her? To tell her about Steven…I mean, sure, she might not believe us…" She wasn't too sure if it was a good idea or not. Assuming by now, what's past would be past. However, what were the chances of the man being faithful? Was it their place to tell Tori the past? "I mean I…I brought that form with me."

"Form? What form…" She froze and thought on the question, cringing as she remembered Carly talking to her about the doctor's statement and results. The form had everything listed from the alleged conception date to the miscarriage date, all on a legal unchanged document. "Oh god Carly, why would you want to do that?" She pulled Carly to the side, out of earshot of the others for a brisk moment. She was worried enough about the girl's mental state, but now she was really starting to worry! "Seriously, what's the point of bringing something along that's only going to serve as a reminder and torture you?"

"I want to show it to Steven. I want to see him suffer the same pain _I_ suffered." Carly reached into her purse and pulled out the form, folded in half. She unfolded it and glanced down, seeing Steven's name in full glory. Sam felt a pain in her heart and put her hand onto Carly's arm.

_My mind is gone, I'm spinning round  
And deep inside, my tears I'll drown  
I'm losing grip, what's happening  
I stray from love, this is how I feel  
This time was different  
Felt like, I was just a victim  
And it cut me like a knife  
When you walked out of my life  
Now I'm, in this condition  
And I've, got all the symptoms  
Of a girl with a broken heart  
But no matter what you'll never see me cry_

"I know it hurts, but you have to move on. He _will_ get what he deserves. You have to believe me. Also, this girl Tori Vega, she might find out soon enough."

"Find out what?" The two froze and lifted their eyes. Glancing around, they saw that Freddie, Dan and the others were already on their way to the auditorium. The girl's voice came from behind them, so they turned to see who it was. There were two girls, both brunette, one with a purple stripe in her hair and black nails. She was wearing a black shirt with black jeans that had a chain going from one of the belt holders to the pocket. The other girl was dressed in a brown tank top with blue jeans and didn't have any hair dye. It was the normal looking girl that spoke.

"Yeah, and what's this thing got to do with Steven?" The girl with the purple streak grabbed the sheet of paper from Carly, stunning her. She lifted her eyebrows as Carly shrieked and grabbed the paper away. The girl licked her lips slowly and looked to the other girl. "Hey Tori, weren't you dating Steven like a year ago?" Sam's eyes widened and her heart began pounding. If that was the same Tori that they were just talking about, then they were in trouble. The last thing they wanted to do was start something.

"Yeah, we started dating last year…Jade, didn't Beck ever tell you it's rude to snatch something from someone else?"

"Yeah, but at least I know my boyfriend didn't leave another girl pregnant…"

"What?" Carly moaned and started to fall over. Sam quickly grabbed her and tried to bring her back to a conscious state. She was irritated at this girl, Jade. She just did what was one of the _last _things she hoped for to happen. "What are you talking about? Steven would never leave another girl pregnant, especially not when he's dating me…right?" Carly whined briefly and straightened herself, trying hard to be strong.

"W-When did you two start dating?" Tori looked to Carly with a sorrowful look. "I dated Steven Carson in the start of May, 2010." Right then, Tori's face started to turn white as a sheet. Her hand moved to her stomach as Carly continued on, her voice shaking with every word. "We…had sex and…what your friend just saw was the results of my pregnancy and…miscarriage." She closed her eyes and a tear fell down her cheek. Sam heard Tori choke and watched her bring her hand to her mouth.

_Did it happen when we first kissed?  
'cause it's hurting me to let it go  
Maybe 'cause we spent so much time  
And I know that it's no more  
I should've never let you hold me baby  
Maybe why I'm sad to see us apart  
I didn't give to you on purpose  
Can't figure out how you stole my heart  
_

"There's no way you could know my boyfriend's last name, you don't know me, so why would you lie? You wouldn't…but can I…can I see that? Is it okay?" She pointed to the paper, her hand beginning to tremble. Carly nodded her head and handed her the paper. Sam's eyes glazed over and her hands closed. Watching the realization on Tori's face was like watching a wounded animal crying out its last breath. The pain was almost unbearable. "I can't…I can't believe it, that Steven would…Does he know?"

"No." Carly looked away for a moment and wiped her eyes. "He left me the morning after we…did that…he never even said goodbye. I found something of his that referred to you as his girlfriend, and at that point, I figured I must have been played." Judging by their expressions, Sam could tell both Jade and Tori wanted to rip Steven apart, though Tori's expression was more pained while Jade's was more angered. "I honestly wasn't sure if I should even tell you…I mean, I…"

"It's okay, I would want to know this. I'm sorry that you went through that. Anyway, I guess you know my name…This is my friend, Jade." Jade waved briskly and Carly smiled at her. "I watched iCarly back when it was still on, I think you guys were awesome. Are you registering in the battle of the bands?"

"Yeah, I'm the pianist. Freddie's off registering. He was talking to this odd looking guy-"

"Oh, Mr. Sikowitz? Hairy and walks around with a coconut?" Carly nodded and Sam laughed while the girls simply smiled. "Yeah, he's a great teacher. He's kind of crazy, but he does know what he's talking about when he teaches. Anyway, I think we should have a talk with Steven…He needs to know what he did was wrong…"

_My mind is gone, I'm spinning round  
And deep inside, my tears I'll drown  
I'm losing grip, what's happening  
I stray from love, this is how I feel  
This time was different  
Felt like, I was just a victim  
And it cut me like a knife  
When you walked out of my life  
Now I'm, in this condition  
And I've, got all the symptoms  
Of a girl with a broken heart  
But no matter what you'll never see me cry_

"I don't really want to see him." Sam watched her friend's eyes fall. She pressed her lips together and stepped forward in confidence, she knew Carly had to face her fears now, _before_ the battle of the bands. The same was said for Tori, who was probably going to be dealing with the prospect of her boyfriend cheating on her. The girls looked to Sam as she placed her hands upon their shoulders and met their eyes.

"Look guys, I know this is going to be hard on both of you, but you have to face this or else both of you might choke in the performances." They raised their eyebrows and Jade gave a quick nod.

"I say we string him up, hang him by his legs from the rafters in the auditorium." Tori gasped and quickly turned to Jade.

"Jade! That's mean! That could hurt someone…"

"What? Sinjin enjoys it all up there all the time." She grinned innocently and Tori shook her head once more. "Either way, Carly's friend is right, you deserve to figure out what's going on and Carly needs that closure." Carly closed her hands up and Tori swallowed, it seemed she was swallowing down her pride. Sam closed her eyes and breathed out slowly.

"Tori, you might be afraid of what you find out, Carly…you might break down just seeing the asshole, but both of you need to focus for this week. Do you think either of you can focus with Steven in the back of your mind like this? Just the fact that you brought that form with you, Carly, shows that you need this closure more than anything, because you're obsessing about him."

"I am not!"

"Do I _need_ to point out the form again?" She pointed at the form and Carly's heart sank. She lowered her arms and felt her throat clench as she tried to speak. Turning away, she tried to keep her eyes from tearing up. "I know you hate him, I know you feel he turned your life into a living hell, but you have to face him…"

"I know that…"

"I don't want the band to do badly, I don't want _anyone_ in there to have any problems, I know the manager doesn't. Freddie doesn't either, so it's important…you need to let Steven go. Do you think you can do that?" Carly sniffed and moved her eyes to the side, everyone was looking at her, waiting for her answer. Could she truly let Steven go? Could she find closure? She was with Griffin now, but she still thought about that baby that died inside of her. The baby she never got to see alive. It hurt more than anything to have to go through that alone. She thought for sure, if Steven had been true, maybe he would have been around. Now she had Griffin, who would be there for her. He loved her, he wanted to be with _her_, and no one else. For her to obsess over some ex boyfriend, it had to hurt him. She didn't want to hurt him at all. They couldn't have that kind of baggage.

_How did I get here with you, I'll never know?  
I never meant to let it get so, personal  
And after all I tried to do, to stay away from loving you  
I'm broken heart and I can't let you know  
And I won't let it show  
You won't see me cry_

"I…understand. I don't want to cause anyone any pain, so okay. I don't know what good this is going to do-"

"It'll help you move on." Sam smiled at her friend with pride and turned her head to a passing student. "Hey kid, have you seen Steven Carson anywhere?" The kid stopped and looked over, wincing when he spotted Tori. Sam's eyebrow rose and Tori eyed the student suspiciously. He chuckled nervously and stepped back, shaking his head.

"I don't know, haven't seen him at all." Sam frowned and started to respond, but it was Jade who acted first. The girl leapt forward, grabbing the kid by the collar, and pushing him against the locker.

"You're lying! Why are you lying? Where's Steven, what is he to you?"

"I-I just don't want to upset Tori." Tori's eyes started to widen and Carly gasped, sensing where this was headed. Sam seethed and Jade's eyes narrowed.

"Too late. Where's Steven? Tell me, I let you go. Don't tell me, you don't want to know what I'll do to you."

"I understand! He's in his homeroom class and well…"

_This time was different  
Felt like, I was just a victim  
And it cut me like a knife  
When you walked out of my life  
Now I'm, in this condition  
And I've, got all the symptoms  
Of a girl with a broken heart  
But no matter what you'll never see me cry_

Minutes later, the group barged into Steven's homeroom to find him passionately making out with a blonde haired cheerleader. Tori gasped and screamed at him while Carly simply glared at him in disgust, wondering how the hell she was ever tied to this guy. Steven looked up and leapt off the desk he was on. "Tori! This isn't what it looks like!"

"Oh so it _doesn't_ look like you were on top of that girl, making out with her?" Steven chuckled nervously as Sam and Jade growled menacingly. Never before had Sam been this angered for a friend, she wanted to pound this asshole's face in. "I can't believe you, Steven! You're a liar and a cheat!"

"It was just one, wait a minute…" He turned his gaze to Carly and gasped in surprise. "Carly? Carly, is that really you?" Carly's glare snapped to him and she quickly stepped closer to him.

"Yeah it's me! I'm the girl you fucked in Seattle while dating Tori, the girl you left behind, _pregnant!_" His eyebrows rose in shock and the color began to drain from his face as she took the form from her pocket. "I miscarried Steven, I miscarried."

"Oh my god…"

"I see you haven't changed any." She looked past him at the embarrassed and red-faced girl sitting on the desk with her legs crossed. "Oh and by the way girl, he's probably going to cheat on you too." She groaned and threw her hands up in the air. "I can't believe I wasted time on your ass!"

"Come on Carly, don't be like that…" Tori cleared her throat and crossed her arms. Both girls were very tearful. "I just-"

"Hey asshole, don't forget about me. You know what?" She reached into her purse and pulled out a small bracelet, then threw it at his face. He screamed and blocked his face before realizing what the item was. "You can keep that, we're _through_!"

"Come on girls, you won't find anyone better than I was." Tori rolled her eyes and Carly huffed, then responded with a bitter tone.

"I already _have_ found someone, and he's ten times better than you could ever _hope_ to be." His lips fell and Tori applauded the statement.

"Yeah, and same goes for me, asshole. Sam, Jade, feel free to do whatever you want to him." Sam and Jade looked at the pale ex boyfriend with grins growing upon their faces. They were more than willing to give this man hell.

_This time was different  
Felt like, I was just a victim  
And it cut me like a knife  
When you walked out of my life  
Now I'm, in this condition  
And I've, got all the symptoms  
Of a girl with a broken heart  
But no matter what you'll never see me cry_

Carly and Tori walked outside and listened as Sam and Jade gave Steven quite the mouthful. Both girls started to sob as their chests ached from their tearing heart. They embraced each other in a comforting hug and held that pose. It was all over, they wouldn't let him get the better of them. Now, they could focus fully on their bands.

The battle would not start until the next day, which was the eighth, and the Imperial Fireballs had until then to practice the song that Carly wanted to do. _Cry_, by Rhianna won the first round on the 8th of January.

* * *

Steven is an ass.


	189. Salvation

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 189 (Salvation)

Later that day, Tyrone and Nora were in their usual meeting spot, the cemetery. She always called him there as it was the safest place they could meet. She waited beside her mother's grave and looked up to the dark clouds in the sky. Her stomach churned lightly as the clouds swirled over the son, blotting it out and darkening the surrounding. She always considered this an omen. Ignoring it, she moved her eyes to the tombstone below and felt an immaculate feeling of guilt. _"Whatever…"_

Behind her mom's grave marker was a large, white marble stone form of the Virgin Mary with her arms stretched out and her body hunched forward. The woman had a smile on her face and eyes bright as always. Nora never understood the catholic's worship of the Virgin Mary. When God said to only worship him, yet the Catholics wanted to worship Mary. She was just a vessel, a 'tool', so to speak. She knew how that felt. "Doesn't that bible say, worship only God?" She scoffed and turned her eyes to the cemetery road. It was a big place, it would be easy for Bana to hide out here if he was following her.

A dusty truck with no license plate drove up behind her. She jumped at the sound of the engine and sighed as she turned around. It was only Tyrone, she had him driving in that beat up old truck so as to avoid any detection by Bana. Keeping the vehicle running as she always suggested he do, Tyrone stepped out of the car and looked at her with sorrowful eyes. She knew why he was depressed, ever since Angeline and the wedding, he'd been going through a lot of stress. "Hey Nora, what do you want now?" He leaned against the front end of his truck and stared at the statue of Virgin Mary. Next to her, belonging to another grave, was a stone cross. "Such irony, we Shays meet up in a place so holy…"

She scoffed slightly and lifted her eyes skyward. "That's still on your mind? Just believe we're descended from evil. You're literally made up of Yin and Yang, your mother and father." She turned her eyes to him and smirked as he visibly cringed. "You hate thinking about it, don't you? You're a Shay, you're a Davidson. You know something, Tyrone?"

"What?"

"If you had to pick a side, who would you choose? The Shays or the Davidsons? The men hurting your family, or the family trying to defend itself?"

"I…."

"Think about it for a moment, why don't you? How do you think your mother would feel if she were still alive?" He moved his eyes to the side and shrugged. "I know you feel guilty about it all, that's all you've talked about since the wedding. Angeline made you feel guilty, didn't she?" Meeting his eyes, her question was answered without any words. His eyes held a strong glimmer of pain. "You know, thirty years isn't too long. Not all hope is lost."

"You don't know that."

"It worked out for Robert and Marissa, didn't it?" She reached into her shirt pocket and slowly pulled out a cigarette. Tyrone was shocked by what he saw.

"You smoke?"

"Not very often, just on days like this…" Her other hand left her pocket, she had a lighter gripped between her fingers. As Tyrone looked up to the sky, she lit the cigarette and let it hang on her lips. "Cold, dark, ominous, it says a lot, don't you agree?"

"I guess…I'm just surprised you'd smoke over your mom's grave."

"Like you've pissed on your mother's grave the last thirty years?" She glanced at him and chuckled at his pale expression. She always enjoyed outwitting him, it was fun to jerk him around from time to time. She turned to face him and took a step forward, walking closer and stopping a few inches away. "You disbanded your gang a couple days ago. Do you know they're still acting up?"

"They are?"

"Yeah, they were crawling over that airport today." The old man gasped as Nora took her cigarette from her mouth and blew out the smoke. They had gone to the airport to watch the band take off, they wanted to make sure they would have a safe flight to LA. Nora made damn sure of that as well as making sure none of Tyrone's gang boarded that flight. "I took out a few of your gang and left them there for airport security. So no worries there, Freddie and the others got to LA safely. You just need to watch the gang a little closer, they're not fond that you left them."

"It was for the best. The things Carly and Angeline said to me…everything I've read in those journals…"

"You want to make things better. Do you _really_ think that you can do anything?" As she turned her back to him, her eyes fell upon the stone cross to the right of Mary. She frowned and placed the cigarette back to her lips. "Do you deserve salvation? Are you with the Davidson family, or are you with Lionel and my father?" He growled and took an angry step towards her.

"I am _nothing_ like those men!" Her eyes flicked to the side and she slowly closed her eyes, huffing effortlessly.

"What do you believe? Think about it. Lionel kills those he deems evil at heart, but strictly the Shay clan…my father hates the Davidson family with a passion, so he murders them in order to eradicate them." An ominous silence filled the air as she removed the cigarette and smoke poured from her mouth. The smoky taste stung her tongue and throat, but she was used to it now. "You and your gang of about fifty or so that started in the 1980s have tried to send the Davidson family out of this country. You've used scare tactics and force to do so. You've sinned just as badly as my father has, and let's not forget that Agim's family all died because of my father, but who was it that put them on that boat?" Her eyes narrowed as she turned to face the old man once more. She read the guilt and shook her head. "Marissa may have forgiven you of that debt, and many others, because it was found that Bana is the one responsible, but we both know the reality, don't we? You're just as responsible as he was, so undeserving and unfit for salvation as he is. Am I right?"

"No! I am _not_ as vile as that man!" Tyrone stomped his foot on the ground and roared out his protest, but Nora remained unshaken. The stench of strong soap and fish stung her nostrils, but she ignored it.

"So tell me why you believe you need to be saved? What makes you any better?"

"Because I'm willing to change! Unlike the two serial killer psychopaths, I'm willing to _change_."

"So Angeline and Carly, did they convince you of that?" She put the cigarette back to her lips and crossed her arms over. She was a bit skeptical of him, but she could see his reactions were genuine. He had it in him to do what was right if he believed strongly in that. "What Morris told you, what Carly said, how Angeline acted, did any of that really have any effect on you?"

"What?" His chest's heaving slowed and his arms lowered. His frown deepened and his eyes fell. "What would you ask that for? Of course they did…My son got married and I wasn't allowed at his wedding. The love he and Marissa have is so powerful, so strong…love exists, I've seen it. Freddie and his bride, Spencer and Sasha, Carly and Griffin, they're all so happy, so…in love. Just as Angeline and I were…"

"You know that woman loves you too, right? If you were to live on for another twenty, thirty years, could you bear to be without your family? You know that's the road you're on, right? Each of your Shay relatives, even myself, even Shane, they're all without their family. Think about why that is?" She turned to face the Cross and Mary once more, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "That's God's punishment, the curse of the pure Shays. To be hunted by either the law or some evil force, to be hated, to be alone forever. Yin and Yang, Tyrone, good and evil…you have a choice because of your mother. She was pure, she was gentle…your father damaged her, but she stayed strong, if I am correct. Evil couldn't stand against her. The Davidson family is numerous, the Shays are down to a bitter few. We're not offered salvation, Tyrone. The Shays are far too evil, too far along the path of violence to be cleansed and pure."

"Nora…"

She closed her hands and took a deep breath, swallowing the smoke to her lungs and coughing once. She cleared her throat and closed her eyes. "My father's reached Nevel Papperman, he's also found that one guy…Carlos Manten…your gang, putting added stress on the Davidson family, has been harassing Besim and Vera for the past week…Then there's my grandfather, Mitchell Shay, he's been transferred to another prison. January 13th is coming and I have a sinking feeling that my granddad may not be much longer for this world. Lionel's getting older, so it makes sense that he might be coming out of hiding. If he does…that's extra pressure. That gang of yours is doing a lot more damage than what is necessary. How can Marissa deal with _everything_ going on in her family without going nuts herself?"

Thunder sounded off like the drums of Gibby's skill. Lightning lit the sky and Nora flicked her cigarette's ash off. "I get what you're saying. I think. I'm not Bana, I'm not Lionel…"

"No, you're just an arrogant asshole who hates his own family."

"I do not hate them."

"Then what are you doing? Think about the only reason that Angeline left you, because of your anger. What started your anger? Your father. What did your anger do, it separated three people: Marissa, Robert, and Spencer. Your gang you formed fed your anger and arrogance and kept you attacking your own family, being a controlling and manipulative dickwad-"

"Okay! I get it! Geez, do you have to be so…what's the word?"

"Bitch? It's okay if you think that of me."

"I don't think that, I just…"

"Look Tyrone. If you want to change your act, do it now. You may never get a better time for a second chance than you do at this very moment. If you could possibly surprise anyone, if you could possibly regain your family's trust and love, then wouldn't that be important?"

"Yes…"

"Don't you want that second chance? That second opportunity?"

"Yeah…" She gazed past him and shrugged. What was she searching for? He sounded genuine enough. He wanted to change, he didn't want Robert to go on hating him. "I know I want to be a part of my family. I know I fucked up and I don't deserve salvation, I don't deserve another chance…" Tears drenched his cheeks as a light drizzle started to come from the clouds. "But to put me in the same boat as Lionel and Bana, I would rather _die._ I am and have always been a family man, if they're my family, then I don't want to hurt them. I want Angeline to know that I…I still love her."

"So you believe in love?"

"After seeing what I saw….I believe so."

"Do you want to help Freddie and his bride, do you want to tear them apart?" Her eyes flicked to his for a split second and he closed his hands. His head nodded down and she raised an eyebrow. "I've seen some change in you in this last month. I'm impressed, really…maybe there's hope for you yet." She chuckled vainly as Tyrone felt his heart beginning to sink. "Us Shays have no chance of redemption, no chance of salvation. We're all screwed, all cursed to damnation. Lionel, Bana, Mitchell, Shane, his mother, myself…every one of us. None of us have any hope left. Then there's you…if you're so sure that you would be willing to change-"

"I can try! Can't I? I mean…."

"The fact of the matter is, you know you don't deserve a second chance, but you want one. You want salvation, just like I'm sure the Davidson family would like salvation from the Shay family. You so graciously made the current generations of both the Shays and the Davidsons hate each other without trying, by putting Shane up to do what he did."

"I know…I'm guilty for that…"

"You know your sins, but you still want a second chance?" She glanced back at the Cross and at Virgin Mary. It was not the only holy thing in this area. There was also a statue of Jesus around somewhere, then the church of course, next to the cemetery. "I suppose that's what religion's all about, right? Forgiveness? That's what Valerie and Jonah are into. That's what Sam and Freddie are for. Christianity, God, Heaven. Does it exist?"

"I believe it's all true…"

She quickly turned her eyes to him and narrowed them, clenching her throat and flicking the cigarette onto the ground. The rain began to increase in heaviness as she stomped on the cigarette, continuing her glare into Tyrone's eyes. A chill ran down his spine as he took a small step backwards. "You've known nothing about me all this time. You know that, right?"

"You are mysterious, I'll give you that." He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. She scoffed and closed her eyes.

"Yeah I like it that way. Anyway, you're sure you want to change? Do you think you want to do what's right? Salvation, forgiveness…you don't deserve it, but…do you want it?"

"If I can attain it, then yes. Why is this so important?" Her eyes flicked past him again, the rain masked the scent but she no longer needed it.

"If you want it so badly. Duck, leave, and don't look back."

"What?"

"I said _duck!_" Her voice echoed through the air and Tyrone did as ordered, dropping down and narrowly avoiding an axe to his head.

"Shit!" He looked up and shouted when his eyes met the powerful Bana. Bana roared and started bringing the axe to him, but Tyrone quickly rolled out of the way and leapt towards the car, once more doing as Nora said to.

Nora clenched her teeth as Bana turned to the car, brandishing the axe through the air. "Hey! Dad! Over here." Bana turned around and sneered at her as Tyrone sped off. She knew she was screwed, she'd known for some time now.

"You bitch! You let him get away!" She huffed and folded her arms over as Bana threw the axe towards her. Thinking fast, she ducked to the side, letting the axe slice only a portion of her hair. She dove for the axe and he grabbed her leg, pulling her back against the ground. She let out a shout as he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. "What is wrong with you Nora? You've turned against me."

"Fuck you! I've been doing what's right!"

"The right thing to do would have been _not_ stealing my journals in the first place! Now where the hell are they?" She grinned spitefully and glared into Bana's eyes.

"Somewhere you can't get to them. With the police." His eyes widened and filled with fear. With a powerful shout, he threw her against the ground. She yelped and her hand flew to her side, she landed on the axe and now had a large gash from her left side to her right breast. "Damn it…"

"You bitch, you were on my side! All this time you've been _helping _them?" Nora breathed heavily and turned her eyes to the axe as he began walking up behind her. "Is it because I killed your mother in front of you? Is that it?" She felt his hand on her leg and quickly grabbed the axe. As he pulled her up, she flipped around and held the axe behind her. "You let the Benson kid get away, you stopped my assault on the Davidsons at _every_ turn! Why?"

"Because I read those journals, Dad. I was with you, yes…from the beginning I thought those Davidsons deserved to die. I thought they deserved every bit of pain as you did, but then I read those journals and I started thinking otherwise. I thought if I showed them to the Davidsons, they'd feel sick, and they did."

"Tyrone's not a Davidson…"

"He is, otherwise you wouldn't have gone after him just now. You know it."

"I also know you're a traitorous, fucking cunt, just like your mother!"

"Don't talk about my mother!" She roared and slashed the axe from her back, scraping it along his chest. He let out a violent scream and lurched backwards, dropping her to the ground. She landed on her feet and started breathing heavily. "I figured if I could change Tyrone, maybe…just maybe _I_ could attain salvation. I know what it's like to stare Satan in the eyes. I'm doing it right now…" Bana roared and charged her once more, slamming his fist hard into her face.

"I don't care if you're my daughter, I will kill you. Why? Because as of right now, you're _not_ my daughter!"

"What a thing to say, dad." She slowly wiped her mouth and pushed herself from the ground. Her body was becoming weaker due to blood loss, chances were likely she wouldn't make it out alive. She didn't expect to. "Don't worry, the police are probably on their way already."

"What?"

"I've had the police on speed dial for a while now. The second you arrived here, I called them." She took her phone from her pocket and watched Bana's stunned eyes land on the phone.

_Connected: 911_

"They know we're at the Seattle Cemetery in the area with the Virgin Mary and Cross. Where my mother's grave is. They also know you're killing your own daughter. Don't worry Bana, I have no intention of letting you kill the Davidsons nor do I have any intention of letting anyone think Tyrone was responsible for my death."

"You fucking bitch…how dare you undermine me!" He grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the Virgin Mary statue. She let out a loud grunt and her eyes flew to the sky. She'd been impaled through the abdomen by the Virgin Mary's arm. Blood left her lips as she dropped her cell phone. She felt her father's cold, murderous fingertips against her face, squeezing it. "So you think you can attain salvation by saving the Davidsons? By saving Tyrone? By disobeying me, turning on me, and helping the _enemy_ survive?"

"Fuck off dad…" She moved her eyes towards him, her body was flaring up with pain as she heard the sirens in the distance. "I've learned. They're not the enemy. _You're_ the enemy. I've done my job, I've completed it." He growled and quickly moved his hand from her.

"Your 'job'? What was that? Because I'm pretty sure I told you to get close to the Davidsons for me and kill them. All you've done is give them more chance to save themselves."

"Exactly. Salvation…that was the point, _Dad_…Now the whole town knows about you, about William Shay, about that entire line that was kept missing. They also know of Lionel…that means they're expecting, they can act. Your days are numbered…I've done my job…"

"You bitch!" He backhanded her and looked off in the distance. The sirens drew closer. He growled and narrowed his eyes as he began to panic. "No matter. I pride myself of a few things, one is not getting caught…your 'job' means shit. So does your 'salvation'. Die in the arms of Virgin Mary." He chuckled and grabbed the axe from the ground, then proceeded to slam it into her left shoulder. She lifted her head and screamed in pain as he ran off.

Thunder sounded out and lightning spread across the sky. She moved a shaky hand to the handle of the axe and tightened her bloody fingers around it. Closing her eyes, she let out a pained grunt and pulled the axe from her body. Fortunately she wasn't too far impaled onto the statue's arm. She reached her hands onto the statue and slowly pushed herself from the arm, screaming out as her body went off the arm.

This was it, she _wanted_ to die here and now. As she got off the arm, she fell back into the statue. Her eyes fell against the cross and a chuckle left her lips. She hadn't noticed the Jesus sculpted into the cross before. Maybe this was _her_ salvation. "It's complete. God forgive me and keep them safe…" She kept her eyes locked onto the cross as one last breath of air left her lips and her body fell limp against the Virgin Mary's arms.

The sky lit up with blue and red lights and the air filled with police radios. There were about five police cars in the cemetery, three of which were searching the perimeter for Bana. The police from the two squad cars where Nora's lifeless body rested were standing outside their vehicles and were talking with one another, trying to figure out who was going to call the ambulance.

Even Tyrone returned, his eyes were misty and frozen on Nora. She'd saved him. She knew Bana was coming for him, she knew he'd be there. That's why she was asking him all those questions, to see one last time if he was worth saving. Like the rest of the Davidson family, she opted to save even _his_ life. "S-She was with Bana all along?" No wonder she knew so much about the Davidson family, about him, about _everyone_. "She saved all our lives…Now she's with God…" The one thing he found creepy was how fixated upon the cross her dead eyes were. Maybe she wanted salvation for all the Shays. Maybe she wanted salvation for herself, maybe she wanted to be with her mother. "She may never know the good she did tonight. Thank you, Nora. I won't forget you, I won't forget this, and I won't forget what you died for…I-I'll try my best…to do the right thing." If she could do the right thing, maybe redemption truly was possible.

He moved back to the driver's seat of the car and started thinking about Marissa, Robert, all of them. His eyes started to tear up as he moved his forehead against the steering wheel and wept bitterly. If God could forgive Nora for her involvement with Bana, maybe God would forgive him. The trick was getting his own flesh and blood to forgive him.

* * *

Well, speechless. So Nora...well...everyone let me know what you thought!


	190. First Step to Change

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 190 (First Step to Change)

The next morning, on the 8th. Marissa was having coffee with Robert, Angeline, Arian, and Spencer and had been discussing recent happenings around the town. The honeymoon ended a bit early because of an emergency. One of her key witnesses, Nevel Papperman, had been murdered. "I thought I had him transferring hospitals, though." She was frustrated that Bana might have gone in to finish the job. They were not completely sure, but it was highly likely. No one saw anyone go into Nevel's hospital room, no one saw him leave. There wasn't anything on the cameras either. He'd been suffocated to death.

"It's an depressing dilemma," Arian commented. He'd instructed Vera and Besim to find safety and security. Vera's son, Carlos, was also deceased now. They suspected Lionel, but the murder did not look like something he would have done. His entire body had been mutilated, cut up, just like Nevel and his body guards had been. "We have two psychopaths after our family. How are we supposed to protect them? Vera's grieving, we're all grieving. Aunt Era refuses to leave, she believes in not 'letting them win'."

"I know, right now I would like to think Freddie, Carly, and Sam are safer in LA, but is it likely for either Bana or Lionel to go after them?" She realized that if either men went after them, it would likely be Bana, considering Lionel was after the true blooded Shays. "What doesn't help is for some reason, Tyrone's pathetic little gang is starting to send me more threats ever since Robert and I got married! I don't know if it's his doing or not…" Angeline bowed her head and the others slowly looked to her. They knew by now that Tyrone sought her out on the wedding day. Bana's "arrival" was all a ploy for him to sneak in and talk to her and she helped him get out. "I'm sorry to even bring him up, I know how you're feeling about him. I'm just dealing with a lot of stress now with the news of Bana, Lionel, and then there's Tyrone. An ignorant ass, as Morris says, but apparently nothing more than that…" The woman shook her head and met Marissa's eyes with the tiniest smile she could muster.

"It's fine. I don't know if he's behind the threats from that gang, they seem to act un-accordingly to his wishes."

"Yeah, I have been noticing that a lot lately." Sipping her coffee, she thought back onto the past year. Clearly Tyrone had started to detach from that gang, they were growing desperate and running around like a chicken without its head. "I'm trying to differentiate between what's worse, the gang, Bana, or Lionel, but it's all just giving me a headache!" Her coffee landed on the ground with a certain level of haste. It wasn't hard to figure that Bana would be a pretty big threat, but he was just acting like a thug on steroids than anything else. He laid low most of the time, it seemed, but the gang was always around somewhere. "I'm starting to think that gang would be worse than the two serial killers right now."

"I told them to disband…" Her eyes widened as the others gasped, she quickly stood up and glared off to the side. Tyrone was walking towards them, clearly upset. Angeline looked up at him for a brisk moment and frowned. Marissa's eyes were narrowed and locked with his. Right now, he was the _last_ person she wanted to see, and he knew that.

"Are you sure you want to be standing there right now, Tyrone. Because I'm about to go off on the entire Shay clan if I have to…"

"No. Go off if you'd like, I don't associate with that half any longer…" Angeline raised her eyebrow and Marissa narrowed her eyes with burning skepticism. He slowly closed his hands up and bowed his head. His heart was trembling and the heat inside him was rising. What was he doing? "I don't know who my mother was, but I know she was a Davidson. How do I know? Well…someone told me. I mean, I found those journals."

"Have you been in my office?"

"No! I mean before…before Nora handed them over." Marissa raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side. Tyrone inhaled sharply and pressed his lips together. "You don't have to believe me about anything, just…I know I told that gang that it was over. All this time…I've been so blinded…I'm not a bad person, I don't want to be, it's just…I don't know."

"Difficult for you to see past whatever hit you the first time?"

"Yeah…if there's anyone left in that gang, I know every member involved, there aren't that many people…I want to help you arrest the ones still causing any trouble." She wasn't too sure if she was to trust him or not, but the tone of his voice sounded sincere. "You shouldn't have to deal with that, none of you should. I know I'm a family man, I've been hurting my family all these years and…I don't know if it's repentance I want, I don't know what I'm looking for, I just want to do the right thing. I don't want to lose my family." He moved his eyes to Robert and frowned when his son turned his head away. "Robert, I'm sorry…for everything. To you, to Marissa, Spencer…I know the things I've done are wrong and I don't expect any of you to forgive me, just…let me do this one last thing and I'll stay out of your hair. If you never want to see or hear from me again, I understand…"

"It seems like you've done a lot of thinking. Assuming I can trust you, you'd really send your little 'gang' to prison?" He closed his eyes and without any hesitation, answered her.

"I would. There's not a doubt in my mind. I'll do anything if it means protecting my family. Nora once asked me whose side I was on…and thinking about it now, I realize I've been on the wrong side all these years. I've been an ass, I've been egotistical, I've been arrogant, and I know that just saying sorry won't be enough…I don't think anything I do would ever be enough to make up for all the stuff I've done…" Certain people, certain things, he just couldn't bring back. Maybe he couldn't win Angeline's heart again, maybe he wouldn't earn his son's acceptance and approval, but he would still do anything just to try and turn things around. "I saw her die last night in that cemetery…"

"You were _there_ last night?" Angeline asked in a quick tone of voice. She rose sharply and stared at him with wide eyes. "That poor girl was murdered by Bana, wasn't it? What were you doing there? You could have been killed!"

"I almost was…she saved my life." Robert swallowed and stared at his hands, wanting to try and find any way to make light of the thought that his father nearly died. He couldn't.

"I'm amazed that she did, really. Didn't the cops say she was siding with Bana at the time?"

"Yeah, but she didn't agree with him, she wanted to save everyone. I'm a Davidson, you know. It might be time for me to start acting like it?" Marissa chuckled slightly and shook her hand almost dismissively. Tyrone felt a pit in his stomach and swallowed hard as her sharp stare fell upon him.

"If you're really so willing to change, prove it."

"What would you have me do?"

"Help me round up that damned gang of yours of course. Then, meet Era."

"Era? You mean…"

"My Aunt," Arian added without hesitation. Tyrone smiled slightly as he met Arian's familiar eyes. "You know she wants to meet you, but I held off on ever contacting you. I can see in your eyes, you do look like you're willing to make that step, but I don't know if you really are or not…"

"I'd do anything. I don't want Nora's death to be in vain."

"It won't be."

Marissa rubbed her forehead and sighed, she was truly becoming tired of all the mess going on around this town. The Chief wasn't doing much to subdue it all, so she had to take action herself. "No more murders, I don't want any more murders happening under _my_ watch. No one else in my family needs to die, I refuse to let that happen. Tyrone, if you're willing to sacrifice your pride…"

"Like I said. Anything I can do, I'll do it."

"Fine. Tell me what you know." Everyone sat down and eyed Tyrone as he remained standing in his place. He took a deep breath and felt a chill run down his spine. He'd been watching his gang since the previous night, there really weren't many people left, to be honest.

"There are about twenty men left in this gang, no more, no less. The people involved are scattered around Seattle, but right now…I think about five of them are around here."

"What?"

"Yeah, I saw them when I came up here. They're spying on you guys." Marissa growled and slammed her hand on the table as the others started looking back and forth amongst each other.

"Tell me where you saw them last!"

"Hold on. I don't know what they're planning, but I know their names. If they get away, I have a list of every person involved in this 'anti-arranged marriage' group. You can arrest every one of them."

"Okay, I got it. Just tell me where the fuck these bastards are."

"Well when I saw them, I kind of knocked them out…you know, chloroform makes a good chemical when no one sees you." Marissa raised her eyebrow as Angeline chuckled at the thought. He smiled and pointed to a small hill across the street. "They're all asleep over there."

"They are?" She rose to her feet and grabbed the gun at her waist, it paid off to be in full uniform. As she ran for the hill, the others followed after her. They came upon the hill and saw three men and two women scattered on the hill. All of them were snoring peacefully. Marissa smirked and grabbed the radio at her hip. "This is your Deputy Chief, Marissa Benson. All nearby units report to the Coffee shop on Unity Drive. I have five vandalism suspects asleep on a hillside and a witness to confirm their activities."

Tyrone puffed his chest out, proud of himself. He looked to Angeline, who appeared to be trying to hold back her laughter at the situation. "Amazing, Tyrone…just amazing…" He smirked at her and met her wondrous eyes.

"Why thank you my dear."

Marissa rolled her eyes and started to handcuff the people as the other members of the family gazed on in surprise. Angeline folded her arms and turned to Tyrone, staring into his eyes with a subtle frown. "Is this real? Are you really doing this?"

"Yes…"

"Why?"

"I know I was wrong before. I know I don't deserve forgiveness, but I just can't stand to hurt my real family anymore…I thank Nora for that epiphany, I suppose."

"Really? Then I guess it was a good thing you met her."

"It wasn't just her, Angel." He turned fully to her and swallowed as he pushed his trembling hands into his pockets. She raised her eyebrow as he continued to gaze at her. "It was you, it was Carly, it was our son, it was Marissa…everyone…I couldn't bear to lose my family. I'm a Davidson, not a Shay, I can't bear to lose my family. They mean everything to me. But…"

"But what?"

"I've already lost…" She raised her eyebrow and tilted her head as he turned his eyes down. "I lost the thing I never wanted to lose most of all, and I didn't see it then, but I see it now and…I wish I could do it over again, I wish I could change it."

"What was that, dare I ask?"

"You...Your love…" She scoffed once and turned her eyes to the handcuffed gang members as two squad units pulled up alongside the streets. She took a deep breath and turned her gaze back to Tyrone.

"You never lost that. You just pushed it out the door."

"I know. Nothing can ever change what I did. I told you I'd stay with you, I told you I loved you, I told you I'd _protect_ you."

"Now isn't the time, Tyrone…"

"Then when _is_ the right time, Angel?" She pressed her lips together and shrugged as the police officers ran past them and started to subdue the awakening gang members. When they realized what happened, they glared at Tyrone, unable to do a thing to avoid their own arrest. They started shouting at him, calling him a traitor. He ignored them. "Angel?"

"You're working on it, I guess…you know you really hurt me. You want to make up for it-"

"I'll do anything! Angel, we're both getting older, neither of us deserve to be alone…"

"Like I said. Now's not the time for all that. There's so much to deal with, so much going on, so many things that are wrong. How is Marissa to know that you won't continue going after her son? How are Maggie and Morris to be confident that you won't annoy them further about Sam? Tell me, how do you plan on fixing all that?"

"I…I don't know yet."

"Nobody trusts you yet, and for good reason. You've done a lot of damage in the past thirty years. A lot of it you can't take back now, but surely there's still stuff you can work on. I know a therapist that's good with anger management, I think you could benefit."

"You do? Who's the therapist?" She inhaled and looked off to the side.

"Dr. Parper, I've seen him a couple times in the last ten or twenty years. He's a good therapist."

"You think he'd be able to help me with my resentments, huh?"

"I don't know. I think he'd be good for you to see either way. It's up to you, really. I'm just throwing it out there that he's a decent therapist and maybe if you saw one, it would show people a willingness to change." He swallowed and nodded as Angeline rubbed her right temple and sighed. "Either way, I need to get out of here, the sirens are giving me a headache."

Seeing a possible opportunity, he took a daring leap. "Would you let me buy you some lunch?" She raised her eyebrow and stared at him for a minute.

"It takes guts to ask that right now, you know."

"I know, but I'm a gutsy person." He smirked and watched her face light up. He knew she would catch that line, the meaning of it. He used to say it all the time when he was younger. He always took risk, was always so daring. She used to love that adventurous side of him and always found it so hard to resist. "I figure I have to put it out there."

"And so you think you can just start courting me after all this time?"

"No I don't think it." He knew it, that's what he was doing after all. His smirk deepened and Angeline gave him a suspicious look. "Like I said, just putting myself out there…take it or leave it, I want you to know how I feel about you."

"Going to take a while on that one, but…I think I will take you up on your lunch offer. Anything to get out of this racket. Subway down the street…how does that sound to you?"

"I'd say it's perfect."

"All right fine." She clenched her eyes shut and moaned as she rubbed her temples and started to walk off towards her car. Marissa looked over from one of the squad cars nearby and raised an eyebrow. She whistled and pointed at Tyrone. He looked over to her and she barked out an order for him.

"You have my number. When you're done treating her to lunch or whatever, give me a call. We're not through here. I'm booking the rest of your petty gang _today_, I don't want to deal with them any longer!"

"You have my word Marissa. I'll call you."

"You better. You have two hours, I'll be expecting you. If you don't call, your word means nothing to me."

"I understand. I'll call."

"Good." She pushed the fifth gang member in the squad car and Tyrone watched until he heard a car honk. He glanced over and spotted Angeline waving at him, she seemed impatient.

"What are you waiting for? Come on! I'm hungry, I have a headache, let's get out of here. I swear to god you Shay's really need help with women."

"On it." He hurried over to her car and sighed as he got into the passenger seat. This was the closest he'd been in so long, he just couldn't screw this up. He lifted his eyes skyward as Angeline drove off, speaking no words. Breathing in, he closed his eyes and whispered under his breath. "Thank you Nora…"

* * *

Next chapter coming soon


	191. Scent of Blood

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: The chapters with the band during the Battle of the Bands will be different in a way. The story of the chapter will go, but the song that the band would play/sing later that day will be in the chapter, for instance this song is "18 to Life" by Skid row. This would be sung by the band with Bana and Lionel as inspiration for it.

* * *

Chapter 191 (Scent of Blood)

"That was a good song your sister sang last night," Andre said as he walked with Freddie. The second day of the Battle of the Bands was going well, they were really looking forward to the whole week. Of course, Freddie had caught some bad news from his mother earlier regarding both Nevel and Nora. He was trying hard not to get depressed and to look at the brighter side of things, but even that was difficult for him to do. He wanted to focus on anything other than the depressing crap that was going on.

"Thanks man, your band played well too. It'd be interesting to go up against you guys in the finals." He would be honored to perform against them, they were just excellent. Andre chuckled and put his hands behind his head.

"Well shucks, you think we're good enough to get in to the finals?" Freddie nodded his head as Andre grinned with pride. "Thanks, I should tell Beck, he'd be happy to hear that." In the time he met, he learned that Beck was actually Andre's closest friend, the opposite was true as well. "He's been feeling down lately, all the practice we've put in has been getting to him. It'll cheer him up to hear that."

"I hope it does. We shouldn't have any stressors in our mind." Andre agreed and stopped walking with Freddie. He leaned up against the wall of the school hallway as Freddie stopped and looked around. "You know, this is an awesome looking place. I'd be glad to come to school here if I lived around this area."

"It's a great place, the teachers are the best. Sounds like you'd prefer it here. What's been on your mind? I mean you don't look too well for someone who should be thrilled to be here." Freddie chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. Did he really want to talk about his problems? There was no harm in spilling out to someone he just met, right? Not that he knew of. Besides, he needed a break, anything to just calm his mind and get all the hell off his chest. "Does it have anything to do with-"

"Are you going to say Steven? No, although he is a part of the problem. In reality, the most pressing issue is the maniac after my family." Andre raised his eyebrow as Freddie leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He no longer cared who was around to hear his secrets. "Andre, what I'm going to tell you, please promise me you won't tell anyone else. Got that?"

"Yeah bro, I won't."

"Good. You see there's this guy…Bana. Well, I don't know if that's his real name or not, but he's been going after my family pretty much non-stop. You know, your typical psychopath serial killer." Andre's eyes widened and he quickly nodded his head as Freddie started to explain exactly who Bana was.

_Ricky was a young boy, he had a heart of stone  
Lived 9 to 5 and he worked his fingers to the bone  
Just barely get out of school, came from the edge of town  
Fought like a switchblade so no one could take him down, oh no_

_He had no money, no, no good at home  
He walked the streets as soldier and he fought the world alone_

"And that's not even the worst of it, for years this other guy, Carly's grandpa, has been trying to drive a wedge between my relationship with Sam." Andre winced and shook his head. Freddie felt his heart clinch as he tried to imagine life without Sam. It happened once, but that was just another alternate universe caused by Mitch. "God I don't know what I'd do without that woman."

"Kind of makes me think about Tori." Andre muttered to himself, but Freddie heard and raised an eyebrow at him. Andre winced when he realized that his new friend heard. "Yes I have a crush on her, but no, I don't want to do anything about it. Look what just happened!"

"That's the time you want to be with her. Don't get me wrong man, she's going to need a lot of support after what that asshole did to her. I mean, she's luckier than Carly, in her own right, but still…I can't imagine either of them would be able to let it go so easily." He agreed, however, the end result with Steven had been for the best. He wanted to find Steven and tear into him, but he didn't want to be like Bana. He didn't want to be like Lionel. He wasn't a dangerous man. "I feel like I should beat him up."

"Yeah but you don't want to get mixed up in that, believe me. It's not as good of a resolution as you would think."

"I know…"

_And now it's 18 and life, you got it, 18 and life, you know  
Your crime is time and it's 18 and life to go  
18 and life, you got it, 18 and life, you know  
Your crime is time and it's 18 and life to go_

Freddie and Andre continued walking and spotted Steven in the distance of the hallway. His blood ran cold when he saw the man leaning against a wall, his arm pressed against it, and a blushing schoolgirl in front of him, clutching her books tightly. Andre clicked his tongue and Freddie throat burned with rage. "How the fuck does he do it?"

"He's a player, that much I've figured out. I know how you feel dude, I want to kick his ass so badly for playing Tori like that. He did worse to your sister, but still…" If they had their way, Steven would be a cripple lying on the ground in a pool of blood. "Oh god, I can't tell you how badly I would _love_ to be a thug right now."

"Even that's too good for that asshole." Freddie chuckled vainly and attempted to shake his thoughts. They weren't on Steven, they were still on the dangers threatening his family. Bana, Lionel, why was it those two were so damn good at hiding? Why was it they lusted for blood, lusted for death. "Who gave them the right to judge?" Andre blinked and glanced over at him.

"Who?"

"Bana…Lionel…Who gave them the right to say who lives or dies? Who gave them the right to determine what was important and what isn't? Who the hell made them God?"

"I don't know man. Both of them sound messed up. I mean I can understand Lionel's point, as you say, a guy goes nuts and kills his own family just because he sees them all as evil and wants to destroy them."

"Yeah, cleansing them of their 'evil blood'."

"Hell, I'd rather be caught by Lionel than Bana, to be honest!"

"I'd hate to run into both of them on a bad day."

"Wouldn't that kind of be counterproductive? I mean think about it, Lionel wants to kill the evil in the Shay lineage, right?" Freddie nodded and chuckled, he could see where Andre was going with this. Andre snapped his fingers and smirked. "Bana, of course, would fight Lionel in an attempt to defend himself, or maybe even to avenge any of the Shays that Lionel killed. Assuming he cared enough about any of them. It would be like the clash of the titans!"

"Right." Freddie laughed and shook his head in disbelief. It was a matchup that seemed almost impossible to imagine, but would definitely be entertaining to see. "I mean, you could be onto something there. Both men don't seem to care much about anything besides their own goals. Probably, they're both juggernauts in a way."

"To be a juggernaut, you can't fear death."

"And you think those two would fear _death_? They're practically death themselves."

"True."  
_Tequila in his heartbeat, his veins burned gasoline  
He kept his motor running, but it never kept him clean  
They say he loved adventure, "Ricky's the wild one"  
He married trouble and had a courtship with a gun_

Bang bang shoot 'em up, the party never ends  
You can't think of dying when the bottle's your best friend

As they continued on in their walk, they wondered if either of the two serial killers would ever be caught, would ever be taken out. It was a seemingly impossible task. "You wouldn't happen to know any crazy people, eh Andre?"

"If by crazy, you mean Bana, then no. If by crazy you're referring to someone like Sinjin, then yes." Once more Freddie laughed. Andre grinned and pointed off to the side. The men glanced over and saw Sinjin talking to Gibby about the gum collection on his locker. Gibby looked heavily disturbed and annoyed. He glanced at Freddie, his eyes pleading for help. Jeremy was there as well with the same disgusted expression. "I see your drummer and techie have met Sinjin. Do you think we should help them out?"

"Nah, Sinjin seems to have made a friend, let them have fun." This was beautiful and sweet payback for the prank Gibby and Jeremy pulled on the guys. They had a three bed hotel room, so Freddie, Jonah, and Gibby slept in their own respective beds while Jeremy shared a two bed room with Gibby's uncle. When Jonah and Freddie woke up this morning, they found themselves laying in a pile of jelly and peanut butter, topped off with whipped cream. They were _pissed_, but laughed it off. "It's payback for that little prank this morning."

"What happened?"

"Let's just say we know what a peanut butter and jelly sandwich feels like waking up." Andre's lips formed a circle as realization hit him, he laughed and pat Freddie on the shoulder.

"Man, you got some cool friends."

"Thanks."

"So, leaving them with Sinjin is their punishment?" Freddie grinned as he and Andre left. Gibby and Jeremy groaned and smacked their forehead, they knew what his reasoning was. When they glanced over, they spotted Steven walking up to them. His blood ran cold as the cheater smiled at them.

"Hey guys, can we talk?"

"No, I don't think so." Freddie clenched his teeth as Steven recoiled for a moment. He could see the hatred in Freddie's eyes, and it scared him.

"Whoa tiger, I just wanted to ask about your sister."

"Leave her alone and stay away if you know what's good for you."

"I just wanted to ask why she thought it was necessary to get all worked up like that." Freddie narrowed his eyes and Andre's lips frowned.

"Uh oh. Careful Freddie, man…"

"I mean come on, I didn't do anything to her. I mean aside from leaving her pregnant, sure, but it's not like I knew about that." Freddie clenched his hand and tried in vain to resist the urge to smack this man around. "She should keep herself in check, if you know what I mean."

"You fucking asshole. You have no right to talk about her like that!" In almost an instant, his hand collided with Steven's right jaw. Steven let out a loud shout and fell back onto the ground, holding his face and glaring up at Freddie, who looked ready to pounce. Andre quickly held him back and looked down at Steven.

"You better get out of here now, before _I_ decide to smack you silly!" Heeding Andre's words, he quickly rose to his feet and took off. With that, Freddie pulled away from Andre and dusted himself off. "Man, why would you do that? You know it's not right…"

"He pressed my buttons. Besides, it's nothing close to what he deserves."

"I know man, I know. If affairs were criminal, I'd say we should put him away."

"I agree."

_And now it's 18 and life, you got it, 18 and life, you know  
Your crime is time and it's 18 and life to go  
18 and life, you got it, 18 and life, you know  
Your crime is time and it's 18 and life to go, yeah_

"Anyway, moving on from all that. Let's talk about that other thing, when do you think they snapped?"

"Who?"

"You know, Lionel and Bana."

"Oh. Those two." They continued walking, headed for the tables outside the school. Freddie ran his hand through his hair and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, all I know from what I read in those journals was Lionel snapped when he was almost fourteen years old. Bana was taught to hate and kill as a child."

"Yep, that's what I thought, they're both crazy…"

"Crazy? They've been killing their entire lives! They're not crazy, they're fucking lunatics!"

"True. It sure isn't hard to see how insane they are. They'd kill their own flesh and blood…I wonder what would happen if they had kids." Freddie rolled his eyes and glanced off to the side.

"Mom called and said Nora was murdered by Bana last night in the cemetery. She was his daughter. Apparently she was working _with_ him, but…she saved us." Andre winced and cupped his hands over his mouth.

"His own _daughter_?"

"Please, even Lionel would murder his own children if it meant eradicating the Shay lineage from this earth. As I said before, Bana wants to eradicate the Davidsons, Lionel wants to eradicate the Shays. What's perplexing is both families have become so twisted in each other."

"What's the cause of all this shit?" Freddie chuckled vainly and looked to Andre's eyes. If only he knew the answer to that question. They only knew one thing that started it off, but they didn't know why it had to last as long as it had.

"Some bullshit over one hundred years ago regarding my great, great grandfather's brother and the Shay patriarch's sister…ever since then, the Shays taught their children to pull a trigger and to kill, that was the _only_thing they knew, the only thing they loved, the only thing they trusted…the scent of blood."

"Jesus…"  
_"Accidents will happen", they all heard Ricky say  
He fired his six-shot to the wind, that child blew a child away_

The two made their way to one of the tables and looked over at the grub truck, they were surprised to see it there today, considering school wasn't truly in session yet. "He always out here?"

"Yeah pretty much, I think he lives here, honestly."

"I'd be willing to bet that myself. Either that or he's about six hours early to be setting up for the contest tonight. We're going up against some band from, I think New Jersey. They sound pretty cool, but too bright." Andre laughed and leaned back in his chair. He knew the band Freddie was referring to.

"Hey, you know they're just bringing their baby sister along for the appeal, right? How they won that first round, I have no clue, but I bet they won't win tonight. You guys rocked the house last night!"

"Thanks. Honestly we weren't even going to have Carly sing, but she wanted to. She said the song cleared up a lot of burning inside her or something."

"Yeah, I understand that. She needed it, I hope she's doing better today."

"She is. She and Sam are hanging with Jade and Tori down at the park. I'm pretty sure they're going to spend the day there."

"Probably. So what's the song you guys are going to sing tonight?"

"I'm thinking Skid Roy's 'Eighteen to Life'."

"Oh, that's a good choice."

_Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah  
18 and life, you got it, 18 and life, you know  
Your crime is time and it's 18 and life to go  
18 and life, you got it, 18 and life, you know  
Your crime is time and it's 18 and life to go_

Later that night at the band, it turned out to be a perfect choice, as it, along with two other songs, won their second performance of the night. However, it was only a small taste of victory, as more skill was headed their way to challenge them and prevent them from moving on.

Andre's band survived their second night as well, playing the song _My Give a Damn's Busted_. It was getting closer and closer to the finals and both bands were looking forward to making it to the finals against each other.

* * *

Gotta love that song. I believe next chapter will lead into the BIGGEST secret in this whole story (and something that alludes into a sequel if I could put the plot together in my head). Don't worry, once we hit chapter 200, guys (cause the 100s has been all about secrets coming into the open and being discovered), the story will be finishing up as the secrets start finding their closure. Believe me, I will _not_ have 300 chapters in this XD


	192. Heritage

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: The chapters with the band during the Battle of the Bands will be different in a way. The story of the chapter will go, but the song that the band would play/sing later that day will be in the chapter, for instance this song is a _very_ romantic Italian song, from Jonah to Valerie. The song is "Tu Per Me" by Angel Camassa and La Voce Del Nord. I'm serious, look it up on youtube!

* * *

Chapter 192 (Heritage)

The next day, January 10th found Jonah and Beck resting in an RV. Jonah watched his new friend with curiosity and tapped his foot gently on the ground. "So you're Italian too, huh?" Beck nodded his answer and strummed on the chords of his guitar. Jonah was surprised, but had to admit, he thought he saw a little bit of Italian in Beck when he arrived. "My wife's Italian, I realized she was full Italian just this Christmas, she discovered it too. We thought Viola _wasn't_ Italian, but her mom stated that she really was. Now not only has Valerie's paternal grandfather been a part of the Italian Mafia, we also discovered that her mother's dad, now deceased, was _also_ somehow involved. In a rival family!" Beck laughed briskly and looked over as Jonah strummed on his guitar. He wanted to sing an Italian love song to Valerie through the band and learned the lyrics as he learned the language. It was difficult, but he did it. The song was _Tu Per Me_ and the band was going to let him sing while they played. Freddie would help with backup, but not much, as he didn't know the language.

"So this will be another night of one of you singing and the others not?"

"Pretty much, they never learned the language. I _had_ to learn the language! We had an Italian wedding. Her family sticks true to their Italian heritage." He had to say, he would have loved to be Italian like she was, and it felt sad now that she had the name _Brown_ instead of her typical Italian name. "You know, her family goes by the English equivalent of their last name."

"Why?"

"It's so hard to say. Try saying it, _Guglielmo_. I couldn't even pronounce it right until I practiced it for a long ass time!" He laughed. Beck attempted to say the name, but failed miserably. "See, I told you it was hard. Even for you, and you say you're Italian!" Beck coughed and grabbed some water from the wooden stool. He brought it to his lips and sighed as he tried to say the name again, managing to say it correctly this time around.

"I am. My parents are _both_ Italian, which makes me full Italian…I get the skin from the sun…" Jonah chuckled and folded his arms over. "You know, if you wanted to pay homage to her heritage, you could always change your last name to fit its Italian equivalent. The name is Bruno, but for the color, you have Marrone or Castagno. Marrone being a type of chestnut and Castagno referring to the brown of chestnuts." Jonah raised his eyebrow and rubbed the back of his neck, thinking curiously on the subject.

"Bruno? Seriously?"

"Jonah Bruno, Valerie Bruno, Aaron Bruno…" Jonah made a sour look and Beck laughed once more. "Castagno and Marrone do sound better, don't they? Jonah Castagno, Valerie Castagno, Aaron Castagno…or Jonah Marrone." He tilted his head and pressed his lips together, he wondered if he ought to consider changing his name. He never did much research into his family's genealogy actually, and Castagno _really_ sounded nice for his name. A little too nice, so much so that it was suspicious. Michael Castagno, Denise Castagno, his parents could have been Castagnos!

"Castagno does have a nice ring, actually."

"Anyway, let's get back to you guys discovering Valerie's full Italian. Her parents were children of the Mafia, on rival families?"

"Yes. Apparently her mother's family changed their last names in order to avoid conflict. Therefore Vincent and Viola are both full Italian. It surely explains my wife's crushing death grip when she was giving birth to Aaron." Beck laughed again and Jonah's eyes narrowed.

"Nice. You know, you think you could be Italian? I mean, you do have the accent for it."

"I've never noticed."

"Well it's more evident when you speak the language. For instance, sing that song you want to sing her. I'll sing the lyrics back to you in English if you'd like."

"Okay…" Jonah set his guitar down next to him and slowly stood up as Beck placed his glass on the stool and started up the record player. He then returned to his guitar and began playing, Jonah prepared himself. _Io per te faro le cose, che nessuno ha fatto mai! E per te darò la vita, se tu un giorno lo vorrai."_

Beck closed his eyes and bopped his head gently as he sang out the English lyrics for Jonah. Jonah did note a rich accent coming from his own voice, but wasn't too sure. He'd have to wait until the playback. He continued his song, keeping on par with Beck's playing. He would take pride in this and hoped that Valerie would come to love it.

"_Io per te andrò lassù, ed accenderò una stella. E con lei poi verrò giù, per stupirti se sarai sveglia._" Beck sang out the English lyrics again and Jonah felt his heart rising, this truly was the perfect song for Valerie, and completely romantic. He'd sang of going up to retrieve a star for his love. "_E abbracciami…e comincia a sorridere, accanto a me, non puoi più piangere. E stringimi, ti serverà a vivere e a crescere insieme a me._" In English, it was to hold her close, and for her to hold him and grow with him.

"You're doing great Jonah, keep going." Beck wasn't sure how this would go at the performance, but he did have a good feeling. The song itself was romantic, whether you knew what someone was saying or not. It was interesting to think, Jonah and Valerie being Italian, Sam and Freddie being Hindu, however Italian and Hindu mixed was story enough, but it was great nonetheless.

"_Io con te sarò per sempre giovane, e con te vivrò un tempo utile, poi con te volerò sopra la nuvole, con te mai freddo io avrò._" To live together, forever young and to fly above the clouds, singing that with Valerie, he would never be cold. He took a deep breath as Beck continued to strum the guitar. "_Tu per me, sit u per me, solo tu per me._" What he was saying was she was for him, only her, for him.

"Thank god there aren't any girls here Jonah, they might swoon over you." Jonah laughed heartily and continued onwards.

"_E abbaracciami…e comincia a sorriedere, accanto a me, non puoi più piangere. E stringimi, ti servirà a vivere, e a crescere insieme a me._" The song seemed to slow just a bit as Jonah sang the final lyrics of the song, Valerie was the only thing on his mind. He smiled and folded his arms over as Beck set the guitar to the side and handed him the tape recorder.

"Here man, this is yours. You did a fantastic job, play it back and let's hear it." Jonah nodded and hit the play button. When the song came over, he had to check again just to make sure it was him, his Italian accent was coming out thick as ever! Beck nodded and clicked his tongue. "Uh huh, I knew I heard it in your voice when you talked, just singing, it comes out a lot more." It didn't make sense at all to him, but he never actually thought to ask his parents about their heritage.

"That's news to me, honestly."

"Why? Where did you think you were from? Ever look into your background any?"

"Nope, never." He wanted to get to the bottom of this, and stat. After all, if he was Italian, then why hadn't he ever figured that out? "I guess I never paid any attention, I never noticed an accent from mom and dad either."

"So then, get to the bottom of it if you want. You could be full or half Italian and not even know it." Jonah laughed and took his seat again, his hand played with the cell phone in his pocket. He was seriously debating calling up his father. Beck smirked and tilted his head to the side. "Come on man, you know you want to. Curiosity, sometimes you _should_ let it get the better of you." Beck laughed and Jonah rolled his eyes, smiling quietly.

"Fine, I'll call dad."

"Good! This should be entertaining!"

"Yeah, yeah…" He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed his father's number. Michael answered the phone within three rings. "Hey dad, how's Aaron?"

"Aaron's great, Olivia and Denise have been spoiling them to tears though."

"Careful there, I don't want Valerie coming home to find her son's been spoiled to death." The two men laughed and Beck's eyebrows rose to the humor. After a minute, Jonah clicked the phone onto speaker and set it down in his lap. "Anyway, I'm wondering something here. Listen to this…"

"Okay." Jonah played the recording back and Michael gasped softly. "Who is the love song for, son? Valerie, I presume?"

"Oh yes, how did you know it was a love song."

"It sounded so beautiful, just like an Italian love song should be. You have a very nice singing voice."

"Yeah…" He was just going to come out with it now, he didn't care for anything but knowing his heritage. "Hey Dad, am I in any way Italian? I think it would be nice to know, and why do I _not_ know?" He heard his father sigh, a certain heaviness detected. His eyebrow arched up and he waited for his father's response.

"Actually son, you are Italian. Full blooded Italian." His jaw dropped and Beck moved his eyes over, his lips were twitching into a triumphant smirk. "We're of the Castagno family, son. Your grandfather, my dad, was an immigrant from Italy in the 1960s. Ryan Castagno and his wife, Bella Acardi. Your mother's family was the same, Bruno Cattaneo and Norma Cavallo. Both came over to Italy around 1965, so your mom and I were just babies."

"Why didn't I _know_ this!"

"Well truth is, we didn't know till we were older either. Our parents, in an attempt to gain American citizenship quicker, had their last names changed. So my dad changed our family name to Brown, your mother to Bryant. Your mom and I had known each other since we were children, as our parents knew each other in Italy."

"I can't believe…I didn't know this…"

"Well, I guess you have to keep up with tradition, huh? Marrying someone Italian seems fitting." He could feel his father's teasing smirk coming from the phone. This wasn't earth shattering news at all, he actually found it to be very nice to know, all things considered.

"Yeah, I'm glad I know this now, I mean, it makes me want to look more into the family's ancestry!"

"Well I'd love to go through all that with you sometime, son. Maybe when you get home, we'll go through the family history. You know, the Castagno family were mostly farmers. That explains the hard working blood that we have."

"Yeah it does, actually. Anyway, uh…I'd like to talk more, but I have to practice, but…we are _definitely_ going over all this when I get home. Just so you know, all right?"

"I got it, Jonah. I'd be happy to."

"Thanks." He hung up the phone and stared at Beck, he was so shocked that words were not coming out of his mouth. Beck grinned and leaned back, folding his arms across his chest.

"So what did I tell you? You are definitely Italian. Castagno fits perfectly too!" Beck laughed and Jonah did a double take. What could he tell Valerie? She'd probably be just as excited to hear it, though chances were, she already knew about it.

"Well if I'm Italian, I'll state it proudly. I'm happy to be whatever I am, you know. So it turns out, I am indeed Italian, my son's Italian, and now Valerie's grandpa will probably want to teach me to shoot a gun…" Beck laughed again and pat Jonah on the shoulder.

"Okay man, the Italian Mafia isn't _that_ scary."

"Oh what do you know! You haven't been a part of it."

"Neither have you man."

"Touché…"

"I hope you guys are ready for tonight, you're going up against a band from Texas. They're all country and southern."

"That's fine. We're doing heritage songs. I'm doing that Italian song, then we're going to do a Hindu song, and then we're finishing off with Celtic Thunder's _Heartland_."

"Ooh that is a _good_ song!"

"Yep, hopefully tonight, we'll rock the house."

"I believe you will man, I believe you will." With a grin, the two friends shook hands, wishing each other luck in tonight's competition. They knew without a doubt that the other team would make it, they were of full confidence, considering they wanted to face off in the finals.

* * *

Hm, so, Jonah's discovering a little about his heritage, but perhaps there's something more. Something his father _isn't_ telling him. I guess we'll have to see.


	193. Celebrating Our Love

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This chapter's going to be a little different, the song playing won't be played by the band later on, it's just simply playing in the background. You'll see why. I don't intend to show band competitions until the final day.

* * *

Chapter 193 (Celebrate our Love)

Carly and Griffin walked hand in hand down the streets of LA, they were heading to an under eighteen dance club. They set up a private room to sit and talk or, in their mind, slow dance the night away. They just wanted to cuddle, that was all. They had grown closer after Carly confronted Steven. Even Freddie told them what happened when Steven tried to confront him, there was no problem, but that was the furthest thing from their mind.

As they made their way to the large brick building with a front entrance that had blue LED lights pouring onto a red carpet, Carly rested her head upon Griffin's shoulder and wrapped her arm around his. They had nothing but good news for each other. "Griffin, do I make you happy?" Griffin smiled and nodded his head.

"Of course you do. I hope I make you happy. I love you."

"You do, and I love you." Marissa and Robert told them earlier in the day, they were planning to talk to Griffin's family about the culture. If the parents accepted, then it was very likely that he would be chosen as Carly's husband. If not, then Griffin would not be considered. His family had already met her numerous times, they liked her, so hopefully they would approve. The doting couple had every bit of confidence that they would.

When they entered the establishment, Griffin asked the front guard where their room would be. He pointed down the hall and stated the door was the first on the left. Making their way down the hall they thought about how today's battle went. Just like yesterday, Jonah's song won the hearts of the judges, the performance they did today also won the judges over. This was their celebratory date. Sam and Freddie were out somewhere, Gibby and Tasha were elsewhere, and Jonah was taking a nap in the hotel room. "I kind of feel bad for Jonah, you know? We're all out and his wife is over a thousand miles away.

"Yeah, but at least they're together in heart. I know he misses her and she misses him too. I bet when she gets her time off, they'll be really happy."

"Yeah, I'm imagining them reuniting after all this time, something tells me their love will be plentiful or something." He smirked as they entered into the room and shut the door. The room was square and had a couch in sitting a few feet away from a television propped against the left wall. There was a red oval rug in the center of the room and a bed against the far end of the wall. On the right side of the room was a buffet table that the servers put fresh food in for their arrival. The walls were painted crème and the floor had sand colored tiles. "Oh my god…" On the ceiling were two speakers, connected to a large radio next to the door.

"It's so beautiful!"

"I'll say!" He moved over to the food and Carly put her hands to her hips, smiling at him. He was always hungry, always eating, so it didn't surprise her to see him heading there first. "I see why we had to make a reservation, look at this gourmet food!" She moved over as Griffin grabbed a plate and started to put a piece of German Chocolate cake on it.

"Yeah, the food does look good actually." She moved her fingers along the white tablecloth and looked over to the radio with longing, she wanted to dance with him. "Do you think maybe we can dance? You know I already ate." He looked to her and set the plate down on the table, smiling at her.

"Of course, I'm not all that hungry myself. I guess the buffet table's just a courtesy." She chuckled and watched him run over to the radio and turn it on. Her lips curled up as a recognizable song began to play. _Tonight, I celebrate my love_, by Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack. Griffin looked to her and made his way towards her, holding his hand out, palm upwards. "Shall we dance?" Her heart swelled and her eyes began to water, she didn't know why she was feeling emotional, maybe it was the song. She carefully wrapped her arms around Griffin's neck and locked her eyes with his as he put his hands to her waist.

_Tonight, I celebrate my love for you  
It seems the natural thing to do  
Tonight, no one's gonna find us  
We'll leave the world behind us  
When I make love to you_

"I want you to know, I love this song." She leaned close to him and kept her eyes with his. His eyes were filled with such wonder, such love, she could not escape them if she tried. He moved closer and brushed his nose with hers. It tickled. She giggled and sighed softly, melting in his arms.

"You've always been a romantic, Carly. I love that about you." A blush rose to her cheeks as they swayed to the right. "I want you to know that no matter what happens in this world, I will always love you. Nothing can ever tear us apart. Just like your brother and his fiancé, of course." Her lips curled upwards some more and her eyes sparkled into his. She took a deep breath and felt her body starting to heat up.

"I feel the same. I'm so glad that Mom and Dad are going to consider you. I don't know if I could be without you even if they said no…what if your parents say no?" She wasn't as confident as Griffin, she was as scared as a puppy left outside in the rain. It hurt her to imagine herself without him, but she wouldn't be surprised if it came down to that. "If that happens, you and I can't be-"

_Tonight, I celebrate my love for you  
And hope, that deep inside you'll feel it too  
Tonight, our spirits will be climbing  
To a sky lit up with diamonds  
When I make love to you, tonight_

"Carly." He brought his hand up and gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. Her cheeks burned with pleasure as she felt him slide his fingers along her cheek. She closed her eyes and exhaled. "Don't be afraid. You've been afraid of so many things ever since we started dating, and I understand why. You've been hurt, you've gone through things that can't be undone, you always act so cheerful and happy, but inside, you're frightened. Just as a young puppy fears abandonment from the ones she loves, so do you. Don't be afraid. You know you can trust me, and my family loves you."

"Well Dad's family loved mom until Grandpa started to get angry about something. So…"

"Does my family look like them?" Griffin smirked slightly and Carly stared at him, her eyes quivered and started to water. "I don't care what happens, I'm always going to love you. Even if it takes thirty years, my love for you will never stop." Carly smiled at the play on her parents' relationship.

"Impressive…"

"What?"

"You've been nothing but supportive of me. Even after you found out about Steven, I don't know how many guys could do that…"

"Then maybe I'm one of a kind."

"Maybe…" Her heart jumped in her chest and she tentatively reached up to him. Their lips pressed together and her heart flared. She felt a sense of passion that she never felt before, rushing through her veins. It struck her heart and increased her pulse rate. She felt his strong arms around his waist and moaned gently, losing herself.

_Tonight, I celebrate my love for you  
And that midnight sun is gonna come shining through  
Tonight, there'll be no distance between us  
What I want most to do is to get close to you, tonight_

When she pulled her lips from his, she gazed at him with longing. She wanted to be in his arms forever, to know that he would never leave her. To be one, to have their hearts join together, that was all she could think of. Was it wrong to want that? She knew Griffin wouldn't take advantage of her, he wouldn't do anything that she didn't want. He wouldn't go too far unless she wanted him to.

She reached forward and kissed him once more, then took a step back. She felt her legs touch the bed, so she slowly moved backwards, gently pulling Griffin down with her. Griffin raised an eyebrow and lifted his head up, gazing into her eyes. "Carly?" Would he leave her? If she gave herself to him, a sign that she trusted him, would he see it?

"You wouldn't leave me, would you?"

"Never."

"Promise me…if I gave myself to you, you would still be here…"

"Carly…"

"Promise."

"I promise you, I would never leave you."

_Tonight, I celebrate my love for you  
And soon, this old world will seem brand new  
Tonight, we will both discover  
How friends turn into lovers, when I make love to you_

"Are you sure about this, Carly?" She wiped a tear from her eye and nodded, her heart was using every bit of energy to pound. The sound of her heartbeat was practically louder than the song on the radio. "We don't have to do this, we can wait."

"I know, and I love that you would. I said I wanted to wait until the right person, and…I think maybe you're that person." She felt the bed shift as he carefully moved over her. "I don't want to think the one time I've done it was with Steven because we lost control of ourselves…I want a different memory…"

"You want to have the say, then?"

"More than anything…and I'm saying that I want to be on with you. I love you Griffin, and only you, no one else."

"I love you too, Carly. You're beautiful, you have a great heart, and I'm lucky to have you here with me. I know we're meant for each other, we have to be. I'll stay right here by your side, through thick and thin."

"Thank you."

She felt him lower his body against hers and grunt as he gently moved his lips to hers. She sighed and moved her hands to his back, tilting her head as he started to kiss down her jaw. Just this once, that was all she wanted, nothing more. Any other time, they could wait until marriage, but tonight would be that new memory and a symbol of her love with Griffin. Slow, gentle, and passionate, that was what tonight would be all about. She closed her eyes and moaned as the subtle sensation of his fingers gliding smoothly up her sides moved through her. It was like a dream, a perfect dream.

_Tonight, I celebrate my love for you  
And that midnight sun is gonna come shining through  
Tonight, there'll be no distance between us  
What I want most to do is to get close to you_

Tonight, I celebrate my love for you, tonight…

A few hours later, Carly awoke and felt warmth next to her along with the scent of sweat and pheromones. She looked over and saw her shirtless boyfriend lying next to her. She smiled brightly and moved her arm over his chest, then nudged his neck, kissing it tenderly. He opened his right eye and smiled at her. He draped his arm around her and kissed her forehead. "Hey beautiful, how are you feeling? I hope you're feeling good."

"I've never felt better." She couldn't believe it, he was still here! She didn't doubt him any, but it still felt great to see him. She stretched and rubbed his chest with her hand. She was still reeling over what happened, she loved the feeling of his hands along her body and their hearts joining together to be one. "What time is it?"

"It's uh…" Griffin moved his arm up and looked to his wristwatch. His eyebrows rose and the color in his face started to drain. "It's one in the morning."

"Oh shit!" She quickly sat up and held the blankets to her chest. She hadn't planned for that, the others were probably trying to find them now and chances were, they'd be getting pissed about it. "The girls and I were supposed to discuss tomorrow's song! Also Dan isn't going to be happy that two of the band's members are missing…"

"So, what do we do, because we're obviously in trouble?" The two looked at each other and began laughing. Sure things looked bad, but at least they knew it would work out for them. "I'll get my phone." He moved from the bed and grabbed his jeans from the floor. Once he pulled his phone from the side pocket, he found five missed calls.

"How bad is it?"

"Let's just say everyone's _probably_ not going to be happy with us. Question is, do we tell your brother what happened tonight?"

"Even if we didn't, they'd probably figure it out…but let's not chance it. I don't think they need to know, just say we lost track of time."

"All right, fair enough." He checked the voicemail and sifted through Jonah's calling him and asking where they were, then Freddie's message, then a message left by Dan. "None of them are happy that we're missing."

"I figured." She watched his lips curl into a smile and raised her eyebrow. "Curious…why are you smiling?"

"Because of this voicemail." He clicked the speaker on and Carly listened eagerly, it was from her mom.

_"Carly and Griffin, we called both of your phones, hoping to catch one of you, but I guess you guys are asleep. We'll get you tomorrow, but we just want to say that Robert and I talked to Griffin's parents. They're all for you two being together, let's talk more about this tomorrow or when you get home, all right? We love you sweetie, goodnight!"_

"Oh my god, I can't believe it!" She squealed and practically tackled Griffin, overcome with joy. They laughed and kissed each other, but stopped after a minute, so as to avoid going overboard again. Griffin's phone rang once more and he winced at it. Carly chuckled nervously as he answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Griffin!" Freddie's voice echoed from the phone, causing Griffin to pull the phone away from his ear. Carly cringed and whistled softly. "Where the hell_ are_ you guys? Are you guys all right? We've been running up the walls getting worried about you two."

"We're fine man, don't worry. We just lost track of time and danced together a little later than planned." They waited as a silence wafted from the phone. After a minute, he finally responded.

"Griffin. Nothing happened, right? Do I need to introduce you to Sam's uncle?" Griffin paled briefly and Carly giggled, they knew Morris wouldn't do anything considering he wasn't protective of Carly, but the thought was still scary enough.

"No, everything's fine, there's no need for that. We'll be back at the hotel soon. See you guys in just a bit."

"All right, I'll let the others know." Once Freddie hung up, Griffin slowly looked to Carly, smiling at her.

"Thanks, you just got me in trouble with your brother." She laughed and tapped his cheek, kissing him tenderly.

"No charge necessary for that either. You know you love me."

"Yes I do, now let's get dressed and get back to the hotel before they get even more suspicious and pissed." She watched him struggling to put his pants back on and shook her head, resisting the urge to laugh at the sight.

"Good plan. Oh, and Griffin?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you…" He looked to her and smiled softly. He gave her a nod and gently pulled his pants up his legs.

* * *

Hmm, well, I certainly hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	194. Love Don't Run

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: This chapter's going to be a little different as well, the 12th of January, this song will go out to all the couples. It's called _Love Don't Run_, by Steve Holy. Of course I don't own it.

* * *

Chapter 194 (Love Don't Run)

Freddie grabbed the microphone as the lights pouring onto him caused the sweat to run down his neck. He wasn't nervous, he had every intention of winning this night. It was the final night. They were going up against Andre's band in the finals and they had a line-up of five songs to perform. The opposing band just sang _Make it Shine_, which was evidently Tori's golden song. In response to that, Freddie's band sang _Leave it to me_. Those were only the first songs, both teams blew the audience away with rock anthems, classic songs, and popular hits, but now they were on the last song of the night. Whichever team won, the next day would be spent celebrating that team's victory, then on the 14th, it was time to go back to Seattle.

"This song, maybe you'll recognize it, goes out to all the couples out there today. Those who are going through hell, those who are struggling, those who need that assurance, and even those who are continuing to grow closer…maybe there's something holding you back, maybe you need confirmation of something, or maybe you just want to profess how you feel." He turned his eyes to Carly and Griffin, then to Jonah, not even Jonah's relationship was perfect. Jonah was just telling him how Valerie had started to fear Jonah's leaving him over her grandfather having been a part of the mafia. Even today, she wondered if he would fear her grandfather, but he never would.

Freddie turned his eyes to Andre's band and smiled at them. Andre actually told Tori how he felt about her and she agreed to think about it, but first she wanted time to be single. Beck and Jade had been going through a rough patch, so maybe this song would lift their spirits a bit more. He returned his gaze to the audience and met Sam's eyes. "If a relationship can withstand the test of time, if a relationship can go through all the obstacles, all the turmoil, all the pain, and embrace all the joy and love, then you know it's meant to be. So to every single couple out there, enjoy _Love Don't Run_, by Steve Holy, performed today by The Imperial Fireballs. If it moves you, feel free to sing with us."

He closed his eyes as the band started the song. Jeremy put the lyrics on a screen behind the band. From the bottom of his heart, Freddie began the lyrics. The boys followed his lead, singing gently with him.

_this is gonna hurt, this is gonna hurt like hell,  
this is gonna damn near kill me,  
sometimes the truth ain't easy_

Carly opened her eyes and looked to Griffin, playing the guitar along with the music. He looked handsome beneath the lights, his mere presence took her breath away. He promised her so much in the last night, in the entirety of their relationship, she finally did know where he stood. Then again, why should she ever question where he stood?

She turned her gaze to Tasha and Sam, both girls were watching their men with love gleaming in their eyes. Sam always told her how scared she'd been, but her relationship with Freddie weathered through so much over the years that they had a bond that could never possibly be broken. She wanted that so much with Griffin, maybe it would happen for her.

Her eyes moved to the opposing band, Andre and Beck were already singing along. Beck's arm was around Jade's shoulders and her head was resting on his left shoulder. Tori was smiling and resting her head on Andre's shoulder, a tear rolled down her cheek and her chest rose as she drew in a breath. She was happy for Jade and Tori, she was completely certain they would be happier now.

_i know that you're scared of telling me something  
i don't wanna hear, baby, believe that i'm not leaving,  
you couldn't give me one good reason_

Valerie watched the television with tears rolling down her cheeks, her breathing slowed as Rachael moved over to her. "Is everything okay, Valerie?" She looked up to her mentor and smiled, wiping her eyes.

"It's just this song…Jonah sang it to me the other night when he sang that Italian song."

"You're lucky to have that man, he really loves you."

"I know…" She sniffed and watched her husband on the stage, she couldn't be prouder of him than she was in that moment. She was never doubtful of his love for her, but she did remain curious as to what he could withstand. "He told me the other night that he was full Italian as well, of the Castagno family." Her breath escaped her once more as she folded her arms across her chest. "What he doesn't know is…his grandfather opened a business and my grandfather 'bought' it from him. They didn't get along very well…"

"Oh dear. So what does that mean?"

"It means our grandfathers hate each other…So, Jonah…" Rachael laughed briskly and Valerie quickly turned her wide eyes to her mentor. How could she just laugh it off as nothing to worry about? Rachael pat her on the back and gave her a soft, reassuring smile.

"Valerie, listen to the song. Jonah's been with you for so long, you two have a _son_ together. That man loves you more than this world, even I can see that. The chances of his leaving you because of your grandfather or his grandfather are rather slim, don't you think?"

"You think so?"

"Consider it for a while…" Valerie nodded and looked to Jonah and smiled as her heart started to rise inside her. She knew her mentor was right, what was she thinking? Jonah would never leave her, no matter what. They were practically like Romeo and Juliet, the Mafia version, even if they didn't know it.

_love don't run, love don't hide,  
it won't turn away or back down from a fight  
baby, i'm right here, and i ain't going anywhere  
love's too tough, won't give up, no not on us  
baby, love don't run_

Marissa and Robert worked their way through the kitchen, trying to get it cleaned up. The house was in need of being cleaned and they wanted to get it done before their kids came back home. When Robert looked in the living room at the live showing of the band, he smiled and turned his head back to Marissa, who was busy wiping down the counter. "Marissa, let's take a break."

"What?" She turned her head up to him, glaring at him as if he had two heads. He chuckled and motioned his hand into the living room.

"Let's take a break. There's plenty of time to clean. Besides, what's a few minutes in each other's arms? Take a break and listen to this song. My song to you, if you will…" She paused and listened to the music, smiling to herself as she let it overtake her and move her towards her husband. He took her hand and led her into the living room. "You know, I love this song."

"I thought you were a fan of Nickelback?"

"Oh I am, but this is a perfect song." He put his arms around her waist as she moved hers around his neck. Their eyes locked together as they swayed slowly from side to side. "I'm so happy to hold you."

"Yeah, I always thought after all this time, with all my baggage, you wouldn't want to deal with me."

"But I love you, and like the song does say, Marissa. Love doesn't run away from a problem."

"True. I admire that, it takes a strong man to go through all that baggage and still stick around."

"There are a lot of strong men around these days, it seems."

Spencer and Sasha walked into the living room and smiled at them. Spencer put his arm around Sasha's shoulders and she lifted her eyes to his, smiling brightly. "Shall we dance too, Sasha?"

"If that's what you want."

"Then let's dance." Mimicking his father, he pulled his wife into an embrace and gazed lovingly into her eyes. They shared a brief kiss as their swaying movements synced with Robert and Marissa.

_let's lay it on the line, i don't care if it takes all night,  
this is gonna make us stronger,  
it's gonna make forever longer,  
i know it'd be easier walking away but,  
what we got is real, and i wanna save us,  
baby, we can do it, baby, we'll get through it_

"Morris, why do you love me? Why put up with everything?" Morris and Maggie were sitting on the porch swing that was on their back porch. Morris had left arm around her shoulders and looked over to see her looking down at her lap. The window was open, so they could hear the band playing from the television. Maggie stood up and walked over to a plant on the porch, frantically adjusting its leaves. "I think this plant's dying, Morris. I've tried to save it…"

"If it dies, it dies. A plant's life isn't eternal, it isn't long lasting, it is simply ready to go whenever." Maggie frowned and looked over to Morris with sad eyes, he knew she hated to see her plants die off. She had gone to gardening in order to help her quit smoking. "Not like love, you know. That's forever, when it's real. You ask why I love you, why did I put up with your chain smoking when I loathed it, why I dealt with you being a depressed wreck a few years ago, and all that…The answer's simple. I love you. You have a great heart, you're a kind, caring woman, and to top it off, you care more about other people than anyone I've ever met. You made a great mother when raising Greg and Annie, you're a great aunt and you're helping Sam and Melanie more than they could have ever hoped for. You're the greatest woman I've ever known. Of _course_ I would love you."

"Morris, I love you too…it's just…" She moved her eyes to the side and started to whine. "I don't know, lately I've been feeling like…Morris, the cravings are starting to come back." He could see the pain in her eyes when she said that. In the past, they had many fights over her smoking and sometimes he would get too angry about it. She was afraid of that coming back. "I'm sorry, Morris."

"Maggie…" He smiled at her and pat the swing, it was long enough that she could lay on him if she wanted. "Come here, tell me what's on your mind. I promise you, it's okay." She sniffed and smiled at him. She moved to him and sat next to him, then turned and leaned back against his chest. As she brought her legs to the bench, he moved his arm around her shoulders and took her hand in his. "We'll work through it, Maggie. You've been fighting the cravings for a cigarette all this time, what's bringing those cravings back?"

"I don't know…you know the usual gas station we go to?"

"Yeah, I know of it."

"It seems like every time I go inside, someone's smoking there now. It wasn't like that before, but now it's like…customers and employees, they're always smoking. I hate it. It makes me want to smoke, and the rack of cigarettes behind the cashier's stand doesn't help anything."

"I see." He leaned his head back and sighed as she closed her eyes. Maybe it was time to change gas stations. "If it's causing you so much trouble, then we need to change gas stations. Simple as that, either that, or let me get the gas. We'll get through everything, Maggie, you don't need to be afraid to tell me these things."

"I know, it's just…I didn't want to start fighting about cigarettes." He smiled at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, then kissed her forehead.

"Baby, those days are gone, they have been since at least October. Nothing's going to change that, we're stronger than the issues that we could ever face. Does that make sense?" He watched her lips curl upwards and smiled as she turned around and cuddled his chest.

"Yes. Thank you, Morris."

"I love you, baby."

"I love you too."

_'cause love don't run, love don't hide,  
it won't turn away or back down from a fight,  
baby, i'm right here, and i ain't going anywhere,  
love's too tough, it won't give up, no not on us  
baby, love don't run  
baby, love don't run  
_  
"Your aunt and uncle have a lot of love for one another, don't they?" Kyle asked as he and Melanie cuddled on the couch in front of the television. Melanie followed his gaze out the window and smiled at Morris and Maggie.

"Yeah, yeah they do. Everyone I know seems to have a lot of love for one another. I think it's amazing." She held his hand on the cushion and rested her head on his shoulder. "Like you…You stayed with me through thick and thin. I mean, most men would have backed off once they realized their girlfriend's aunt took her away and that she had family elsewhere." Kyle chuckled and smirked briskly at her, kissing her lips in one swift motion.

"I guess I'm not most men, then. Am I right?"

With a giggle, she agreed. "It takes a strong man to put up with it, I guess I have a strong man…"

"I guess you do."

"You can tell me anything, Mel. Anything and Everything, and I can guarantee you, I will stand by you through everything. Loving you, holding you, no matter what…You're stuck with me." She smiled at him and brought her hand to his face, gazing into his love filled, strong eyes.

"I love you." She closed her eyes and kissed his lips, a hero's kiss, if one wanted to look at it that way. She wanted him to know just how much she trusted him, just how much she loved him, and there was no changing her mind about that fact.

_so come over here and lay down in my arms,  
baby, tell me everything that's on your heart,_

Tyrone and Angeline stood in front of the graves of her parents, behind them was Tyrone's silver car. The radio was on a low volume, playing off LA's battle of the bands. He looked to Angeline as tears rolled down her cheeks. He could see she was struggling to say something, she had been for a while now. He was guessing it had to do with her father, as that man was the one who was always abusive.

The truth of the matter was, he had an idea of what it was. Her father often threatened her for ever marrying him in the first place, but it wasn't like she could help who she fell in love with. He would constantly threaten to beat her, to cut her, and that's why she stayed away from him when she married Tyrone. Their last time spent together the other day, she had bent over and her shirt lifted up her back briefly. It was then that he saw what looked like a faded scar on her. There was evidence of others. When he started to say something, she pulled her shirt down and gave him a look, as if hoping he didn't see anything.

He'd been going to the therapist for the past couple of days. Dr. Parper wanted a few days of sessions before moving to twice a week, and then once a week, and then he hoped to have Tyrone and Angeline come in together at some point of time. Angeline kicked some dirt onto the weeds around her father's grave and slowly nudged her head upwards.

"Why would you leave me to face that monster, Tyrone?" His eyes fell as her words stung his heart. "I really was better off dead once I lost you…I don't know why I lived." She turned to him, her eyes narrow with pain and filled with guilt. He swallowed hard as she slowly shook her head. "I don't know what it is you still see in me, if anything at all. You claim to love me, would you love me still if you knew the things that happened to me because of your anger?"

His eyes misted over as she turned around and gazed off into the distance. Far away, there was the Virgin Mary, it still had a darker coating on its arm, from the blood that Nora stained on it. "I don't blame what my father did on you, Tyrone. I hope you know that. It's hard to blame the person you love for the shit your father does. Then again…"

The meaning of her words hurt, but it was clear she was referring to Devlin's lies and their effect. She closed her eyes and started to roll the back of her shirt up. Tyrone's eyes widened as he saw the numerous scars revealed on her back. What did that asshole do to her? "When our relationship ended, my father decided to punish me based off of my disobeying him and being with you. He struck me with a whip and a switchblade while mom did nothing but stand there and cry." She lowered her shirt and looked away from him, expecting him to leave. "So now you know what I dealt with, and that I still suffer from the depression and the withdrawal. I have a lot of anger, a lot of grief…do you _still_ want to try and deal with that, Tyrone? Do you?"

"Angel…I'm sorry that I broke my promise to you." He slowly reached forward and tangled his hand with hers. She gasped and looked over at him, her eyes filled with confusion as they searched his eyes. "I made a mistake letting you go. I promised to keep you from your father, to love you forever and to take care of you. Now we're in our early seventies, which means I missed thirty years of holding you, of loving you, of telling you that you're my one and only…I know my mistake, and it was a grave one, but I…I still want to be with you and I deserve your anger. You have every right to be angry at me."

"I'm not all that angry at _you_, Tyrone. There are a few things, but…to think you know the risks and you still want to try and be with me. You see those scars and you still want to be with me…"

"Scars, physical wounds and appearances, they don't have any influence on the way I feel. I won't run from you and I'm not going to give up on you and me."

"You so stole that from that song playing in the car…"

"I know, but it's the truth." She smiled lightly as he pulled her into a soft hug. She moved her fingers to his shoulder and sobbed once as he stared down at the grave of her father. "He can't hurt you anymore, Angel. He can never hurt you again."

"Neither can your father, Tyrone…"

"I know. I know."  
_cause i won't run, i won't hide,  
i won't turn away, i just wanna make things right  
baby, i'm right here, and i ain't going anywhere,  
love's too tough, it won't give up, no not on us  
baby, love don't run  
baby, love don't run  
baby, love don't run_

As the band finished the song, Freddie opened his eyes and watched the crowd stand up and applaud. Several girls in the crowd started cheering and calling out for the men, to which Carly, Sam, and Tasha all glared at them or started swatting them aside. Jonah rolled his eyes and smiled as he spoke into the microphone "Questa canzone è per te, Valerie, il mio unico e solo amore! Niente ci potrà mai separe." Freddie looked to Jonah, who was smirking with pride.

"What the hell did you just say?"

"I said that song was to Valerie, my one and only love. Oh, and that nothing would ever tear us apart." He looked to the crowd at the disappointed girls, each of them huffed and one shook her fist in the air.

"Not fair! Even the hot Italian stud-muffin is taken!" Jonah laughed and pointed out to the crowd.

"Be careful there, my wife's family comes from the Italian Mafia." The girl gasped and her hands flew to her throat.

"Nevermind! I think this Valerie chick is a nice, _lovely_ girl! She's very lucky to have you!"

Freddie shook his head and looked over as Andre, Beck, Tori, Cat, and Jade walked up to them, all smiles. Andre gave Freddie a high five and laughed. "I don't care who wins this right now, we are _still_ buying you guys dinner tomorrow. That last song was awesome."

"Thanks Andre." The announcer stepped onto the stage and cleared his throat, he had an envelope in his hand and a microphone in the other.

"I agree, it was a very sentimental and moving song. You entire performance tonight and throughout the week was moving, that's just my opinion. Let's see how the judges feel!" After some cheering from the bands and the audience, the host opened up the envelope and smiled. "And the winner of the Battle of the Bands is…" His hand flew up over Freddie and the others and their hearts quickly jumped with joy. "The Imperial Fireballs! Congratulations! This has been a very entertaining week indeed!" Freddie and Andre smiled as the others on the stage cheered out their enthusiasm, nobody could be dissatisfied with that decision. Andre pat Freddie's back and smirked.

"So, what steakhouse do you want?" Freddie laughed and folded his arms over, grinning happily at his friend.

"I don't care where, just as long as we can all hang. You guys were great this week."

"So were you, you won."

"Eh, I'm going to guess it was a close call, because I was thinking you guys would win. How about we treat you guys to your dinner and you guys treat us to ours, make it a fair deal?"

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

Prepare for the next chapter


	195. Sleeping Lion Awakens

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 195 (Sleeping Lion Awakens)

"Spencer!" Marissa's shout rang through Spencer's home as she barged into the living room. Spencer's head shot up and hit the kitchen cabinet, causing him to sound off his pain. With a rushing heart, Marissa hurried into the kitchen. "Spencer, Mitchell Shay's vanished! I got the report, just a few hours ago a guard from the prison he was transferred to stated that he was told to kill the man." Spencer's eyebrow rose and panic began to spread throughout his body. It was just like that dream of his. He glanced at the calendar and his eyes widened.

"Friday the 13th, January…Do you think Lionel?"

"It would be about time if it were him. You think he's involved in that prison?"

"Maybe the warden…Leo Benne ring a bell to you?" She nodded and quickly grabbed her phone. She knew if Lionel was moving into action, they needed to get every Shay out of the way. She didn't know of any Shay besides Tyrone that Lionel would go after, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to look. First things first, however, she wanted to be sure this Leo Benne was Lionel. "Who are you calling?"

"The prison." She dialed the number and put the receiver to her ear. Eventually the phone was answered by a guard. The guard introduced himself and the prison, then asked what he could do to help. "This is Deputy Chief of Police, Marissa Benson. Is there a man named Leo Benne at your prison?"

"Yes ma'am, that's our warden." She froze and the color drained from her face. What was it that made Spencer dream that? It made no sense whatsoever, but at the same time, stranger things had taken place. "If you would like to speak with Mr. Benne, he's already left." She raised an eyebrow and demanded the guard explain himself. "Yes, he boarded a plane to Seattle, WA. Is there a problem, Deputy?" She clenched her teeth and slammed her fist on the kitchen counter.

"What's the plane he boarded?" If Lionel wasn't smart, then he would have left a paper trail for her to find him. That was what she hoped for, she _needed_ to catch him now while she still had the opportunity. "And what time did he leave?"

"Let me check." Marissa tapped her foot impatiently on the ground and turned to Spencer. She was going to order all planes going from Idaho state out of the air and then searched. "He's on the American Airlines flight 13, which departed around 1:00 this afternoon."

"That's shortly after Mr. Shay's disappearance from the prison, am I right?"

"Um yes, but you see…Mr. Benne ordered an early execution for that man. Is there a problem, Deputy?"

"Yes! We have reason to suspect Leo Benne is the serial killer, Lionel Shay!" The guard froze as Marissa slammed the phone down, she had a lot of work to do now. She turned her gaze to Spencer and cleared her throat. "Okay, Mr. Benne did order Mitchell's death. He's on his way here from Flight 13…."

"How appropriate…" Spencer moaned and put his hand to his stomach, he groaned as Marissa rolled her eyes and started dialing the station. "You're going to order all flights to Seattle down to be searched?"

"That's the plan."

In a discreet portion of Seattle, somewhere behind the Seattle Airport where flight 13 was destined to land, a black helicopter with the letters L.B. slowly came to a landing on a helicopter pad. The insignia designated it as a privately owned helicopter. Once the helicopter settled, its door opened up and a leg with slick black dress pants moved outside. The dress pants matched the black sports jacket and the red dress shirt. A brilliant crimson colored tie framed the strong neck belonging to that of a grey haired man with piercing jowls and deadly eyes.

The man started moving forward and reached into his sports coat. His eyes lifted skyward to see a plane descending just short of its true destination. Just as suspected, the police were already onto him. His lips curled into a smirk as he spotted a muscular looking man with brown hair waiting beside sleek black car. Clearly, the vehicle had been stolen. He raised his eyebrow and continued to stare at the muscular man who was watching the plane with narrow eyes.

He removed a pistol from his coat, it had a silencer on the end to muffle the blast. As he stepped behind the man, he touched the gun to the man's back. Immediately his hands flew up and a growl left his throat. "Bana Shay, I presume? Why are you at the airport?" Bana raised an eyebrow as the man chuckled briskly. "A game of cat and mouse, if you will…I am not quite ready to kill you, but I will get to you. I have use for you, Bana."

"Are you sure? Killing me might be beneficial to you, old man. My daughter told me about you, she was a sneaky little brat."

"Was she the one sneaking around my prison a few weeks ago?"

"Yes. She told me she found some notes of your plan to come here…and told me of your plan to murder my father…"

"Oh yes, I was quite surprised to learn there were more Shays. That's why I've decided to act out. There are typically three Friday the 13th days in the year, so I'm going to change my MO a bit to that, just to speed up the process. Also, I'm going to end as many Shays as I can on this day."

"Do you normally speak your plans like that?"

"No, but I know you're not going to do anything."

"Don't be so sure of that…Lionel…" Lionel smirked and nudged his head to the car.

"Is that stolen?"

"Yeah…"

"Now I know you have to have _some_ smarts. Do you have fresh plates?"

"I bought some earlier…they're in there…" Lionel nodded and placed his hand on Bana's right shoulder. He suspected the man would try to turn on him. He began lowering the gun to his waist, he could paralyze Bana then and there, but it would be too easy. This was a man he wanted to hunt, he hadn't had any fun at all in recent years. "So, are you just going to stand there or are you going to kill me?"

"No, I told you I was going to hunt you, but first…" He smirked briskly and aimed the muzzle to the back of Bana's right leg. "I've done a lot of studying on you, along with the other Shays out there. I'm impressed by your history, but to see such great evil sorrows me."

"You call _me_ evil? That's tough talk for a man who has committed just as grisly murders as I-" Bana stopped as he felt a gunshot go through his knee. He let out a loud shout and fell to the ground, screaming in pain and holding his leg. "Fuck! Fuck you Lionel, I'll kill you!" Lionel chuckled and reached down next to Bana, who growled menacingly at him.

"My advice to you would be to start running."

"You shut shot out my fucking knee!"

Lionel shrugged his shoulders and slowly moved into the car, ignoring Bana's profanity and shouts. It was beautiful irony to him, Bana came here expecting to find and kill Lionel, or at least to spy, but he hadn't planned for Lionel to have his own helicopter. Hell, no one planned for it. He started the car up and took a deep breath as he set the gun on the seat next to him, resting it upon the replacement license plates. "Looks like I'll have to stop somewhere and put these plates on." He glanced out the window as Bana started banging a fist on the lower part of the door. "Maybe the tires too…" He rolled the windows down and watched Bana scowl up at him. "Don't worry Bana, I'll find you later. Good luck…Your fight to live begins now. I have a couple things to tend to first, bye."

"Fuck you!" Bana screamed as Lionel sped off. He clenched his fist and shook it in the air, tears of pain drained from his eyes. "I'll get you! I swear on my father and grandfather's grave! I will fucking kill you, Lionel! I don't care if you _are_ a Shay, your days are numbered!"

An hour later, Marissa cussed as she drove up to the helicopter. An officer spotted it after a thorough search of the planes did not turn up Lionel. She got out of the vehicle and slammed the door shut as Carl and Gunsmoke stepped out of the vehicle. She pointed to the helicopter and clenched her fist, how could they not have seen that coming? "Can someone please tell me why air traffic control didn't see the helicopter?" Carl moved to the helicopter and investigated it for a minute.

"Looks like he found a way to keep himself off the radar…"

"Okay, search the helicopter for _anything_. Gunsmoke, walk with me, he couldn't have gone far if he's on foot." The man nodded and walked with her for a moment, they stopped only when they saw a small puddle of blood on the ground next to a set of tire tracks. "Blood, but no body?"

"Probably not enough blood to constitute a death…"

"Go figure, he's smart not to leave a body. That would trace him." Gunsmoke nodded and pointed to the tire tracks.

"If the blood isn't his, it's possible he's driving a stolen vehicle."

"Of course…" Several CSI moved over to them and started to take a sample of the blood, then a plaster of the tracks. "I hope to god he isn't as smart as I think he's going to be…"

"We'll find him, Deputy." Marissa nodded and narrowed her eyes as she saw some blood drops leading away from the pool of blood, meaning whoever was wounded managed to get up and go away, but the way the blood was scattered seemed to signal difficulty walking.

After several minutes of examining the blood in the portable lab truck, one of the CSIs walked up to Marissa with some disheartening news. She wasn't too sure she wanted to deal with any bad news, but chances were, she would be getting used to it. "Deputy Benson, the blood found belongs to Bana Shay." Her eyes shot up and narrowed.

"Repeat that…"

"Bana Shay, ma'am…" She let out a loud shout and kicked the ground. Two serial killers in the same vicinity of each other and she just lost them both.

"Damn it! I'm not letting them get away, I _will_ get them!"

In the Johnson home, Shane was with his mother and pregnant girlfriend, Allison Ericson. She was due to have a baby girl sometime in the beginning of April. She had long blond hair and a round face with bright blue eyes. She was friendly with Shane's mom, but Jennifer had not been proud that he had sex and got a girl pregnant. She was hardly showing and hadn't told Shane until the beginning of January, she was afraid of how he would take it. "Tell me you'll be the father…"

"I said I would, didn't I? Just…this is why you've been avoiding me?"

"Yes. You forgive me?" He smiled and nodded his head. He was suffering from the guilt of having kissed Sam, how on earth was he to tell Allison the news?

"Of course, if you'll forgive me…" She tilted her head curiously and took a step back from the hug she was in with him. He moved his sad eyes to her and took a deep breath. "I told you about my grandparents, correct?"

"Yeah, the guy who's the serial killer…."

"Uh huh. Well, he had a cousin I didn't know much about and that guy hired me to do something…." She pressed her lips together as Shane's heart sank, he knew he was going to break her heart with this, but he had to come clean. Jennifer looked over from the kitchen counter she was leaning on and sighed as she listened to her son. She already knew what he was going to say, as he told her before. "A few months ago, I kissed Sam Puckett in order to piss off her fiancé."

"What? How could you!" She bit her lip and stepped back away from him, shaking her head. He saw the betrayal flicker through her eyes and turned his guilty gaze away from her. "Why didn't you turn it down? Why didn't you tell me!"

"It was a mistake, I was just supposed to shake things up, that's all it was. I didn't think it would come back to haunt me, but now this news…the guilt…I can't keep it from you, Allison." She closed her eyes and turned away from him. He frowned and stepped forward. "Allison?"

"I need some time to think, Shane. We're not broken up or anything, I just…I need to go for a walk, okay?" He put his hand to her arm and she brushed it off. "I said I needed to think."

"Okay Allison…I love you…" She smiled slightly and made her way out the back door. This was how they always settled things, they would go off for a few minutes, think, and then come back when they've had time to cool off.

"I'll be back."

"Okay…" He swallowed and looked over to Jennifer. "Mom?" She lowered her arm to the counter and shook her head.

"Shane, you've always been a bit of a troublemaker, I only hope you can get some responsibility kicked into you. Maybe becoming a father is good for you…" He chuckled nervously and started making his way to his room, he didn't want to lose Allison, she meant so much to him. Jennifer grabbed the coffee cup next to her and started sipping it. She closed her eyes as she spotted a black car driving up to the curb outside.

When she opened her eyes, still holding the cup to her mouth, she saw her father staring into the open window. Her eyes widened and she was instantly paralyzed with fear. Lionel grinned and slowly rose his gun. "I once met a man who murdered his own daughter, I put a bullet through his knee. Would I do the same? Only to discontinue the evil blood that resides in the Shays. You are _my_ daughter, so that means you're marked for death. Fret not, I won't bludgeon you as much as that man did his child, I take pride in my own flesh and blood." The shower was running in the other room, which meant Shane would not hear anything that her father did.

"F-F-Father-" It happened in an instant, the porcelain coffee cup shattered and Jennifer felt a sharp pain through her mouth and out the back of her head. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as coffee splattered and stained the walls, ceiling, and floor. Her body slumped onto the counter and blood flew in every direction.

"I didn't want to create a mess…" He casually entered the house and walked to where he saw the bullet fall. Thinking ahead, he reached down and picked the bullet up with his gloved hands, then set the projectile in a Ziploc bag. "Don't need anyone seeing this…now, to wait for my grandson to leave the shower…"

Marissa stormed about the police station, waiting for the results of the tire treads. It wasn't long before the Lab Tech returned, but his news seemed to be more hindering than positive. "Deputy Benson, the treads belong to Goodyear, witnesses at the airport report seeing a black 2009 Camaro speeding off without any plates. Also some men at an auto shop report the same four tires being dumped off. We ran the cast and the two treads matched, but they're not sure when they were dumped. Another thing, they report four Goodyear tires being stolen, but as you well know, that's going to leave different tread marks."

"So what you're telling me is…we have nothing?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Okay." She slowly sat down and leaned forward, placing her fingertips together in front of her face. She lifted her hand and motioned towards the door. "Please leave me. I need to think."

"Yes ma'am."

"Thank you." She narrowed her eyes as the man rushed out of the room. How could Lionel consistently remain one step ahead of her? Sure, he had the experience of age, along with apparently being a prison warden, making him knowledgeable in forensics. As smart as he was, there was probably not much point in searching the video feed of the auto shop, the man might have kept any license plates off the car until he was well out of there. "Lionel Shay…I will find you…You stole a car Bana stole, but apparently you're cleaner about it…but you can't hide forever."

Shane stepped out of his shower and hung his towel around his waist, he smirked at himself in the mirror and clicked his tongue. "Yeah, I know I look good." He took a brush and started brushing through his long hair. He'd thought about the prospect of being a father and he loved it. He couldn't wait to tell all his friends, no one in the world knew he would be a father, but now the entire world would know because he'd shout it from the rooftops.

As he walked out of the bathroom, the scent of blood and coffee hit his nose. He raised an eyebrow and glanced around. "Mom? Are you okay? Do I smell blood?" As he walked through the house, he took note to how eerily silent the air around him was.

He shrugged it off and continued into the kitchen, tightening the towel around his waist into a tighter knot. "Mom, are you still messed up about what I did? I know it was bad, but…" He spotted the blood and coffee on the counter and raised his eyebrow. His heart started racing as he rounded the counter, the first thing he saw was his mother's leg. His eyes widened and he quickly rounded the corner. "Mom? No!"

She was lying on her back, blood was pouring from her mouth and head. Her index finger was clamped around the handle of the shattered coffee mug. He knelt down and held his mother's body, tears began pouring from his eyes. "Mom! Come on, you can't die!" He bowed his head and started sobbing, continuing his weeping for a full three minutes. Then it hit him, she'd been shot.

He rose to his feet and glanced down at his blood soaked towel and chest. "No…" He whined and slowly made his way from the kitchen. He needed to call the police, but what did it matter? His mother was gone. He looked towards the window and frowned when he spotted the black Camaro. "Wait…whose car is that…"

"You tell me, it's stolen."

"What?" Shane's head snapped forward and his eyes widened, Lionel was standing before him with his pistol aimed to his chest. "Oh my god…"

"You've heard of me. Lionel Shay. Now I know you're just a young boy, but you've already got evil blood in you."

"N-No I don't!" Fear was rushing through his body. His hands were in the air and his towel was starting to sag. He tried to tear his gaze away from his grandfather's fierce eyes. "What are you talking about?" Lionel sneered and narrowed his eyes.

"You think I wouldn't find out what you did to that girl back in December? Please, I study everyone, even my own grandchild." Lionel slowly cocked the gun and Shane slowly fell to his knees. His jaw dropped and his head shook vigorously.

"Please, I'm atoning from that! You don't want to kill me, I'm just a kid, practically!"

"No. The line has to end with you, Shane." He growled sinisterly and his index finger started to cramp. "You shall not be allowed to produce any further Shays."

"What!" He started to whimper and put his hands together, pleading for his life. His body trembled as he bowed his head. "Please don't kill me. I promise you, I won't tell anyone! I-I won't say who you are if you don't kill me."

"It's too late. Friday the 13th is here, your day ends now." Shane's eyes widened as his chest started to burn. He fell back and watched blood shoot out from the middle of his chest. Lionel replaced his gun and sighed as he lifted the stray bullet from the ground. "I'm sorry, Grandson. There was no redemption for you."

Shane lay there for several minutes, small minutes that felt like an eternity to him. He couldn't move and the blood was draining from his body like rushing water out of a shattered dam. His eyes were positioned at the open door, Lionel was long gone now, only God knew where that man would go to now.

"Shane!" Allison's screeching voice fell to his ears, but he could barely hear them. He continued to stare at the door as he felt her arms wrap around him and lift him up. "No! Oh god, no! Please, Shane! Please!" He could only grumble out Lionel's name, he was already too far gone from the world. "You can't die on me! Please! Don't die! I love you…I love you!" He felt her tears hit his cheek. He wanted to reach up, to tell her it would be okay. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her. "Oh god!" She buried her head into his chest and wept bitterly.

He was now looking at himself, being cradled in her arms as she pleaded for his life. He closed his eyes and let a tear drip down his cheeks as he bid farewell to Allison and his lifeless body, then he began to drift upwards. "Goodbye my love..."

Several minutes later, Marissa's patrol car came skidding to a halt in front of the Johnson's home. She, and several officers rushed into the house and found Allison cradling Shane's body, her face red with tears. "Shit…" Allison slowly looked up, her eyes devoid of happiness and joy.

"T-They're…gone…"

Marissa moved next to Allison and knelt next to her, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry. I know this is painful for you…" Allison sobbed and turned her head down.

"He was going to be a daddy!"

"What?" Marissa's eyebrows rose as she turned her gaze to Shane. She knew now it would be best to keep Allison safe, just in case. If Lionel was the cause of Shane and Jennifer's death, then if he knew Allison was pregnant with Shane's child, she would be in danger. "Are you pregnant?"

"Yes ma'am…" She sniffed and wiped her eyes. A hiccup left her throat Marissa's heart sank while her anger began to rise. "S-Shane whispered one thing before he…died…he said it was Lionel…" Marissa breathed in sharply and turned her eyes skyward.

"Don't worry, we'll find him. He _will_ be brought down." She would do anything to take out both Lionel and Bana, no matter what, she would find them.

* * *

So what did you think? Lionel and Bana Shay in one chapter, meeting for the first time! Lionel's giving Marissa the runaround, hm. There will be a climatic clash in a few chapters between the Lion (Lionel) and the Bull (Bana), and finally something more powerful than the both of them. Stick around!

The song that inspired the title and a bit of the chapter, "sleepin' Lion" by Clinton Fearon: h tt p : / www . youtube . com /watch?v=6I1FJ5hRQhU Enjoy the song XD.

_Don't trouble trouble 'cause trouble will double trouble you_  
_ Even if you're tough like lion_  
_ Don't trouble trouble 'cause trouble will double trouble you_  
_ Never wake a sleeping lion_


	196. Unfortunate News

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 196 (Unfortunate News)

When the band returned to Seattle the next day, was Jonah, Freddie, Sam and Carly that went together to Freddie's home. They were surprised to see Melanie, Morris and Maggie there as well and nobody looked happy at all. During the whole plane ride, Freddie had a sinking suspicion that something wasn't right. Marissa and Robert praised them for a good job in LA, but were eager to get down to some important news. "Freddie, Sam, Carly, you're not going to like what I'm about to say, but there is no other alternative to this…" The trio exchanged worried glances as Marissa folded her arms over and exhaled. "Lionel Shay's in Seattle and he may have pissed Bana off for all we know. We found a small pool of blood that belonged to Bana." Freddie's eyes widened and Sam's hand flew to her mouth. "Shane Johnson and his mother have been murdered…presumably by Lionel."

"You can't be serious!" Freddie smacked his forehead and looked to Sam with a stunned expression. She was trembling already, the news was devastating to her. First Nevel, then Nora, now Shane?

"What about Tyrone? Is he okay?" Marissa pressed her lips together and nodded her reply. Now came the bad news, she was prepared for their reactions.

"That's another thing…I know you're going to react badly, you won't like this, but for his own safety…I'm moving Tyrone into this house."

"What?" Sam and Freddie did a double take and Marissa winced painfully.

"Don't ask why, it's just better this way. If he's here, there's a chance Lionel nor Bana can find him. Along with him, I'm letting Era and Arian move in. Besim and his family have already left Seattle with Vera." Freddie bowed his head and sighed, he knew Marissa didn't have to continue on with that statement. Chances are, Besim and Vera moved to India after all the danger, finally unable to handle what was happening. Arian and Marissa, along with Era, were all strong enough to not have to worry about it. He agreed that his mother was making the right decision by letting the three elders, including Tyrone himself, into the house. "Now, that isn't the worst thing, believe me. You're not going to like this, but…it involves Sam."

"What?" The couple glanced at each other with growing anxiety. Marissa looked over at Morris and Maggie, both of them smiled sadly and Melanie bowed her head. Sam's eyebrows rose and her heart began to race. Freddie's hands trembled as theories started running through his head.

"Until we can capture Bana and Lionel, it just isn't safe. I've discussed this matter with Morris and Maggie, as the legal guardian, I made this decision…but it's best for Sam and Melanie right now that…For the next few months, until this blows over or we have captured these lunatics, Sam, Melanie, Morris, and Maggie are going to stay with Susan and Hugh." Freddie swallowed hard and felt Jonah's hand upon his shoulder. Sam swallowed hard and turned her eyes to Freddie. Her eyes quivered and Marissa walked over to her.

"You mean Freddie and I can't be together?"

"It's only until we know that you're safe."

"But Lionel and Bana aren't after me…"

"It's believed both of them know your involvement with him. The way these two killers think, what if they decided to try and use you to get to him or myself? I made a promise to my best friend when you were young that I would protect you under any and all circumstances, so that's what I'm going to do. I'm not letting you stay somewhere where your safety is at risk. Do you understand? I know it hurts, but it's for the best…"

"I know…I just hate it." Marissa hugged her close and let a tear hang from her eye. Sam frowned and pressed her eyebrows together as she moved her gaze to Melanie. "Where's Kyle?" Melanie folded her arms and looked away.

"I already said goodbye to him…we're leaving today, Sam." Sam gasped softly and took a step back, her lip quivered as she turned her gaze to Freddie. He groaned in pain and gave her a helpless look. "Be a good idea to say goodbye now, because we're leaving for Grandma's soon. They're already ready for us and no one knows how long it's going to be, just that it's better this way."

"Okay…" Sam took Freddie's hand in hers and sniffed as she slowly tugged him, leading him quietly into his bedroom. The others watched sadly and Carly slowly closed her hands. They heard her say something about it being unfair. Sam closed the door and moved over to Freddie, throwing her arms around his neck. "I don't want to leave you. Why does it have to be so damn difficult?" He rubbed her back and kissed her on the top of her head.

"I know, but Mom _is_ right. As much as I want to fight that fact…I don't want anything to happen to you, and if Tyrone's moving in, then it's probably for the best there too."

"Didn't they say he was changing?"

"I don't know, nobody's too sure where he stands right now, but Mom did say he was making an effort. I guess Dad doesn't really want to lose him either."

"How am I going to finish up school this year?"

"You'll have to enroll there. It won't be hard and you'll do fine."

"But I won't be with you, that's the thing. I don't know what I'm going to do." She didn't have to be frantic, Valerie and Jonah were handling things just fine and they were further apart. She sucked in the air around her and brought her forehead to his chest. "I shouldn't be so frightened or concerned, I know we'll manage, but I don't know what to do if you're still here. What will happen if Bana finds you?"

"He won't. Besides, if he did, I wouldn't let him do a thing." He smirked and Sam rolled her eyes, smiling sadly at him.

"Typical man, always acting tough, even when you know you can't possibly handle the beast you're claiming that you'd fight."

"Who said I'd try to fight Bana?" He laughed and lifted Sam up, making her squeal out in surprise. He moved over to the bed and put her down on the mattress, then moved next to her. "Here, we can cuddle for a little bit. Will that make you feel a bit at ease?"

"Yeah it would." She rolled onto her side and moved her hand to his chest. "So, Valerie's coming down on the 20th, right? For about a week?"

"Yeah she is."

"Awesome, I don't want to miss seeing her. How do you think her family will take the news of Jonah being Italian?" Freddie laughed and shrugged his shoulders, he had nothing to say to that besides the fact that he thought it would be entertaining for sure. Although, he didn't think there was much of a problem. Sam gave him a playful smack and frowned. "Careful, Valerie told me that Ryan Castano and her grandfather did _not_ get along in the old days. She said that another secret that no one knows about her grandfather, well…I don't think I should say."

"Then don't. If it's his secret, it's his secret. I think you and I understand secrets just fine." He put his hands behind his head and sighed. "Besides, I'm personally getting tired of all these secrets. It's secrets that have led those two monsters out there survive."

"Lionel and Bana?"

"Yeah…and personally, I'd rather be hunted by Lionel than Bana, but something tells me both are pretty fucked up." Sam lifted her eyebrows and brought them back to rest, she didn't want to think about those two. He looked over to his girlfriend and smiled at her, he could tell she wanted to talk about other matters. He rolled onto his side and brought his hand to Sam's cheek, cupping it tenderly. She looked into his eyes and smiled. "Sam, you know how beautiful you are and how in love I am with you?" Her cheeks started to warm up and she brought her arms fully around him.

"I'd ask you to show me, but I think you'd do something that you really shouldn't."

"Good call." He laughed. "Especially not with your Uncle Morris right outside the door." He glanced back and clicked his tongue. "As a matter of fact…I'd almost suspect he's listening in at this very minute." Now it was her time to laugh, she knew Morris wasn't _that_ protective.

"Uncle Morris _does_ trust you with me, Freddie. He just doesn't appreciate you doing anything that might lead to me ending up pregnant." He blinked and a devious look grew on his face.

"What if it's not actually touching the actual area, maybe through the clothes?"

"Now Freddie." Her voice held a warning tone, to which he laughed and kissed her lips.

"It's okay, I love teasing you. You know this by now."

"Yeah…I'm going to miss being able to be with you, three hours is a long way. It's manageable though…"

"Yeah, you'll be fine. You'll be safer too. Personally, I don't know that Lionel's going to strike again for a while, but Bana on the other hand…he's the one to worry about. The devil of the two." She nodded and closed her eyes as he left the bed. "Come on, let's get you out there…I guess we shouldn't keep them waiting, right?" She slowly sat up and left the bed, wanting to do anything to stall.

"It wouldn't be nice to keep them waiting. Just…please stay safe, okay?" She moved over to him and hugged his neck. "I love you and I don't want to lose you."

"Right…" His heart wrenched as she leaned up and kissed him tearfully. Mentally, he cursed the very day that Bana and Lionel had been born. He cursed their involvement in his life and wanted to do anything to take them out. He pulled back and breathed in a shuddering breath. "I love you too, Sam…"

"Call me….but I need to go say goodbye to Carly now."

"Yeah, don't forget to do that."

"Goodbye, Freddie."

"This isn't goodbye…" She smiled gently and put her hand to his cheek. He cupped her hand with his and gazed wistfully as she slid back and walked sorrowfully out the door. His hand rested firmly on the round bed post and a tear escaped his eye. "…Stay safe, Sam…"

* * *

Well, this _is_ unfortunate. What do you think?


	197. When Grandfathers Collide

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 197 (When Grandfathers Collide)

January 20th rolled around and Valerie was visiting for a few days. Today was a big day and Jonah's family was over with him along with Freddie. No one was too sure what Valerie wanted to happen, but they were going along with it all anyhow. Jonah, Freddie, and Carly were resting in the living room while Valerie talked to her parents. Neither her grandfather, nor Jonah's grandfather had arrived yet. Michael and Denise were in the kitchen with Vincent, Viola and Valerie. "You know something, Jonah? I'm surprised, the Castagno's and the Guglielmo's hate each other almost as much as the Shays and Davidsons do! To top it off, you married the mafia!" Jonah rolled his eyes and playfully flipped off his best friend.

"That means don't piss me off. My wife's grandfather's a part of the mafia and that's the way it is." He actually had felt a chill when Valerie told him the news of their family's history. Even though the thought was scary, he knew their families would have to deal with it regardless. "She was so certain I'd want a divorce or something once I found out about that fact, I didn't know she was so scared that I would leave her like that." Freddie shrugged his shoulders and Carly crossed her legs over.

"We women are frightened easily when there's something that could threaten our relationships. No matter how secure that relationship is. Valerie's fear is probably that you'd be afraid of her grandfather orchestrating a hit on you or your relatives, so you'd leave her. Just reassure her that you love her, you wouldn't leave her for anything in the world, and therefore she's safe in her relationship with you. Besides, girls like Valerie are once in a million, right? So she obviously means the world to you."

"Hey even if my life turns into the Godfather movie, I'm _still_ pretty freakin' happy with my relationship with her. I love that woman!" The two friends smiled and looked over to the kitchen to see Valerie and the parents glance in briefly. Valerie's eyes met Jonah's and their lips curled upwards just before she turned back to the parents. Jonah let out a sigh and turned back to Freddie. "What about you man? How's life with Tyrone? Did he and Era meet up yet?"

"Yes, you should have seen it bro, I swear I've never seen Tyrone so jittery before." Jonah raised an eyebrow and Carly chuckled. When Tyrone saw Era for the first time, he froze up and stared at her for the longest time, not saying a word until she acknowledged him. "When she confirmed him as Drita's son and herself being Drita's sister, he practically broke down and cried. It was kind of humbling to see, actually. I mean, since when do we see Tyrone so emotional like that?"

"I can't imagine it, but if that's what you say, I have to admit that I am _shocked_."

Carly smirked and folded her arms over. "I bet a lot of stuff shocks you now, huh Jonah?" He glanced over at her as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I mean you thought that _I _would be against Sam and Freddie or something like that." Jonah rolled his eyes and Freddie's throat emptied out his rich laugh. She was never going to let Jonah down for all that, even though she knew he was just concerned about his friends and had been protecting them. "Now you know I won't hurt them, neither will Granddad. He's accepted that he's a Davidson, or at least, he's in the process of accepting it."

"Well that's good to hear. Isn't he dating your grandma again?"

"Oh yeah!" She grinned brightly nodded vigorously. "I'm not sure if you can call it dating or not, but they do a lot of things together. I think they're growing on each other. Grandma deserves some happiness, and so does Granddad, whether you think so or not."

"And oddly, I'm okay with that." He bumped his eyebrows and turned his gaze back to the kitchen. "If Tyrone's making a turnaround, fine. I'm not going to judge anymore, anyway. I'm more concerned with how things are going for Valerie. What she has planned. She asked Olivia and her sisters to take Aaron for a stroll in the park and she's talking to the parents, so she's up to something."

"Yeah I bet she is," Freddie remarked. His tone became a joking one and Jonah slowly looked over to him, anticipating and questioning what he was about to say. "Hey, maybe she's setting up a hit on you. Perhaps you pissed her off somehow so she wants to rub you out?" Carly laughed and smacked Freddie's shoulder while Jonah slowly shook his head.

"Freddie. Don't joke about stuff like that. Especially if you want to keep your head intact." Freddie laughed again, causing his friend to glare at him. Valerie and the parents walked into the room and Jonah quickly stood up. "So what's going on?"

"We were just talking about Grandpa," Valerie replied cautiously. "We'll get to that later, but first I just want…" She moved to Jonah and wrapped her arms tight around him. "It feels like it's been forever since we've held each other, I've really missed you."

"I missed you too, Val." He moved his arms around her waist and gently kissed her forehead. "How has the Food Network been treating you? I still say I prefer Chef Irvine to any of the other chefs there." She chuckled and shook her head.

"You're only saying that because you get a high every time he smashes something on the show with that sledgehammer."

"What can I say? I'm a guy and we guys love destruction." Valerie giggled and kissed his cheek. Freddie nudged Carly and motioned for her to get up from the couch. She nodded and rose up with Freddie, then the two of them led their friends onto the couch. Jonah smiled at them and Valerie brought her legs up to the cushion, then rested her head on his shoulder. "You know, I've been counting the days till you came back and visited. I'm glad you're here now, but it's going to be so damn hard to see you go off again, and this is only the first time for the next few years."

"Be strong Jonah, be strong."

"Oh you know I will be." He smirked and poked her teasingly. "Besides, I married the mafia, didn't I? Fell in love, you're stuck with me, so you know I'm strong." She laughed and started squealing as he continued tickling her side. Her face became red as a tomato and she quickly smacked his arm, albeit playfully.

"Okay! Enough Jonah! I can't take it." He grinned triumphantly as she started panting, trying to catch her breath. "You are _so lucky_ that it's only my grandfather who happens to be a part of the mafia." Jonah laughed once again and planted his lips onto hers. The others started to turn away, all wondering if they should take their leave from the room and let the two have their privacy. He pulled back and smiled at his dazed wife.

"I think we're being rude here, Valerie. Our parents and our friends are here, let's spend some time with them." She nodded and glanced over to the family, smiling cheerfully at them. They returned her smile and moved around the two. "So what's the plan? You haven't seemed too upbeat today like usual." She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. What would he think about her making their grandparents meet up?

"I just want to try and resolve any issues between our grandparents."

"Oh dear, I see where this is going. You invited them both over here didn't you?"

"Yes. Yes I did. Whatever issues they have need to be laid to rest. Remember, your grandfather would not come to our wedding, now we know why!" Jonah chuckled nervously as Valerie stretched her legs out and stood from the couch. "I have mom and dad ready to hold Grandpa back if he does anything, same for your parents and their father. I want to make absolutely sure there's no bad blood."

"Well I don't know if I can promise there won't be bad blood between the two of them, but I can definitely say…I don't know any other woman that would attempt something like this." He smiled at her as she slowly brushed the ends of her hair. "I love it, actually." He rose from the couch and glanced over at the door, he could have sworn he just saw something outside the window. The doorbell rang and Vincent made his way to the door. Valerie grinned and Jonah started to feel just a tad sickly.

"That's grandpa now!"

"Awesome." Freddie smirked at Jonah and folded his arms over. He personally had never met Valerie's grandfather, but Jonah had several times. He wanted to see what it was about this man that terrified him, if terrified was even the right word. Catching Freddie's eyes, Jonah brought up what he knew of the man. "Valentine Guglielmo is an eighty year old man who, as far as I know, is a former mafia man in the Italian Mafia." Valerie glanced over nervously and took a deep breath as Vincent opened the door.

A man with a full head of white hair and a white mustache stepped inside, smiling cheerfully at his family. He wore a black suit and held a black cane with a golden eagle's head on the top. He saw Valerie and held his hands out, speaking with a rich Italian accent. "Valerie! My granddaughter, how are you?" Valerie hurried over to him, laughing happily and hugging him close.

"I'm good grandpa! Can I ask if you granted anyone's wishes on my wedding day?" Valentine laughed and ran his hand through her hair. He stood at about six feet and five inches tall, a height that truly intimidated both Freddie and Jonah. Freddie looked over to Jonah as if to complain about the height. Jonah chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

"You get used to it." Valentine looked to Jonah and made his way over to him, giving him a hug and a traditional Italian greeting.

"Ah! Giona! Il mio genero, Ciao! Ciao!" Jonah returned the greeting with a smile and the others watched with eagerness.

"Piacere di vederti, nonno Valentino!" After the greeting, Valentine went on to his son. Freddie stepped next to Jonah and asked him what the hell was said in the interaction. Jonah smiled and shook his head. "Well when he came over he said 'Ah, Jonah, my son, hello! Hello!' A sign of respect, I am his grandson in law. I responded, saying that it was a pleasure to see him and I refer to him as Grandfather, Valentine, as he is my wife's grandfather." Jonah pushed his chest out proudly and Freddie narrowed his eyes with envy.

"How long did it take you to figure out you had to do that?"

"Not long. However, I know how I'm going to appeal to him when he finds out about…Grandpa Castagno. Oh, and for the record, since you're always saying it wrong…it's not _stag_, it's Cah-st-on-yo, ignore the g."

"Oh…okay then…so what are you going to tell him? I'm certain he's not going to be happy to see your grandfather and then realize the inevitable." Jonah pat Freddie's shoulder and walked a bit out of earshot from the family. He breathed in and closed his eyes.

"In essence, I'm going to ask that they put aside their grievances so that we can all be a family, but whatever they decide to do, I want them to understand and honor the fact that I love Valerie. I'm married to her and my love for her is forever, so there's nothing that will come between us, I just won't let it happen, and that includes their grudge."

"Ah, and are you going to say it in Italian?"

"Considering I find it respectful to address him in the proper language, yes. Yes I am going to say it in Ital-" The doorbell rang again and the two men looked over in time to see Ryan entering the house. "Uh oh." Ryan was wearing a brown jacket with brown khaki dress pants, he had a grey comb over and a clean-shaven face. The two elders froze and stared at each other and the air of the house grew deathly chill. Jonah whispered and cringed. "A little sooner than expected." Now would come the cursing in Italian that he was sure there would be.

Valentine's rage shot up and he quickly grabbed Ryan's shirt, shouting obscenities at him. "Castagno? Perché cazzo sei in casa mia? Fuori! Fuori! Credevo che tu fossi morto, come osi mostrare il tuo fallo, brutto culo in mia presenza! Io ti avrei ucciso un baleno!"

"Nice to see you too, Valentine…"

Valerie's face drained of its color and Vincent quickly began to scold his father. Freddie cleared his throat as Jonah smacked his forehead.

"Uh Jonah, what did he just say?"

"You don't want to know."

"That bad?"

"It can get worse from here." Ignoring his son, Valentine clenched his fist and pushed Ryan up against a wall.

"Rispondimi! Perché sei in casa di mio figlio?" Ryan pushed the man off him and dusted himself off.

"Don't get your panties in a twist. My grandson's a part of this family."

"What?" Like a volcano erupting, Valentine shifted his glare to Jonah. "You are a _Castagno_?" Jonah stood erect as Freddie slowly shook his head.

"A regular Montague and Capulet thing going on here…" Jonah growled through his teeth and nudged Freddie.

"Hush, show some respect!"

"Sorry!" Freddie lifted his hands up and took a step back. Valentine narrowed his eyes and turned to Vincent, yelling and pointing at the door.

"No! Io non permetterà questo! Si gettaranno le Castagno cazzo fuori dalla porta immediatamente! Se non vuoi che rinnegare te, figlio mio, farai come dico io!" Jonah scoffed and Valerie gasped, this was not going as she wanted it to. Freddie wasn't sure what Valentine was saying, but he had a feeling that the elder wanted Jonah and his family out. Vincent stepped forward in protest.

"My daughter is married to him, they have a son together, how can you expect me to turn them away?" Ryan growled and walked forward.

"Hey, if you have a problem, you can say it to my face! Do not take out our grudges on my family!"

"Potete prendere la vostra famiglia e ottenere I'inferno fuori del mio viso. Per quanto rigurada la mia nipotina, lei può trovare un altro uomo. Un uomo di una Castagno!" Valerie's hands flew to her mouth and Jonah clenched his fists, he'd had enough. He didn't need Valentine, or anyone else, suggesting that Valerie find another man!

"Mi scusi!" Jonah's voice echoed over the two old men and they stared at him with arched eyebrows. "Ho intenzione di dire la mia ora, grazie." The elders turned towards him and crossed their arms over, listening intently. He told them he would have his say now, so they would give him that respect. He moved his eyes from his grandfather to Valentine, took a deep breath as he motioned Valerie to his side. She nodded and carefully walked over to him, then placed her hand in his.

"We're listening, Jonah."

"Say what you have to say, Castagno."

"Please sir, call me Jonah, that is my name. Now…" He bowed his head for a moment, then lifted it back up, speaking in his rich, deep Italian voice. "Adoro questa donna. Lei è la più bella, più dolce donna che abbia mai incontrato, e non c'è niente al mondo che potrà mai cambiare la situazione." Valerie blushed crimson and turned her head to Jonah, smiling sweetly. He'd just said she was beautiful, that he loved her and that she was the sweetest woman that he'd ever met, and there was nothing in the world that would ever change that. "Lei mi ha dato un figlio che sono molto orgoglioso. Ora, so che voi due avete una storia pericolosa insieme, ma se siete disposti ad ammettere o no, siamo una famiglia. Si può combattere tutto quello che volete, ma io disegnare la linea a tutti coloro che suggeriscono che Valerie stare con un altro uomo. Quando ho detto i miei voti e la devozione a lei, erano per lei e lei soltanto. Io ti rispetto con tutto il cuore, nonno Valentino, e nonno Castagno, ma vi prego di capire ... se si tenta di strappare ci distingue, io ti lottare unghie e coi denti. Non c'è modo che io sto dando a questa donna. Così si può accettare questo e cercare di lavorare attraverso il vostro rancore ed essere parte di questa famiglia, oppure si può continuare a odiare l'un l'altro mentre la tua famiglia cresce, con o senza di te. A voi la scelta, il nonno."

(And a translation for you. I do not do this in the middle of the chapter, but since the statement is so long, here's what he says: "I love this woman. She is the most beautiful, sweetest woman I have ever met, and there is nothing in the world that will ever change that. She has given me a son that I am very proud of. Now, I know you two have a dangerous history together, but whether you're willing to admit it or not, we're a family. You can fight all you want, but I draw the line at anyone suggesting that Valerie be with another man. When I said my vows and devotions to her, they were for her and her only. I respect you with all my heart, Grandpa Valentine, and grandpa Castagno, but please understand...if you attempt to tear us apart, I will fight you tooth and nail. There is no way that I am giving this woman up. So you can either accept that and try to work through your grudges and be a part of this family, or you can continue to hate each other while your family grows, with or without you. It's your choice, grandfather.")

The two elders watched as Valerie reached up and kissed Jonah's cheek, smiling with pride. Freddie moved over to the couch, feeling a bit winded from all the Italian. He looked up at Carly and saw she was just turning the whole thing out. Valerie turned her eyes to Valentine and walked towards him.

"Grandpa, please don't fight. I don't know what happened all those years ago, but it's past. Right now, Jonah and I love each other, we have a son together, and that's what is important. There's nothing that can change that, and I wouldn't want it to change anyway. He's my husband. We can all be a family, all we ask is that maybe you put aside your differences for once, just try it?"

Valentine took a deep breath and held his granddaughter's eyes. His expression was stern, but at the same time, he was moved by his daughter's tenderness, as well as Jonah's courage to stand up for what is right. He looked up and slowly nodded. "My apologies, maybe I reacted too harshly. I will try to get along with Mr. Castagno and I approve of your marriage. You do indeed have my blessing."

"Same here," Ryan added with a bright smile. He lifted his hand and pat Valentine on the shoulder. Valentine huffed and glared at him, causing him to recoil fast.

"Don't push it."

"Got it."

"Now Valerie, where is your good friend? Samantha?"

"Oh, she's in another city right now. These serial killers, Bana Shay and Lionel Shay, I guess they're around and they're really bad." Valentine rubbed his chin and looked over to see Freddie shuddering at the mention of the men. "They're hurting my friends, I just wish Bana would go away, you know? Leave my friends' family alone."

"I understand." He hugged his granddaughter and she smiled slightly. "Venite a me la mia bellissima nipotina, mi permetta di attesa."

"I love you grandpa…"

"I love you too sweetheart."

Jonah heaved forth a heavy sigh and sat next to Freddie, who was bewildered. He chuckled and crossed his arms. "You look a bit tired there, Benson."

"Oh no, not at all, just…in shock."

"In shock?"

"Oh yes. I didn't know the Italian language could be thrown about so much!"

"Well, you met our grandfathers, maybe they can put their old grievances aside. Only time will tell."

"Yeah…dear god…"

* * *

Mhmm, well then. We just learned something, Jonah's family may be in the mafia too. Guglielmo family and Castagno family, once rivals. Way to stick up for your girl, Jonah!


	198. The Lion, The Bull, and the Tiger

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 198 (The Lion, The Bull, and the Tiger)

A little over two months passed and everyone besides the police were beginning to forget about Bana and Lionel Shay. Both men had been laying low and the Idaho prison had a new warden. Marissa still followed the trail, even though it had gone cold, she would do whatever it took to find and take out the two dangerous men, and it showed. Now that it was once again, Friday the 13th, April 13th, she was almost certain Lionel would be coming out of hiding.

She wanted to keep her relatives inside, but it was clear they weren't going to do that. Tyrone and an appointment with his therapist, and Carly was driving him there. He wasn't feeling all that well and really didn't feel like driving. Jonah and Freddie were hanging in the back seat, ready to go pick up Griffin after dropping off Tyrone, then meet up at Gibby's to practice with their band.

Carly came to a stop at a red light and tapped her thumb on the steering wheel. Tyrone was leaning against the door and watching the light. They were going to be an hour early for his appointment, but that was all right, considering the band had plans. It only meant that Tyrone could see Dr. Parper earlier, as long as it wasn't an inconvenience to the therapist. He'd been doing better lately and was becoming more accepting of the culture. He still wasn't sure about Griffin, but he wasn't saying anything about it. Besides, his concern about Griffin wasn't about arranged marriage, it was about the motorcycle. "Carly. Why do you date a man who rides a motorcycle? Can I ask that? I don't want to say you _shouldn't_ date him, especially not for that reason, but a _motorcycle_?"

"What Grandpa? Even Freddie and Jonah are starting to ride bikes. Sam and Valerie think it's hot." Tyrone paled and the men in the back began to snicker. It was true, Griffin was teaching them to ride a motorcycle and look cool doing it. He was even warming Gibby up to the idea! It would be awesome to have matching motorcycles. "It's not like Griffin lets _me_ ride them, he doesn't. It would be nice, but he does say they're too dangerous. I wonder, what does he think I'll do, break a nail?"

"They are dangerous," Freddie smirked. She rolled her eyes and he laughed. "I'm just saying, Griffin has a point. Anyway, Tyrone-"

"Why do you just call me by my name? Why not Granddad or something like that?"

"You've not reached that level yet."

"Go figure." Tyrone's flat response prompted another chuckle from the sidelines. He reached back and thwacked Jonah upside the head. "I'd say respect your elders…" Freddie turned his eyes to Jonah and laughed.

"Him? Please, he's probably the most respectful to elders as anyone in this car is. How's Valerie's grandpa and your grandpa, by the way? They getting along?" Jonah leaned sideways and brought his right leg up to rest on his left.

"I wouldn't know, her grandpa went back to New York about a month ago." Freddie raised an eyebrow and Carly glanced to the rearview mirror. What did Valentine have to do with New York, besides Valerie, in which case he would probably be unable to see her? "My grandpa, he recently came out and said that it _had_ been a couple years before he changed his name over, that he'd been a part of an Italian Mafia family in New York, rivaling that which Valerie's grandpa was involved in."

"Really?" The others, minus Carly, who was still watching the road, looked over to Jonah with interest. "So what happened? Why did the two of them change their names and move to Seattle?"

"Both families had branches here in Seattle, to be honest. Eventually the two warring families ceased their war, Grandpa Valentine's Mob family wiped out Grandpa Castagno's mob family. So my grandfather changed his name in order to avoid detection." Freddie nodded carefully and Tyrone's eyebrows started to rise. "I'm not entirely _clear_ on why Grandpa Valentine changed his name, other than I think he actually _didn't_, it was just Valerie's father that did, due to the difficulty to pronounce the name. Vincent has a brother who is still named Guglielmo. Johnny Guglielmo, to be exact. Haven't really heard much about him except I think he may still be a part of the mafia and he answers to the Don in New York."

"Your grandfathers sure keep a lot of history to themselves…"

"Yeah, they promised no more secrets, but I always get the feeling there's something they're not saying. Or at least Grandpa Valentine isn't."

Tyrone whistled and turned back around in his seat, shaking his head. "Damn. And you two call _me_ a bad grandfather!" Carly laughed and Jonah rolled his eyes. "Nice to know you have connections to the mafia, Jonah. Have I ever said how sorry I am that I might have pissed you off over the years?"

"Relax, I'm not going to call out a hit on you. Just as long as you stay out of my friend's relationship, I'm fine. See, we Italians put strong values on family, so I'd hate to think what could happen if you tried to tear a family apart."

"Hey! Didn't you just say you weren't going to call a hit out on me?"

"I did." Freddie and Carly broke out in laughter again and couldn't stop, so she pulled over to the curb and parked the car. Tyrone glared at the two of them and crossed his arms over, huffing in frustration. After a minute, Jonah chuckled and pat Tyrone's back. "I'm not a part of the Mafia, Tyrone, and I have no _means_ of being a part of it. Anyway, I hear you and Carly's grandmother are dating more frequently now?"

"Yeah, she's finally decided to give actual dating a try." Carly grinned. Freddie smiled at Tyrone and turned his gaze to where Carly parked. They were right next to the docks.

"Hey guy, let's explore!"

"I need to get to my appointment…"

"We got time." Tyrone looked over at the docks and shrugged his shoulders, it had been years since he'd been out there. They brought back memories of his youth, so he figured there was no reason _not_ to explore.

"I guess, but just as long as we get moving soon enough. I'm feeling a bit unsettled here."

"Ah, it'll be fine." The four of them left the car and started heading into the docks. It looked like your typical port with boats lying at the docks and old newspapers flying along the pavement. The more they walked, the more unsettled they became. "In retrospect…why does it feel so dreary here?"

"Feels like something out of the Godfather." Tyrone smirked at Jonah, who rolled his eyes and took out his phone.

"I got a call to make. I told Grandpa I'd let him know when the band was going to meet, haven't done that yet…" Carly looked over to Jonah and shook her head.

"You're just trying to get out of the vicinity of the mafia jokes, aren't you?"

"Yes." He dialed Ryan's number and started to walk off a few paces from the group. Freddie looked over at him and raised an eyebrow at Jonah's surprised expression. "Grandpa Valentino, you two are in the same room together? I thought you were still in New York?" Ryan answered the question for him, as Valentine was only heard speaking in the background.

"We've reached a consensus, Nipote, an agreement, if you will. Valentine's come back from New York and is talking with his son, Johnny. I was merely invited over to discuss the unity of our two families. He feels we should regain our surname, the Castagno, and-" Jonah caught a glimpse of something in the window of a nearby building and narrowed his eyes as he walked closer and peered inside. Bana was sleeping on a makeshift bed.

"Caro dio…"

"What was that, Jonah?"

"Nothing grandfather, I just saw Bana!"

"Bana? You mean the guy that Valerie told us about back upon our meeting? The serial killer? Where are you? Where is he?"

"The Seattle Docks, west side…outside the giant yacht."

"Yacht? Johnny owns a yacht, has Bana been staying at the docks there all this time?"

"Grandpa, I'm sorry, I have to go. I have to warn the others."

"Jonah-" Jonah hung up the phone and hurried over to where Freddie and the others were, his heart was racing and his blood was pumping.

"Guys, Bana's asleep in one of the buildings here."

"We have bigger problems, Jonah." Jonah glanced over to see what everyone was looking at, they were shaking and pale. His eyes widened and settled in on Lionel Shay. "Lionel _isn't_ asleep in any of the buildings here." Thinking fast, the trio stepped in front of Tyrone and Carly. Lionel narrowed his eyes and moved forward with a menacing gait.

"Don't worry, it is only Tyrone that I want. Carly is not a pure Shay. I won't kill anyone other than a Shay." Tyrone's eyes widened and sweat dripped down his neck.

"I'm actually _not_ going by Shay anymore. I mean, I'm half Davidson!"

"And thirty years of arrogance has brought us to this day. Tyrone, it is your turn to die." Lionel moved his eyes to Carly, Jonah, and Freddie, all of whom did not appear to be backing down. "Move aside. Don't impede justice." Tyrone took a fearful step back and slowly shook his head. Freddie narrowed his eyes and folded his arms over.

"You have a sick view of _justice_, Lionel. Didn't think I'd be meeting you anytime soon…Didn't really _want_ to."

"I am well aware of my own self, to prevent hypocrisy, once I have destroyed all the Shays and my job is done, I'll destroy myself." Freddie chuckled vainly and looked over to Carly. They knew about Shane's girlfriend, Allison, and her unborn daughter Ciara. They only hoped that Lionel was clueless about it. "There are no Shays left besides Tyrone and Bana Shay, it is my duty to eradicate them. On this day, my job will be complete, as fortunately for me, you've led me right to two Shays. I had been following Tyrone for a while now, I am pleased to know that Bana is here at the docks as well."

The group heard a loud footstep behind them and closed their eyes, groaning, terror in their voices. Bana was awake. Now it was anyone's game. "Lionel!" Bana's voice shook the docks like an earthquake. Lionel stood firm and the group quickly scattered to the right, hiding behind some boxes as the two killers glared into each other's eyes. Lionel smirked and tilted his head.

"I see you're on your feet again."

"It took me a month to recover from that! I _still_ walk with a limp!"

"Too bad. You did well in hiding from me, but tell me why you chose these docks? And more specifically, hiding out around that yacht?"

"It was where no one could find me of course."

"I see." Lionel's eyes drifted to the right and narrowed upon Tyrone, who sank a bit more behind the crates. "That Shay will have to wait…I have to take out the greater evil." Bana raised an eyebrow and smirked as he reached into the black overcoat he was wearing.

"Bring it…" Lionel watched as his prey pulled out his claws, two long serrated daggers that could rival a simple machete. "…Bitch." Lionel readied himself to pounce, leaning his body back and taking a martial arts stance. "You killed my father, you are a fucking hypocrite, and I'm going to tear your head off."

"I've made it my goal to destroy men with hearts and souls as evil as yours, now you've reached your judgment day."

"You're one to judge!" With that, the fight began. Bana charged for Lionel, spreading his wings out and swinging his arms in towards the old man. Lionel's eyes widened and he quickly hopped back, narrowly avoiding the slashes. "You're a monster just as bad as I am!" With a shout, Lionel jumped to the back of Bana and delivered a shattering kick into his recovering knee. Bana screamed and fell towards the ground.

"You are simply a bloodthirsty behemoth, I am a dignified fighter." Lionel reached into his jacket and pulled his pistol from his pocket. He aimed it cleverly towards Bana and fired a gunshot into the man's left side. "Dignified fighters outlast the bloodthirsty killer."

"Oh shut up you glorified excuse for a murderous priest!" Bana stabbed his knifes into the ground and slowly pushed himself up. His face was etched into a deadly scowl and his eyes filled with venom. "Because that's all you sound like. Talk, talk, talk, you're nothing but talk! At least I'm _honest_ with myself!" He roared and slashed Lionel across the left leg. Lionel released a painful grunt and recoiled to a nearby pool. "

"Honest? Honest _how?_" He slowly pulled himself up and growled as Lionel removed his jacket and tied it around his bleeding leg.

"I don't try to justify my murders by saying I'm cleansing evil. I know what I'm doing is evil and I don't give a shit. That's what makes me the bull and you the Lion, you think you're God, you play King, when in reality, even the animal Lion is far better than you are!" Bana charged in once more and Lionel made a move to dodge again.

Freddie, Jonah, Carly, and Tyrone all watched helplessly as the two killers clashed. Freddie thought back to Andre and sighed. "That's what he was talking about, the clash of the titans. Should we be sitting here right now?"

"Well eventually one of them is going to kill the other," Carly replied with a soft, squeaky voice. "So, that leaves us sitting ducks until then, because we don't actually want to, uh, get in the middle of that?"

Jonah's voice fell flat as he eyed the exit. His Italian blood wanted to get out and fight, but logic said to stay out of the way of the two men. "You do realize that either one of the two that survives will probably come after us, right? I'm not going to sit around when that happens, I'm going to fight whichever one of them lives…"

"Yeah, about that…" Freddie pointed at Bana, who had yet another bullet wound and lost a knife, which Lionel had skillfully managed to snatch away from him. He, along with Lionel, both had a few slashes from the weapons. "I don't know if you want to fight Bana or not."

"Well hey, I'm the son of a Mafia man, I married the mafia, and to this day, no force, person, or organization has _ever_ stopped the Mafia. Therefore…" Jonah frowned as Bana grabbed Lionel and threw him into some broken wooden crates on the opposite of the group. "Yeah we're screwed if Bana lives. Which one would be the better? If Valerie's grandfather is mafia, why couldn't he be the Don?"

"I say let Lionel live, that way, only Tyrone's dying." Tyrone blinked and did a double take at Freddie.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Lionel only goes after Shays. So Lionel lives, you stand a chance of surviving because he's already wounded…" Freddie pressed his lips together and saw Lionel kick out Bana's knee again and pound the knife into his abdomen. His hair was an unsightly mess, his clothes were in tatters, and he was covered in blood. Bana appeared to be in the same shape, but was enduring better. "Either way, they both look like they could take a fight after this. If Bana lives, we have about ten seconds before he regains his senses and then we're dead."

"True…"

"So who wants to place their bets and then try to find a way to escape the docks? Oh, and by the way, I'm sorry for getting us into this mess, we should never have stopped here."

"It's all right Freddie," Carly replied. "I think I'll call Mom….but as far as wagering, I'd probably wager Bana to survive, sadly. I mean, he's younger, seems to be in better shape, and is giving the statistical fighter a hard time."

Jonah looked at his phone and frowned as he pushed it into his pocket and sighed. "I agree with her. By the way, I got a text from Grandpa. Can't quite make it out, but he wants us to stay where we're at and not move."

"Oh nice Grandfather of yours, tell you to do that…we're going to die if one of these men lives!"

Bana and Lionel pressed their backs against walls of opposing buildings, facing each other and panting their exasperation. Bana's nostrils flared and Lionel's breath sounded as a hiss. "I've never had a Shay give me this much of a fight, Bana. You are definitely a fearsome man."

"Oh, I'm glad a 'god' like you decided to acknowledge that. The gloves are off Lionel. You wanted to hunt me, you did a good job of hunting me for the past few months, but I'm not letting you kill me."

"Don't let your arrogance show too much." Lionel aimed his gun at Bana, whose eyes widened. He was caught, with Lionel's intentional aiming, he knew a bullet to the heart would end him. "No more games Bana Shay, I'm done playing with my food. Goodbye."

"Fuck…" He closed his eyes as Lionel pulled the trigger. The expected rush of pain to his chest never came, there was no explosion, merely a click. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath and exhaled his relief as he saw Lionel struggling with his gun. His lips curled into a smirk and the bystanders all gasped at the inevitable. "You've run out of ammo."

"Shit."

"Die!" With a quick hoof, he held his arm out to the side and flexed it tight as he charged towards his enemy. Lionel looked up with wide eyes as Bana slammed into him, crushing his abdomen with his strong arm. He let out a loud shout and Bana brought his hand up and placed it firmly onto Lionel's neck. He glared into the old man's eyes and sneered "Looks like it's your turn to die, Lionel Shay. You messed with the wrong Shay at the wrong time."

"Y-You bastard!" He gagged and gasped for air as Bana began laughing mercilessly. In the sidelines, the observers were beginning to grow frantic at the realization of their worst nightmare.

"We're screwed!" Carly shouted. She cupped her hand over her mouth and whined as Freddie slowly closed his eyes. He wasn't ready to accept death, he just couldn't bear the thought of it. Not now, not when there were so many people depending on him, so many people who needed him, what about Sam? Who would take care of her? Who would be there for her?

"Should have just kept going. Shouldn't have stopped here…"

"Freddie, Carly, I want you to know one thing…" The two looked at Tyrone, he was shaking tremendously and sweat was running along his body. He closed his eyes and sighed as Bana dropped Lionel's body to the ground. "I'm sorry, I know it doesn't take back all these years of pain. I wish I had been a better person, a better man than this. Maybe if I was better, we wouldn't be in this position."

"It's okay Tyrone…You're not so bad, I guess. I wish we could have gotten to know each other just a little better." Freddie turned his eyes to Bana and met the killer's cold, vicious gaze. Bana's lips curled up as he started to turn fully towards them. "We could run, but I'm not sure how much good it would do us."

"Not much," Jonah answered. He still contemplated fighting. He moved his eyes to Bana's feet and raised an eyebrow. Lying at the man's heel was Lionel's hand, but his fingers were closing. The old man was still alive, but barely conscious. Even stranger, they were at the corner of the building, and on the other side, Jonah was certain he saw a black dress shoe just partially in view. "Hey guys, I don't think we're the only ones here…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Look at Bana…behind him…" The group looked over just as Bana held out his hands and started grinning at them.

"The Bull beat the Lion. What do you know?" Just as he took a step forward, the man Jonah saw beside the building stepped into view. He had black pants, a pinstripe sports jacket, black shades and a fedora on his head. His hands revealed a Garrote Wire in which he quickly moved it around Bana's neck. The group gasped and Bana threw his hands to the wire and let out a grunt. "Who the fuck are you? What are you doing?"

"Hold still." The man stepped on Lionel's hand, crushing it. "Confirm this for me. You _are_ Bana Shay, correct?" Bana growled and tugged at the wire, which was too tight around his neck.

"Yes, and I've been in worse scrapes than this. You think you can hold me with something like this?"

"No. I'm pretty sure you've not been in a more dire situation than you are about to be in, Asino Muto."

"What did you just call me?"

"I called you a dumb ass. You know, a man lacking in intelligence. You spent all your time fighting this old codger that you failed to see the ambush coming for you."

"What?"

"What's this guy talking about?" Freddie asked with a curious tone. Jonah shrugged and slowly rose to his feet, he was incredibly curious as to who this man was. Before he could say anything, a line of black cars, led by a dark convertible, began parking alongside the curb of the dock. His eyes settled in on the twenty men exiting the cars. They were following a man about fifty years of age. He had curly black hair and a slightly graying moustache. He wore a solid fedora, had a cigar in his mouth, and bore a tuxedo. Jonah instantly recognized him from the pictures he'd seen.

"What the _hell_ is Valerie's uncle doing here?"

The man narrowed his eyes into Bana's gaze and smirked. He had his hands in his pocket and tilted his head to the right as all other similarly dressed men formed a single file, horizontal line behind him. They each had their hands in their jackets, grabbing a hold of something unseen. "Name's Johnny Guglielmo, the Underboss for the Guglielmo family." Jonah raised an eyebrow and looked to his friends.

"Underboss?"

"I preside over the Seattle district. Behind me I have men from the Guglielmo family and men from our recent union with the Castagno Famiglia." Jonah snapped his head towards the man and watched with growing confusion and anxiety as his own _father_ started moving from one of the cars. "Here to keep the peace and ensure his son's safety is Michael Castagno, the brother of the Castagno's underboss, Roy."

"Jonah? Your uncle is in the mafia?" Freddie stood next to Jonah, who was staring with wide and confused eyes.

"I never really talked to Uncle Roy, how was I supposed to know he was the underboss for…wait a minute? My family's _still _a mafia family?" Johnny turned his eyes to Jonah and his lips curled into a smile. Michael looked over and frowned, he knew a big explanation was needed. Bana roared and tried to break free from the Garrote, but the mafia man only made his hold tighter. Johnny locked eyes with Bana once more and rolled his head.

"Ah. Yes, the Castagno's and Guglielmo's have been at war. That's why the Castagno's made their primary base in Seattle, WA while the Guglielmo's made theirs in New York, with only branches here. With the union of the two Dons' grandchildren, the two families have been united."

"Oh that's gre-wait a minute, _Don-_"

"Bana Shay, nearly three months ago your existence was made aware to Don Valentino Guglielmo and Don Ryan Castagno. At his granddaughter's mention of the harm you've been causing his friend's family, Don Valentino, out of the kindness of his heart, returned to New York and ordered your head on a silver platter. Tonight, after months of searching, and Don Castagno's grandson stumbling on your presence, we've found you and the two Don's will sign the peace treaty that your death shall symbolize. Un connubio di faiglie."

"What does that even mean?" Bana asked. With a sneer, he tore the Garrote from his neck. The mafia man holding him ran to the side, out of the line of fire. Bana glared at Johnny and took a dangerous step forward. Without hesitating, Johnny took his cigar from his lips and tapped it in the air with his middle and index fingers.

"It means a union of families. A treaty signed by the two Don's and sealed with the blood of a killer." Johnny turned to the side as the soldiers and capos each pulled a Tommy Gun from their pockets and aimed it at Bana, who gazed on with wide eyes. Johnny flicked the ash from his cigar and started to walk out of the range of the men. "You put up a tough fight, trying to hide from the eyes of the Mafia, but your fatal mistake was hiding where I park my yacht. Know this Bana, no force has ever managed to topple the Italian Mafia." He put his cigar back into his lips and stopped walking. The cigar was framed by a red ring as he took a breath. Bana growled and Jonah watched the man pull the cigar and blow the smoke from his lips. "Whack him boys. Try not to get any holes or dents in my yacht, please."

"No!" Bana screamed as his body was pelted with bullets. Johnny flung his cigar to the ground and started to reach for another. He set a fresh cigar in his mouth and started to light it. "Fuck you!" Bana clenched his teeth as his body jerked in every direction from the machine guns' never ending assault. Johnny removed his cigar and looked up to the sky as he exhaled.

"Castagno, Brown, whatever you want to be called. Go to your son. Take care of him, his son is the jewel of the Castagno and Guglielmo family, after all."

Michael nodded and ran behind the mafia men towards Jonah and the group. The men were still firing, perhaps overkill, but the Dons had ordered the mafia to tear Bana into shreds. He hugged his son, who was frozen from all that he was seeing. Freddie, Carly, and Tyrone were not faring much better. "Jonah, son, are you okay?"

"Define okay, Dad. You _knew_ about all this?"

"Yes. I'm sorry Jonah, I'm sorry. I promise you, we'll explain everything, but first we need to get you guys home."

"I thought we were _done_ with secrets!"

"We are, I promise you, no more secrets."

"Grandpa's the boss of a Mafia family? Why was this kept?"

"Your own protection, but that's over now…you can know and you can be safe. So can Valerie, so can Aaron." Jonah raised an eyebrow as Michael hugged him tighter.

"Protection?" His father pulled away and met his eyes. Johnny made his way over to Jonah and took a puff of his cigar.

"Yes kid, the Guglielmo and Castagno families have been at war since the 1960s. Why do you _think_ your family name was different? Your father, Valerie's father, wanted nothing to do with the Italian Mafia, so they hid away. In an ironic twist of fate that should only happen in Shakespeare, you and my niece decide to hook up! Half of the Castagno family seems to have remained hidden at your wedding, that's how we didn't know. I guarantee, if we _had _known, a war would have broken out. By us not knowing, you saved a lot of grief." Johnny turned around as the men stopped firing and watched Bana's bullet ridden, flesh-torn body slump to the ground. "As your father said, there will be no more secrets. Everything will be explained to you." Sirens broke out in the distance and the men began heading towards the cars. "We'll let the police clean this up, our Consigliere will talk to the cops if necessary. In this case…I don't think it will be. Jonah, keep in mind that neither you nor Valerie ordered this hit. Understand? It was Don Valentino that ordered the hit, only because he saw the grief that this man was causing for his granddaughter and her family."

"I think I understand…"

"I believe we'll see you in a few hours." Jonah swallowed and watched his uncle retreat to his vehicle. Within minutes, the mafia men were gone. Carly and Tyrone were still frozen, trying to process what had just occurred. Freddie was watching the cops pile onto the street. His mother exited the car and stared at Bana's dead body and Lionel's unconscious form, every bone in the man's hand was crushed and broken. Her eyebrows rose in shock as the officers rushed over to the two fallen serial killers.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell happened here…"

* * *

My sentiments exactly, Mrs. Benson. WOW, so what did you think of that? Bana and Lionel clashed, BANA won, sort of, and then by a stroke of luck that Jonah was talking to his grandfather, the mafia shows up led by Valerie's uncle. *Whistles* The final secret has _just_ come out.


	199. No More Secrets

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 199 (No More Secrets)

Freddie was seated with his best friend at a large round table, he decided to go along with Jonah for the hell of it, out of his own curiosity. They were currently in a meeting room within the compound where his friend's grandfather lived. At the head of the table was Ryan, seated next to Valentine. Also at the table, seated across from each other were Johnny and Ryan's firstborn son Roy. Michael and Vincent were seated alongside their brothers. Both of the families' consiglere were present as well and were standing near the two dons. Three Capos of each family had been positioned around the room as well. A computer nearby viewed the entire room and showed Valerie on webcam, she was a bit concerned with the whole meeting and had just received the news of Bana's demise, along with the revelation of the grandfathers' true careers. Aaron was positioned in Jonah's lap, sleeping softly, despite the crowded room.

"Why am I here?" Freddie whispered to himself. He honestly didn't see the point of coming, now that he thought about it. All these people were a bit too intimidating for him. Hell, he wasn't even a _part _of this family! He tagged along because Jonah asked him to be there, and he didn't have anything better to do. Although, he did want to find something better, or at least, any excuse to get away from this place. "I don't have any part in all this, you know."

"Just relax." He felt Jonah nudge him in the side, and decided to try and keep quiet. He drew in a sharp breath and closed his eyes, sighing in exasperation. "I just want you here for support, that's all…" He nodded and folded his hands over in his lap. Support? Support for what? It wasn't that he was _scared_ of Jonah's and Valerie's family, he was just highly uncomfortable. It is not every day that someone discovers their best friend's grandfather is the boss of a mafia family. "They'll tell us why we're here soon enough…"

"Oh that's great. I do wonder what they want." Considering the family was uniting, this might very well be a meeting of turning the family into one giant family. He didn't know how it would work, but then again, he could be wrong about his assumption. "Maybe they're going to discuss a merge…"

"That's exactly right," Ryan said across the table. Freddie tensed himself up, shocked that he'd been loud enough for the Don to hear him. "There are a few matters that Valentine and I wish to discuss." The other men in the room turned their full attention onto the dons, awaiting their word. Ryan folded his hands onto the table and closed his eyes. "As all of you know, the serial killer, Bana Shay has been disposed of. It is just a small symbol of this unity." Freddie's eyebrows lifted up and his eyes drifted to Valentine. The man cleared his throat and pat his closed hand on the wooden table.

"The Castagno and Guglielmo family will become one family with the union of our grandchildren." That wasn't a shock, considering it might be better for business to just join together. He looked from Jonah to Valerie, then back. Neither of the two seemed all that pleased about it and he had no clue why. As his eyes drifted to Aaron, he started to realize that he wasn't seeing any younger men in positions of power, who in the family would take the place should something happen to the dons? Both men were in their high seventies, or at least eighty, so they weren't going to live forever. Maybe either Johnny Guglielmo or Roy Castagno could take over, but did they have any children? Plus, they were getting pretty old themselves. Both Michael and Vincent wanted nothing to do with the mafia, and Jonah didn't sound too thrilled about it either, but would it make much difference?

Ryan took a glass of wine from the table and leaned back in his chair. He sipped his drink and stared over his glass at Freddie. His sharp gaze stirred an air of discomfort inside him. He turned his eyes away, feeling a shiver shooting down his spine. Was he on _The Godfather?_ Would Marlon Brando or Al Pacino pop up out of nowhere and scare the living hell out of him?

_"And I thought my secret relationship with Sam was big…" _This just blew his secret right out of the water, granted it wasn't secret anymore. "If I can ask…what are your plans for the leadership?" He really didn't want to interrupt, and the moment he did, he felt almost as though someone just put an electric cord to his back, he was too shocked that he even spoke. The elders turned to them and Ryan spoke first.

"We've given a lot of thought to this, as we combine, both Valentine and I will operate as one. We are old men, we will not be around much longer. It is time we consider new leadership. But first, we should explain a little of our history to my grandson…" Freddie had to wonder, as an outsider, did these two powerful Dons trust him that much to hear their history? He was Jonah's best friend, after all, so maybe they didn't care. Jonah shifted to the right, he seemed highly uncomfortable. "When we came to America, we individually overtook ongoing mafia families."

"Yes, we rose to the top." Valentine pulled a cigar from his coat pocket and brought it to his lips. Freddie watched as the man lit it up, then pulled it from his mouth between his index and middle finger. "It was a bit unorthodox, and it has gained us some enemies since, but we've become powerful, even expanding our family business between New York and Washington. By joining together, utilizing both families, we can truly grow in strength."

"As you already well know, we had a rivalry together, but we have put those days behind us. We have discussed the concept of change, and as our grandchildren have married, we have decided that the family name should be the Castagno Family. As pertaining to the marriage of Don Valentino's granddaughter to my grandson."

"No offense Grandfather," Jonah leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the table. Aaron looked up and started babbling. "How do you honestly expect the family to survive? There's no generation to step up and take the reins, not saying that's necessarily a bad thing…My father isn't interested in the mafia, and neither is Valerie's dad." The elders remained silent, and Michael's brother Roy spoke up. Freddie was stunned by the deepness in the man's voice.

"Yes we have already come to that conclusion." He looked over to Roy and lifted his eyebrows, the man was rather good looking, which was mildly surprising. He had a grey beard with some brown streaks, a brown mustache, and very dark grey hair. "As you know, nephew, the Don is the head of the family, the _Patriarch_, the Godfather. And yes, that is a real term." Roy brought his glass of wine to his nose, smelling of the aroma, then sipping on it. After setting the glass down, he continued. "What this means is that neither Johnny nor I have any male children who can carry the flame of this family onward." Freddie clicked his tongue and saw Jonah's face twist in horror, it seemed he understood where this was going. "In fact, the Guglielmo family almost had to let it be that a female _would_ take the reins, but Johnny's daughter passed away in 2009."

"So…neither of you can adopt?" Roy chuckled and crossed his legs over. He gently pat his knee and shook his head.

"A tradition for all mob bosses is the Don must be blood. It's a family business, if they are not blood, then they cannot be the don. Neither of our wives can produce any longer, obviously, and that leaves only one alternative…" Jonah's eyes widened and Valerie cupped her hands over her mouth. Freddie visibly winced and turned his head towards the door, he was contemplating running out of there like _The Flash_.

"Y-You're not suggesting…Neither of our fathers even want to be involved in the Mafia!"

"I know, but without a Don, the rival families would destroy us." Freddie lifted his eyes up and slowly closed his hands. He was wondering why they didn't think they could step up themselves. Then again, they probably knew they could, but they were clearly not worried about themselves. As he turned his head towards the babbling child in Jonah's lap, he started to pale.

"_After all, his son is the crown jewel of the Guglielmo and Castagno family"_

Were they suggesting that _Aaron_ be a don in the future? Certainly both Roy and Johnny could survive until Aaron was in his twenties. They were only in their early fifties, and both the current Dons were eighty! Jonah moved his arm tighter around his son and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm certain you two are perfectly capable of running the family, Uncle. I don't want anything to do with the business. I mean no disrespect, but honestly, I do not have any desire to be involved with the mafia."

"That is indeed your decision, and you're welcome to it, but maybe one day you'll reconsider?" Jonah was strong, and Freddie knew it. Perhaps, his uncles realized it too. It would take a lot for Jonah to ever get involved with the Italian Mafia. He almost wanted to imagine how that would be, could Jonah actually lead an entire mob family? It would be an interesting thought to see him go so far as to actually _destroy_ the rival mafias. Or at least the ones in Seattle, but of course, Freddie never quite knew the mafia still existed. He just _had _to ask. He lifted his hand and the others turned to him.

"I just have this one question, but…I didn't know the mafia still existed. I thought everything was just street gangs."

"The mafia is more hidden now," Johnny remarked. Freddie lifted his eyebrows and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. Johnny pressed his cigar into the ashtray next to him and inhaled deeply. "Most mob bosses are smart enough to remain under wraps because the police are cracking down on them. Street gangs are just street rats, wannabe mobsters, and they are fodder for the mafia today."

"Fodder?" What did that mean? Why did it cause him a heightened sense of fear? Was the mafia so strong that they _used_ the street gangs?

"Most mafia hits, especially around these parts, the gangs are framed for. They are declared responsible. The Italian Mafia has remained as powerful and vigilant as ever, and we only have room to grow. The more discreet, the better. It is also very easy to blend in with some of the common street thugs." That was somewhat of a surprise to hear, but it made sense. If the police were focused on the gangs, then they weren't focused on the Mafia, and if they weren't focused on the Mafia, it gave them more power than they'd ever had in the first place.

"Wow." His eyebrows rose and Jonah gave him a concerned look, almost as if pondering why the hell he was showing any kind of interest in this. He couldn't help it, the Italian Mafia _did_ intrigue him. "I wonder…do you actually _own_ businesses? Rackets? Is it really, truly, like the Godfather?" The older men started laughing and Freddie grew disheartened. Valentine cleared his throat and leaned forward, smirking with confidence.

"It's much, much _more_ than the Godfather is. Yes, we own 'rackets' and businesses. There are business owners who give a percentage of their profits to the mafia families. Each family is like this, be it the Castagno, the Guglielmo, the Gemma family, or even the Lothario family. There are a number of us, and almost every business in Seattle may be giving a portion to whatever family has gained their respect and fear."

"What about drugs, do you deal with that?"

"Drugs are for the gangs. In the Mafia, we are but simple businessmen trying to earn a living." Valentino turned to Jonah and met his stern eyes. "Now Jonah, I understand your concern, and I respect that. Perhaps one day you will change your mind, but remember, the offer will always be there. Maybe one day you, or even your son-"

"I will not involve my son in the Mafia," Jonah responded. His voice was sharp and to the point, there was no way in hell he wanted that life for Aaron. Valentino smiled lightly and slowly nodded his head.

"Yes, and I can understand that as well, just do not forget you have the protection of what is now the Castagno family." He leaned back and looked to his fellow Mafia men and smiled at them. "May we one day rise above the other families. We will find a way, a true heir to the Mob Family, the other families will not destroy us…"

Of course, it came to his mind, what would happen if Jonah did join? Or even Aaron in the future? If there was no Don, then the mafia family would be in trouble. Granted, they could probably get one of the Capos to take the seat, but then it would no longer be the Castagno family, and regulations may change throughout the family. No, the Don needed to be a direct line of one of the two families, and if something were to happen and they were unable to find a direct line, they would be no more.

* * *

Don't worry, nothing mafia style will happen here. Stick around for the next chapter.


	200. A Big Step

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: Dear lord, I've actually reached _200_ _chapters?_ Well, rest easy friends, there's not a whole lot left to this story. I'm just so glad and proud it made it this far, and much better than that "fake/rushed" ending. I love this. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 200 (A Big Step)

Sam was finally back home, Bana was dead and Lionel was in a prison hospital. Freddie had been overjoyed when she was allowed back. They were currently sitting on the living room couch at his place, his arm was around her shoulder, and she was nestled up on his chest. Her legs were curled up on the couch. The fireplace in front of them was lit, and gave them a warm glow as it soothed their souls.

Freddie reached down and kissed the top of her head. He watched as she rubbed his chest with her head, sighing contentedly. "I'm so glad we don't have to keep this a secret anymore," she said. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, exhaling softly. Of course they didn't need to keep it secret any longer, Tyrone wasn't out to get them anymore. Although, he _was_ keeping a good eye on the man, just in case he got cocky. "A part of me wishes we could have announced it on iCarly…"

"Still thinking about that?" He frowned and his eyebrows rose. He was pretty sure that show was long gone, even if fans would love to see them all again, there wasn't a chance of bringing it back. Though, it was getting a bit cumbersome how both Sam and Carly were still going on about it. He understood the memories that came with it. "Sure it was a good thing, and it had a good run."

"I know, it still would have been nice. I know back then it was dangerous, but nowadays…I don't know, I just miss it." Things would be truly different if iCarly were up and running, that was definite, although he didn't know how different things might be. There was the thought that they could start up a video webcast with the band, but he wouldn't do it. There was a reason they pulled the plug on iCarly in the first place, and that reason still stood as good reason to _not_ get involved with another webshow. "I guess we don't need to talk about all that, I'm just glad to be back home with my Aunt and Uncle."

"Aw." Freddie's lip curled into a slow, teasing smirk as he gazed down at her. "Did you not miss me? Only Morris and Maggie? Well, don't I feel special." Sam lifted her eyebrows and laughed, reaching up to kiss his cheek.

"I missed you most of all. Only, I knew I would see you again, so I didn't have to worry." He grinned as she moved her arms around his waist. "I love you."

"I love you too."

From the kitchen, Tyrone watched the couple with Arian, Angeline and Era. They were at the table, eating tuna salad sandwiches, just a snack for them. Tyrone enjoyed seeing this young love, which surprised him. He never really gave any thought to the concept of love, but now he understood the power of such an emotion, and he had Angeline to think for that.

He felt Era's bony fingers on his wrist and glanced over, meeting the woman's eyes. "They do make a loving couple, do they not?" The woman's wrinkled cheeks rose and her thin lips curled upwards. He smiled back at her and slowly nodded. On the table between the three of them, Angeline was to his right and Era was in front, was a box of pictures. These pictures were of his mother, Drita, and they were full of such emotional stories. Since the entire charade with Lionel and Bana, he'd changed his last name to Davidson, denouncing his Shay roots. "What are you thinking about right now, Tyrone?"

"A number of things." He moved his eyes towards Angeline and smiled gently as he watched her take a bite of her sandwich. "Why would I deserve to be happy, for one thing…" Era pulled her hand back and Angeline set the sandwich back down, swallowing her bite. "I've done so many things wrong in my life, and what amazes me is, it takes those two out there to start opening me up…"

"It was bound to happen," Arian stated. He was sitting next to Era, leaning back in his chair. His hand was next to his empty plate, and his right hand was brushing his white mustache, trying to remove any bread crumbs. He was amazed by how good his cousin looked at seventy four years old. Even Era, who would be turning 101 years, had a few wrinkles. Of course, Angeline was seventy two, and she was still beautiful. "You've been forgiven for everything, so you shouldn't bother yourself with the past anymore."

He pulled the right corner of his lips back and gazed out at the young couple. "Freddie's still unsure about me, I can understand why, but it kind of hurts."

"Freddie and his friend, Jonah, have always been very tough and protective people. They'll come around eventually, the more you show yourself to be a changed man, the more they'll trust you." He lifted his eyebrows and leaned back. It made a lot of sense, and it seemed especially true when it came to his family members, and Angeline. He knew it would take a while to earn everyone's trust, although he and Angeline had already declared the love for each other was still there. Angeline moved her eyes towards Tyrone, then slowly turned to Era.

"I'm curious, Era. Even though he's almost seventy-five, does he still have to participate in the culture?" Tyrone arched an eyebrow and felt his heart stop in his chest. His eyes widened and his palms began to sweat, the concept of marriage this late in life was almost nerve-wracking. He turned an anxious gaze to Angeline, then looked to Era, who was grinning proudly. "I know it's usually the mother and father that choose the whole thing, isn't it?"

"Yes dear," Era replied coolly. She straightened her shoulders and Tyrone closed his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't want it, he would love it, but the question was, did he deserve it? Sure, he wasn't getting any younger, and he wanted to make Angeline happy. Being with her made him incredibly happy. "Being that I am the only sibling of Drita that remains alive, I would be the one to decide who Tyrone's bride would be…should he choose to participate." Beads of sweat started forming at his forehead, and his body began heating up. He felt Angeline looking at him and slowly tugged on his shirt.

"Do you think you'd participate in the culture? I mean, sure you're an old man now, but why live out the rest of your life single?" Was she seriously suggesting marriage? Then again, she probably didn't want to be an old maid either. He cleared his throat and moved his hands along his pants, gripping his knees firmly.

"Well, I'm certainly tired of being alone…"

Arian smirked and brought his eyelids down halfway. "You know…" Tyrone shot a glare at him, if he started to twirl that mustache of his, he may just lunge across the table and rip it off his face. "If you _did_, it would show your family a lot of guts and courage. Maybe it would be a step towards cementing your name and a step in the right direction."

"I'm sure you understand the concept of our arranged marriage by now." Era gripped her coffee mug and brought it to her lips. Tyrone watched carefully and slowly nodded his head. "We choose a bride, allow time for you to date, for love to develop, and so forth. Granted that usually happens when you're younger and you need to wait until you're twenty for the marriage. For you, the process would be quicker."

"Yeah, I understand that. I'm just…I'm a little stunned that I'd be a candidate."

"And why not? You're unmarried, a part of this family, and you've never tasted this culture."

"Do I at least get a say to who the bride might be?" He chuckled sheepishly and Angeline smirked in his direction. Era and Arian laughed, then shook their heads, much to his disdain. "Okay, so…you have to choose from the women in my life. That's a pretty limited amount of people."

"Yes, but I've already done my research, and I already know who I feel your bride should be. I think you will like my decision, to be honest." His heart beat swiftly, then Angeline's soft hand curled around his beneath the table. His cheeks grew red and he looked to her through the corner of his eyes. She met his gaze and smiled. "There is nothing greater than to see two people who love each other so much be reunited after many years of painful separation. I've checked background information, and all that's necessary, and I honestly believe that Angeline would be a best match for you."

His heart shot up to his throat and his lips curled into a wide grin that he really wanted to keep hidden. Era's eyebrows rose and her eyes flicked between the two of them. "So, your choice is Angeline?"

"Yes, I do believe that is the best choice. Would you be willing to accept that?" His heart was aflutter, and he was certain that he was about to fall out of his chair from the shock. Angeline turned her head fully towards him, gazing inquisitively.

"Well Tyrone…would you be willing to give that another shot? I mean, you're making a lot of changes right now, I can understand that…"

"Yes he is." Era clasped her hands together and leaned forward, resting her elbows upon the surface of the table. "That's why I'm going to give you time. Once you decide, it isn't something that you can take back." Which made sense, Sam and Freddie wouldn't be able to get a divorce in the future, should they decide for some absurd reason that they couldn't find a way to resolve some stupid problem. "Our culture does not believe in divorce. It brings shame into the family…Which is another reason I've chosen Angeline, aside from the fact that you two are growing in your love together. A reunion of separated, divorced, lovers actually glorifies the relationship and the family."

"I see."

"I know it may seem a bit sudden to you, but let's face it. Each of us are getting older, to the point that we're not going to live much longer. Why live in misery when we can be happy in our final years?"

"She has a point," Arian stated simply. He grinned as Tyrone slowly closed his eyes. He was thinking long and hard, he'd been against arranged marriage for so long, but it was only because of biased ignorance and arrogance. He believed differently now, sure, but it still scared him. At least, he would be tied to someone he wanted to be tied with. "You don't have to get married right away, but it would still be nice to have that sentiment. Don't you think?"

He nodded and scratched the back of his head for a second. "I agree with that, it would be nice." He breathed in deeply and opened his eyes. He gave Angeline's hand a gentle squeeze and met her curious gaze. This was a big step he was about to take, more of a giant leap than that leap Neal Armstrong made on the moon. His heart pounded so, that it felt like a heart attack was on its way. "Angeline, do you think you'd want to…marry me…again?" He watched her smile and felt her tender hand brush his cheek.

"I think." She paused and looked into his eyes with a growing certainty. "I think I would like that very much…I trust you." In that instant, everything stopped, those last words commanded the silence forming in the air, and the joyous calm inside him. She truly did trust him? What was this amazement he felt? He slowly smiled at her and looked over to Era. He couldn't be happier than he was in this instance. He knew he didn't deserve it, but she deserved to be happy, and he would make sure she was happy.

"Then I think it's a good decision." Era smiled back at him and brought her coffee back up towards her lips, taking another sip.

"So then it's settled?"

"Yeah…it is." He glanced over in time to see Angeline rest her head on his shoulder. His heart warmed as his shoulder did, he was very pleased with the way things were going, and hoped everyone else would be as well. He was more than proud to take this step in his life.

* * *

Well, turning out well it would appear. I need to catch up on my writing, since I'm working now, it's difficult.


	201. The Greatest Bonds

The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 201 (The Greatest Bonds)

May 10th, 2015 finally came around, for three years everyone led peaceful lives. Lionel had remained in prison, where he would hopefully remain for the rest of his life. Jonah had gone to Seattle University in August of 2012, and after graduation next year, he would join the military as a Lieutenant. He'd been dreaming of the moment for years. Though, not nearly as much as he'd been dreaming of Valerie's return, she was coming home for good in December, where Miss Ray had promised to help her start a successful food chain!

Tyrone and Angeline had married in late 2012, they were still together, and still happy. Spencer and Sasha had a beautiful child, Skye, who was going to be the flower girl at today's wedding ceremony. Aaron was the ring bearer, and a cute, nearly four-year old ring bearer he made.

During college, Freddie and Sam had succumbed to the temptation of sex, and wound up pregnant. Of course, this was only months prior to the current date, but she did have a noticeable baby bump. The doctors said she would be having twins. She wasn't alone, however, Griffin managed to get Carly pregnant, so both girls would likely deliver their children around the same date. Valerie was pregnant as well, which irritated the hell out of their families, who were _still_ trying to convince Jonah to join the family business, and he _still_ refused.

The wedding of Freddie and Sam was going very well thus far. Uncle Morris handed her away down the aisle in perhaps her family's proudest moment. Valerie was the Matron of Honor and Carly was the Bridesmaid. Jonah was Freddie's Best Man, and Griffin became his Groomsman. Freddie took her delicate hand in his and turned towards the preacher. They were all wearing traditional Indian garments. They were having this wedding in the style of a traditional wedding, however. It was a little bit of both worlds.

"Ladies and Gentlmen," The preacher spoke while lifting his hands into the air with a smile. "We are gathered here to commemorate the marriage of Freddie and Samantha Puckett. Anyone who feels this marriage should not be, please speak now or forever hold your peace."

Freddie glanced towards where Tyrone was sitting and his heart lifted for joy, the man remained in his seat. He was holding onto Angeline's hand in his lap with his hands, watching with a patient smile. As he turned his head towards Spencer, he smiled once more. Sasha was beside him, sniffling and wiping her eyes while he held his arm around her shoulders.

Thankfully no one had any complaints, after all they'd gone through, he might just have to shoot the first person that stood up. Of course, Sam would get to them first. Either that, or the members of Jonah's family would get them. It was one thing to have the police guarding the wedding for Marissa's sake, but it was another to have Jonah's and Valerie's family guarding from the shadows and watching the wedding through the eyes of snipers.

He looked back to the preacher. Sam squeezed his hand and smiled at him, she was enchanting as ever. Her golden curls fell neatly against her shoulders and curved down into her lower back, her bright eyes bore into him, pulling him into her. She was worth every bit of drama that happened in their lives with Bana, with Lionel, Tyrone, and so many other things that had taken place. This was right where they needed to be, and he was grateful to have her, forever.

_"Do you, Freddie Benson, take Samantha Puckett to be your lawfully wedded wife. To have, to hold, to love and cherish from now until death do you part?"_

"I do." He breathed in, no hesitation in his voice. When he heard her say those same words, the ground beneath him turned into air. While everyone knew this wedding was more just a courtesy for them, it was still an apparent emotional moment. Marissa was in tears, Sasha in tears, Maggie in tears, every single man in the house had to remember to bring extra pairs of handkerchiefs for their wives. Ah, but how wonderful was it, truly? It was a wedding, they were all the same, so he could never see why people got so emotional at them. Then again, he did understand, the single most important moment in the lives of two people who loved each other very much.

Towards the end of the wedding, the reception was on. As Freddie and Sam danced, gazing into each other's eyes, her arms around his neck and his around her waist, they marveled at what was to be the start of the rest of their lives. Everything stopped when Jonah stepped up onto a table, calling out so he could give the traditional Best Man speech. They all turned to look at him as he raised up his glass and smiled at the newlywed couple. "Sam and Freddie," he began, "What a ride, not without its twists, turns, and bumps of course."

"It wasn't that bad," Freddie laughed. Jonah smirked and wagged his eyebrows.

"Easy for you to say, try asking your wife how easy it is to keep a secret relationship for so long." Sam blushed and Freddie's eyebrow arched sky high. Jonah spread his arms out and chuckled. "I'll admit, when I first heard you had an arranged marriage, I thought you were damn near crazy, and I guess I had to be protective of my friends because you had a crazier old man after you."

Tyrone huffed as Angeline began snickering. "I was not a crazy old man." Jonah pointed to him and smirked.

"You're about as crazy as an old man who enjoys walking on his hands in front of a camera. Oh wait, _you did_ do that! Of course, I could have been talking about the other crazy old man." Tyrone lifted his shoulders and looked to his left, where Arian was standing next to him and sipping on a glass. "No not that one, but anyway, back to Freddie." Jonah turned his gaze to Freddie and Sam, smiling at the two of them. "You two have had a hell of a relationship together, you've stuck it through, and I can tell…you're going to go far together. Never forget what you have, what you've had, and always cherish what you will have. No matter what, don't forget. The joy, the bliss, the wonders and the memories…it isn't at all what lies at the end, it's in the journey."

Freddie put his arm around Sam's waist and felt his heart slowly rise as her eyes met his. Jonah was right, the memories were what made their relationship as great and fantastic as it was. This was the one woman he _knew_ he could always depend on, and she could always depend on him no matter what. "And what a journey it was," he whispered softly. Her lips curled up and she reached up, kissing his lips tenderly.

Jonah chuckled and shook his head. "Couldn't even wait." He quickly pumped his hand up into the air, raising his glass high. "Here's to Freddie and Sam, from now, until forever!"

"Hear, hear!" The guests proclaimed, all raising their glasses sky high. Sam and Freddie raised theirs up, but continued to kiss.

It had been a long, tedious, daunting road with many twists and turns. Many surprises had been in store for them along the way, as well as many scares. Secrets appeared to shake the very foundation of their families and everyone they knew, but these were just the tests to show everyone's strength. True bonds, true friendships, true relationships, these were what had formed through the years.

Carly had been a prime example of how much stress could be thrown about, they had been afraid of her, but yet they trusted her, and it came to pass that she would be one of their greatest supporters along with Jonah and Valerie.

When it was time to throw the bouquet, Sam turned her back to everyone and threw it behind her. As it sailed through the air, many women, unmarried, tried to reach for it. Of course, the one that the bouquet actually landed in, was Skye. The little girl lifted her head up and smiled, not really knowing what it meant, and handed the flowers back to Sam.

"For you!" Skye replied brightly. "Flowers for you." Sam laughed and bent over, rubbing her head and smiling at the young girl.

"Thank you sweetie, I appreciate it, but you caught the bouquet. They have to go to someone unmarried, so…why not give them to Carly? She's not married yet." Carly's cheeks turned red as Griffin threw his arm over her shoulder. He hadn't quite yet proposed, but he was going to do so.

The guests watched in awe as Skye carried the bouquet to Carly. She took it delicately in her hands and moved over to Sam with Griffin. Jonah and Valerie moved over to the group, and Jonah gave Freddie the widest grin, lightly punching his shoulder.

"Finally tied the knot down, I don't feel alone." Freddie laughed and glanced over to Griffin. "Looks like you're next buddy."

"Yep, time to bury the old hatchet," Freddie added.

"About to sign on to a life of slavery." Griffin paled as the men laughed and joked. Of course, Valerie and Sam smacked their arms while Carly shook her head, grinning. Moments like these, these were the ones to live for. To cherish. The memories that would never be forgotten, and the relationships formed were greater than that of anything the world could throw.

_From here, to eternity_,_ the greatest bonds form each and every day, with every relationship that blossoms._

* * *

Well, this is it. It's been a long ride, but I've done it. I've finished the story, and I am proud of how it has turned out. I am _so glad_ I went back and rehashed the end, never thought it would produce a whole new seventy chapters, but hey, it was a marvelous turnout! Kind of sad it's over, but you know what? May it live forever in the hearts of all it's entertained.

_The Greatest Secret 2008-2012_

More like my greatest project XD. I'm sad, but happy at the same time. You know, all of you that stuck with me through this whole thing, I'm so thankful for each and every one of you. This story and you guys have seen me through some pretty rough tides (Like my ex...god the memories) and some pretty great moments! Much like the message in this last chapter, those are the bonds that form that make everything so worthwhile, and I love writing for each and every one of you. Thank you so much ^_^. You never know, maybe one day this story will have a sequel, maybe not, I'm sure Jonah's family would love to pull him into the mafia.

Check out some of my new stories. Oh, and for all those reading, I want you to check out the one other iCarly story that I'm doing (There's only one person reading that one, and it's the one that proofreads the chapters, so...) I know it's not a Sam/Freddie one or anything, but it's still good. "The Coin's Other Side" However if you want to catch how I'm doing on the _DRAMA_ stories (You know how much I love drama) Feel free to check out some of my other more recent works ;) You'll love em all.


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